HUDSON, N.H. – For nearly 30 years, Cabaret has been more than just an annual performance at Alvirne High School; it has become a signature event that many Hudson residents circle on their calendars.
The 27th edition of the show is set to pay homage to the school’s 75th anniversary with a “Diamond Jubilee” theme. Fans will be treated to a trio of performances beginning at 1:00 pm on March 21, followed by a 6:00 pm show that same evening, and concluding with a matinée at 1:00 pm on March 22.
In 1998, the show began with the idea of hosting a concert, but seating attendees at tables with finger food, instead of in standard chairs. The original iteration saw the Alvirne band and choir trade off performances on one stage, with food provided by the culinary department. Now, in 2026, Cabaret continues to grow and evolve.
“By year three, it started to have a theme, and now we have three shows over the weekend,” said Hudson School District Music Director and Cabaret co-director Rob Scagnelli. “Now, we have three stages set up and all sorts of decorations along with 40 tables throughout the gymnasium.”
Scagnelli also described the show as a “round-robin” where audience members shift in their seats to watch whichever stage is performing at that time. “There will be a group on this stage, then a group backstage, then a group on this stage,” said Scagnelli, describing the flow of the show.
Around 135 students are taking part in this year’s Cabaret. Scagnelli, along with fellow show co-director and Alvirne Choral Director Mike Gallagan, teamed up with that group in the months leading up to the opening day. Work is done to prepare decorations, fine-tune the band and choral performances, and rehearse.
Past the staff and students, another group puts in a lot of time and effort to make sure Cabaret runs smoothly.
“We have a crew of parents who help make the vision happen,” said Scagnelli. “On the Friday before the show, we have parents who are in and out all day, from basically 7 am on. Then on the day of the show, there's always a crew of parents who are either ushers, showing people where their table is, or just helping with tickets and all that.”
It’s not just parents of current students who help make Cabaret happen. Parents of former students still volunteer their time to help make the show a Hudson community hallmark event, as well as a unique tradition.
“This is a pretty successful, popular, and meaningful event because it doesn't really happen elsewhere like this,” said Scagnelli. “People might have concerts in the round or with themes, but it’s rarely a large-scale event like this.”
In this year’s rendition, audience members can expect each of the band and choir groups to perform four pieces each, which will be accompanied by eight solo acts. A total of 15 solo acts will be showcased over the course of the weekend, but are broken up into eight performances for each showing.
Attendees can also expect a newly commissioned piece, created specifically for the Alvirne band and Cabaret, to premiere this weekend. The composition, which was written by University of New Hampshire music professor Andrew Boysen Jr., was funded through the Alvirne Trustees and included some collaboration to complete.
“We received the piece in January, and he [Boysen Jr.] actually came to the school to work with the students,” said Scagnelli. “The students got to interact with the composer of the piece, and it’ll be a world premiere because it’s never been heard and didn’t exist until just recently.”
As of the time of publication, tickets for the 1:00 showing on March 21 and the 1:00 showing on March 22 are still available. The 6:00 showing on March 21 is officially sold out. To purchase tickets to the remaining shows, you can go online at alvirnemusic.ludus.com.
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For more information on the Hudson School District, visit them at sau81.org. You can also follow them on social media through their Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn accounts.