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June 2, 2004 - Subscribe - Contact Us - Rate Card - Place an Ad Valley&State Backpage O&E Sports Archives Classifieds Faith&Beliefs Obituaries Revels May 20, 2004 Beth Baker brings cabaret to the Craterian By Richard Moeschl For the Tidings The San Francisco Chronicle put it this way: "Baker at full throttle is an inspiring thing to behold." Those who wish to behold Beth Baker doing her vocalizing thing can see her perform at 7 p.m. Sunday, May 23, at the Craterian Ginger Rogers Theater, 23 S. Central Ave., Medford. Baker's performance is part of the Craterian's Spotlight Series focusing on local talent. Baker, who makes her home in the Rogue Valley, grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area where she began her cabaret career. She starred as Fanny Brice in "Funny Girl" at Foothill Community College, where she later played Sally Adams in "Call Me Madam." She received DramaLogue nominations for her roles in "Boys From Syracuse" and "Call Me Madam" Other theatre work was followed by solo performances, including singing the National Anthem for the San Francisco Giants, Golden State Warriors, San Jose Sharks, and the Oakland A's. "In 1995, an ex-literary agent from New York living in the Bay Area said he would open doors for me I New York," Baker said. "I never would have gone to New York if he hadn't prompted me to." She was there for 31/2 years. While in the Big Apple, Baker was making a name for herself for her one-woman cabaret show at cabaret houses such as Eighty-eights, Danny's Skylight Room and Don't Tell Mama's. She was also a regular soloist with the Gospel Choir of Middle Collegiate Church/East Village. Baker remembers her Broadway auditions as disappointing. "I was always 'too something.' I was too young for character roles, too old for ingenue roles, to large and talented for the chorus and too white for a community that wanted exotic, ethnic-looking women. They said I looked like I was from Ohio." She was also told to sing 'straight out with no color.' "I worked 40 years to have the color in my voice, why was I going to get rid of it now?" So she sang cabaret at night and painted cabinets by day. "You usually lose money in cabaret," Baker said. "You do it because you love it. I think that's true of the club owners too. I spent many hours on the subway with canvas tote bags on my back full of paint cans." Baker loved the intimacy of Cabaret singing. Its sparseness, usually paring the band down to one or two musicians. But it's hard to find a cabaret these days. "It's dying," Baker said. "It's almost gone in San Francisco and New York. People always love it and wish there were more. An evening with Beth Baker always includes a variety of musical styles. Audiences at the Craterian can expect to hear a mix of blues, ballads, jazz, gospel, inspirational and musical theater comedy. She will be backed by a small combo. In true cabaret fashion, Baker says she's not singing music that's particularly edgy. "I like to push a little here and there," she said. "But I love it when people come up to me and say my singing touched them." Here in the Rogue Valley, audiences have seen her perform in one-woman Holiday Cabaret Shows, as featured soloist at Oregon Shakespeare Festival's Daedalus Project and at Horizon Institute's "An Evening in Celebration of the Human Spirit" at OSF's Angus Bowmer Theatre. "I have grown to love the Rogue Valley. It was the place my father chose to live out his life and the place where he died. I have also grown to love the people of this valley... they supported me during my time of grief and have vigorously supported my talent. "This valley feels like home to me," Baker admits. "I can't imagine ever leaving. The Rogue Valley would certainly seem to be among the most unlikely places to build a career in music and yet it has been perfect for me." Tickets for Baker's Craterian concert are $15, general admission. 779-3000. DailyTidings.com Home Page Valley&State | Backpage | O&E | Sports | Archives | Weather | Classifieds Columnists | Faith&Beliefs | Obituaries | Revels | Subscribe | Contact Us Copyright 2004 Ashland Daily Tidings and Ottaway Newspapers All Rights Reserved Click Here Site Search: .:Advertisements:. RESOURCES - Mail Tribune News - ODOT Road Cams