Voix de Ville
Noce, Fridays, Oct. 4, 11 and 18, 7 p.m.
There is a guiding axiom in show business that provides some clarity when things go wrong. That axiom (which we should note is sometimes superseded by, say, a pandemic) is, “The show must go on,” of course. It’s a spirit in evidence in vaudeville culture as portrayed by Mickey Rooney and Judy Garland in Depression-era films and by Kermit the Frog as he tries to hold things together on the vaudeville-adjacent The Muppet Show.
The first presentation of “Voix de Ville,” an original cabaret produced by Max Wellman at his Des Moines club Noce, required an adherence to that tried and true showbiz principle. A couple of days before the Friday, Sept. 13 show, one of the stars of the new endeavor fell ill. (We will leave it to readers to decide whether or not Friday the 13th was an auspicious debut date.)
“The concept was tested a little more than I had planned,” Wellman said by phone. He described the rush to get the show rearranged and ready. “It threw everything into chaos.”
Still, an advantage of the cabaret format is that the various acts — including Wellman’s own musical performance — can stretch a little here and a little there to fill in the hole left by an absent performer. These performers, according to Noce, include an “elite jazz orchestra,” “drag and ballet professionals.”
“Everyone just flexed a bit,” Wellman said, “and it worked out great.”
Wellman sees Voix de Ville as a natural extension of the work he has already done to establish Noce as a key part of the Des Moines arts scene. He noted that when he first opened the club, a longtime model of entertainment booking — hiring touring acts to be in residence at a club — was coming to an end. So Wellman adopted a different model that he says gives audiences the sense that they are “interacting with a company of artists … with some of the flavor of the old residencies.”
“We’re really leaning into a lot of stuff that is already happening at the club,” Wellman explained. “This is really just letting Noce be what it already is.”
Wellman notes that a huge part of Noce’s success has been locally produced shows, and he is proud of the role the club has played in helping to bring those shows to the stage. That work has led to several shows that are regularly performed, delighting both regular patrons and those who visit the club for the very first time.
Asked what he would want a first-time attendee to experience at Voix de Ville, Wellman replied, “This is actually built for exactly that scenario.” He hopes the series both leans into people’s preconceived notions of cabaret while also providing a space for artists to stretch and innovate. “This is really my love letter for the art form,” he said.
It’s a love letter that also underpins the Noce business plan. Wellman noted that recurring shows like Voix de Ville can help the club consolidate “our marketing efforts around some of these shows we’re trying to bring in off the road.” He emphasized the importance of having high-quality, popular performances on Noce’s stage on a consistent basis. “The way the business works,” he said, “any time that we’re open, we have to be busy.”
This initial run of Voix de Ville is set for a total of six weeks, but Wellman imagines a day when the cabaret is consistently the Friday night offering at Noce. “I would love for it to become the house show,” he said.
To reach that point, Wellman and his collaborators are working hard to develop a sturdy framework that can highlight a range of artistic expression while also providing a consistently high level of showmanship.
“This is an intentionally produced cabaret show,” Wellman said. “We are making a show with good bones and creating space for jazz artists and other performers to play inside those bones.”
Voix de Ville will be performed each Friday night at 7 p.m. at Noce through Oct. 18. Scheduled performers include Wellman, a jazz band under the direction of Jason Danielson, vocalist Napoleon Douglas, dancers Amelia and Logan Hillman, and drag queens Tyona Diamond and Domita Sanchez. You can explore the club’s full upcoming schedule at nocedsm.com.
This article was originally published in Little Village’s October 2024 issue.
