Local musicians to power up a new cabaret

Two out Philadelphia artists are getting together to present something electrifying in the city’s cabaret scene.

The duo, Sebastian & Storey, will team up to perform alongside other artists in “Plugged Inn: An Electric Cabaret,” Feb. 6-7 at The Trestle Inn.

Sebastian Cummings and Ben Storey were introduced to each other not as musicians but as actors.

“We met doing a show together, ‘The Laramie Project: Ten Years Later,’” Cummings explained.

And it was at another show where the two discovered they shared similar musical interests and a desire to put on a cabaret show.

“Brat Productions had a festival call ed ‘Brat. Shit. Crazy.’ and we performed a dance piece at The Trestle Inn,” Cummings said. “After we did that, we thought to ourselves, Hey, we could do this ourselves if we wanted to, and we did.”

Storey said Plugged Inn will differ from what people have come to expect from a cabaret show.

“The energy you get will have a feel that changes throughout the night, from a theatrical experience to a concert to a party,” he said. “And it has a very young feel to it. We were just talking about music and how we wanted to put on our own show that was different from a lot of stuff we see around town.”

And just as Plugged Inn is a different animal from your standard cabaret, Cummings and Storey each bring a different musical focus to the show.

“We both make electronic music. Sebastian does more of a pop-dance style and I play in a band with my roommate [Mixed Signals with Anne Marie Drolet],” Storey said. “We do an eight-bit electronic different style.“

“I have produced sound, if that means anything,” Cummings added.

“We have a very video-gamey sound. It’s fun and kind of silly and playful, where Sebastian’s music is definitely fun but has more of a dramatic tone,” Storey continued. “He does a theatrical performance with a lot of choreographed dances. When we perform, it’s more laidback and casual and playful.”

Storey said if “Plugged Inn” works out, you can expect to see more of their collaborations around town.

“Depending on how this goes, we’ve talked about the idea of doing the show again with different acts. We’re also both working on some writing projects and our main background is in theater so we’re talking about collaborating on new plays.”

Catch “Plugged Inn: An Electric Cabaret” 7 p.m. Feb. 6-7 at The Trestle Inn, 339 N. 11th St. For more information or tickets, call 267-239-0290 or visit www.playsandplayers.org.

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