The Columbus Indiana Philharmonic has announced its star-studded lineup for their Spring 2025 Cabaret at the Commons series.
This 11th season will feature three award-winning Broadway, film and television artists: Norbert Leo Butz, Matthew Morrison and Patti Murin.
The season will start with Norbert Leo Butz on Feb. 13. During this evening of story and song, Butz will sing highlights from his three decades on the boards of Broadway, from his humble beginnings as the seventh of 11 children to being one of only nine actors to win a Tony Award twice for Best Actor in a Broadway Musical.
In addition to excerpts from his signature roles, he will share a few original compositions from his four solo records and some surprising covers from Tom Waits, Elton John and Bruce Springsteen.
Butz has originated roles on Broadway in Jason Robert Browns’ “The Last Five Years,” Stephen Schwartz’s “Wicked,” Andrew Lippa’s “Big Fish,” Harry Connick Jr’s “Thou Shalt Not” and the Lincoln Center 2018 revival of “My Fair Lady,” receiving Tony nominations for the latter.
Butz also has two Tony Winning performances in David Yazbek’s “Dirty Rotten Scoundrels” and Shaiman and Whitman’s “Catch Me If You Can.” His television and film credits include Netflix’s “Bloodline,” “Fosse/Verdon,” “Justified: City Primeval” and the upcoming FX series from Ryan Murphy “Gladiator: American Sports Story,” in addition to the recent “Exorcist” sequel by David Gordon Green.
Continuing into spring, March 6 will feature Matthew Morrison. A versatile actor recognized for his work both on and off stage, he has been nominated for Tony, Emmy and Golden Globe Awards. Morrison made his debut on Broadway in “Footloose,” but received his big break when he was cast as Link Larkin in “Hairspray.” He also starred in the Tony-winning revival of “South Pacific” at New York’s Lincoln Center theater, and starred as J.M. Barrie in the musical “Finding Neverland,” which he received two Drama Desk nominations for his role and won the category of Favorite Actor in a Musical in the Broadway.com Audience Awards.
He was later nominated for a Tony Award for his role in “The Light in the Piazza,” and also received a Drama Desk Nomination for Outstanding Actor in a Musical for “10 Million Miles,” the press release says.
In addition to his Broadway tenure, Morrison is probably best known for starring as glee club director Mr. Schuester in Fox’s musical comedy series “Glee.” The show, created by Ryan Murphy, received the Golden Globe award for Best Television Series – Comedy or Musical in 2010 and 2011, and Morrison was also nominated for Best Actor those years. He has many other iconic roles in television and film, but most notably as U.S. Attorney Conor Fox in the series finale of CBS’s “The Good Wife” and as Paul Stadler in seasons 13 and 14 of ABC’s “Grey’s Anatomy.”
Morrison has also released four studio albums, including his debut, self-titled album through Mercury Records in 2011 featuring guest artists including Sting, Gwyneth Paltrow and Sir Elton John, and his most recent album “Where It All Began,” a Broadway standards record produced by legendary Phil Ramone.
The season will conclude on May 15 with celebrated actress, singer and mental health advocate Patti Murin. Her extensive career spans both Broadway and television, and is widely recognized for her standout performance as Princess Anna in Disney’s “Frozen” on Broadway in addition to her role in the Tony-nominated musical “Lysistrata Jones.” Her stage credits also include roles in “Wicked,” “The Little Mermaid” and “Chicago,” and has appeared on television in series such as “Chicago Med,” “Royal Pains,” and many Hallmark movies.
Murin is also accomplished audiobook narrator who has read for esteemed authors such as Jodi Picoult, Christina Lauren, Katherine Center and many others. She is also a passionate advocate for mental health, leveraging her experiences to promote awareness and encourage open conversations about mental wellness.
Series tickets for all three Cabaret at the Commons became available for purchase on Dec. 5 at three levels: Platinum Seating costing $225 per person, Gold Seating costing $195 per person and Silver Seating costing $150 per person. Single tickets will be available for purchase beginning Jan. 6 at three levels: Platinum Seating costing $85 per person, Gold Seating costing $65 per person and Silver Seating costing $55 per person. Assigned seating is based on the time of purchase and groups wanting to sit together must purchase their tickets together with no exceptions. All ticket sales are final and no refunds will be issued after a sale is complete. Cabaret dates, times, artists and venues are subject to change.
Tickets may be purchased by calling the Columbus Indiana Philharmonic Box Office at 812-376-2638 Ext. 1 or by visiting the website at thecip.org. All shows will be held at the Nugent-Custer Performance Hall in The Commons, 300 Washington St. in Columbus at 7:30 p.m. The Spring 2025 Cabaret at the Commons is made possible through the generous series of sponsorships of Christine and Mike Elwood and Christopher Raskob and Victoria Craig Griffin.
