Talking With Victoria Guthrie about Cabaret Show ‘Stages of Love’

This edition of Talking With focuses on Victoria Guthrie, who discusses making her cabaret debut with the new original show “Stages of Love,” on June 9, 2023 at New York’s renowned Don’t Tell Mama. Victoria will return for additional performances later this year on October 15th and December 20th.

Conceived by Victoria, the songs are a mix of standards, pop and even Sondheim favorites, that all circle around the theme of romance and love as told through its five most popular phases. It is directed by writer Emma Tattenbaum-Fine, with assistance from composer-lyricist- Broadway vocal coach Diane Tauser as Musical Supervisor, and pianist-coach Kent Dennis as Musical Director.

A seasoned actress, Victoria has appeared in more than 100 projects spanning indie films, commercials, and stage productions. Her film festival success includes Best Supporting Actress for “One, Two, Guess Who’s Who,” Best Actress-Drama for “Tales of Creation,” Best Supporting Actress for “The Final Mission,” and Best Supporting Actress for the series “Milgram and The Fastwalkers.” On stage, she starred off-Broadway in “Absolute Charity” at the Players Theatre.

To learn more, we are Talking With Victoria Guthrie:

Why did you want to create the cabaret show “Stages of Love”?

VICTORIA GUTHRIE: I had been pondering the meaning of love and how it changes in a relationship over time. What happens after 20 years with a person…will you ever experience romantic passion again? And if you decide to leave the relationship, will you just end up in the same position eventually? Google bumped up articles called Stages of Love and I instantly knew it was the content of my show. There are so many songs about love, lust, heartbreak, missed opportunities…It was only natural for it to become the content of my show, as it is from my heart and soul trying to find my way.

How did you decide the songs to include?

VG: I made an A, B and C list of all the songs I’d worked on at some point. A’s were definite…they clearly fit into the stages of love. B’s maybe’s, C’s were probably not. Then we (the musical supervisor) and I looked at how the songs laid out for variety. For example, I had two slow ballads similar in what they represented so we chose my favorite. Lastly, my stories connecting the songs brought to mind songs that I knew but hadn’t worked on, but they were a perfect fit in theme, context of the story and musically. “Cruisin” was one of those adds, plus a duet, which made for nice variety in the show.

Do you have a favorite song or moment from the show?

VG: My favorite song is “Send In The Clowns”. Missed opportunities for me is a theme which has always ripped my heart out. The sheer nakedness of this song in it all its pain, beauty, and irony. The first three notes are all I need to hear and I’m pretty much decimated and fighting to keep it together.

Considering this is your first original cabaret show, what helped you the most in bringing this show to the stage?

VG: My voice teacher and the musical supervisor of the show Diane Tauser was instrumental in every way. She was the one that planted the seed in my head one day at a voice lesson saying, “You should do a cabaret Show”. She was instrumental in guiding me on how to pick the songs and team that would collaborate without ego to create a very organic show which was true to me. Also, my background in improv makes me very comfortable riffing in the banter and with the audience. This is one of my favorite aspects of the medium.

What do you hope audiences take away from it?

VG: I’d like them to leave thinking about what stage they are at in their relationship or in self-love and optimistic to risk and find true love.

Are you a hopeless romantic or where do you stand personally when it comes to love?

VG: I’d say at heart I am a hopeless romantic. However, life has made me more pragmatic. But, under all the rational those bass chords that open “Send In The Clowns” (the true romantic) cries to get out.

What have you learned about yourself from working on this show?

VG: The show gave me a lot of growth and confidence as a singer, performer, and a writer. It’s, also, the first time I’ve directly tried to solve and understand a personal dilemma through my art. That has been interesting and helpful; when my audience relates to the stories through laughter, tears, celebration…We are all in this together. Knowing other people are going through similar things and are routing for me and each other is huge.

Is there anything else you’d like to share with us?

VG: I’m so looking forward to the added show dates on October 15th and December 20th. I hope you will join me on this journey. And remember love may be heartbreaking but it’s beautiful and worth taking that chance!

Keep up with Victoria Guthrie at: victoriaguthrie.com

Instagram: @vguthrie10 Twitter: @vguthrie10 Facebook: /VGuthrieActor