“Life is a cabaret, old chum, come to the Cabaret!” These words were sung by Liza Minelli in the classic musical “Cabaret”—first on Broadway, then on the big screen. Now, the musical returns to the stage; this time, in Rockford.

Thanks to a group known as the Rockford Entertainment League, national touring companies of hit Broadway shows will be stopping at Rockford’s Coronado Theater to dazzle all who attend.

Shows that have already appeared include Neil Simon’s “Broadway Bound”, Charles Dicken’s “Mystery of Edwin Drood”, and the high-kicking musical “Sweet Charity”. Shows already scheduled are the tap-dance classic “42nd Street” in March and “Cabaret” in April.

According to 1988 NIU graduate and REL Executive Secretary Rob Walgren, “The productions are getting larger with each show. The first two shows, ‘Broadway Bound’ and ‘Mystery of Edwin Drood’, drew medium-sized crowds because people weren’t prepared for them and didn’t really know much about them. The crowds increased greatly with ‘Sweet Charity’ in January.”

Walgren expects larger crowds for “Cabaret” and “42nd Street”; “People are familiar with the musicals , know the songs, and continue to see them year after year. The audience knows songs like ‘Lullaby of Broadway’, ‘We’re In The Money’, and the ‘Cabaret’ theme and they enjoy those shows more.”

The Rockford Entertainment League began as an off-shoot of a Duluth, Minn., organization called The American Entertainment League. In mid-1988 John Issackson, a member of the Duluth organization, contacted his sister, Betsy Slabaugh of Rockford, about starting a similar group. Slaybaugh enlisted the help of her fellow teachers in the Rockford Public School District and they hired Walgren as full-time executive secretary.

“The job itself is pretty fun, but time-consuming,” says Walgren. “I’m the ‘front-man’ for the organization and we are still comprised mostly of volunteers. I have to be in charge of all promotion, such as media placement and advertising. It’s a lot of work but it’s great experience.”

The Entertainment League will be conducting a survey among its season ticket holders to help them choose shows that will appear later this year. Among the shows in contention are “The Wiz”, “Dreamgirls”, “Nunsense”, “Me And My Girl”, and “West Side Story”.

“Student Rush Tickets” are available for “42nd Street” March 16 and for “Cabaret” April 2. The term “rush tickets” also comes from Broadway, where theaters offer discounts to last-minute patrons as an incentive to fill all available seats. “Rush Tickets” will go on sale at 6:45 p.m. (45 minutes before curtain time) on the night of the show and will be just $4 (cash only) with a limit of one ticket per student. Regular-priced tickets are $14, $19, $24, and $29 respectively. All shows are at the Coronado Theater and start at 7:30 p.m. Tickets may be reserved or charged by calling 633-8111 or 968-5222.

Walgren hopes to lure people away from traveling to Chicago to see the shows. “It’s a 45-minute drive with little traffic, free parking, good restaurants and bars nearby. And where else can you get quality Broadway entertainment for four bucks?”