Oregon Public Broadcasting

Portland Center Stage kicks off its 20th anniversary season with Storm Large and Wade McCollum as the leads in the classic musical Cabaret. But before artistic director Chris Coleman cast the larger-than-life rocker opposite a seasoned actor, he first went to YouTube to check her out.

He wasn’t sure what he wanted at first but the evident vocal chops of Storm Large helped convince Coleman that he was headed in the right direction.

We caught up with Chris Coleman during one of the last rehearsals for the show -- I asked him what he thinks Storm Large brings to her role in the classic musical -- the strong and sensuous Sally Bowles.

Chris Coleman is the artistic director for Portland Center stage and directed Cabaret. The show opens Friday at the Portland Armory and you can see preview shows beginning tonight.

If that’s not enough, you can also get a behind the scenes look at the show’s costumes, go to opbnews.org.  View an audio slideshow tour with costume designer Jeff Cone and his staff.

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Portland Center Stage