While they often say the stories write themselves, Chris Pink and Jonathan Betchtel put endless hours into creating the most beloved, hilarious, and ridiculously charming Can Can shows from mere paper-bound ideas. 

With a creative partnership spanning over 18 years, plus a sense of limitless silliness, an impressively deep-cut trove of inspirations, and the fine-tuned ability to value authenticity and not take oneself too seriously all at once, these two have found a collaborative process that is truly unmatched.

And, with how devilishly delightful Crimson and Clover is, it’s undoubtedly a process that just keeps getting better and better. 

Dive into Pink and Betchtel’s creative minds, as they give us a peek behind the curtain and into writing a Can Can show. 

We are over the moon with excitement for the upcoming release of Live at Can Can: Can Can’s Essential Music Collection, a series of songs made and recorded by our in-house music creators and producers, culminating in a compilation of some of the most iconic, beloved songs from Can Can productions over the years.

Chris Pink and Dave Pezzner, the duo behind the brilliant music duo Pink & Pezzner, sat down with the Can Can Blog to chat about the unique, live recording process, the future of bringing Can Can home with you, and how nearly impossible it is to pick a favorite track.

Read on to get the behind-the-mix scoop on Can Can’s inaugural Essential Music Collection, and head to our website on August 1st to get your hands on the tunes.

While Can Can is proud to be a haven of acceptance, support, and connection for all members of our family, we cannot ignore the intensity of the industry we experience day in and day out. Just beneath the surface of the glimmering world of the guest-facing hospitality industry and the captivating allure of the performing arts, there is an ongoing battle to put well-being and mental health at the forefront when it is far too often shoved into the shadows.

Recognizing the vital need for a healthy and mindful working environment, Can Can has embarked on a journey to prioritize the mental health of our employees both on and off the stage. At the helm of this transformative initiative is Deborah Friend Wilson, a distinguished mental health leadership and wellness coach.

In this exclusive interview, Deborah shares her insights, experiences, and strategies in supporting mental health awareness within the performing arts and hospitality industries, shedding light on the importance of self-care, mindfulness, and empowering individuals to navigate the unique challenges they face daily.

Pride is a celebration, but it also shines a spotlight on the many challenges and barriers that the LGBTQ+ community faces every single day. 

While still growing, Seattle is thankfully home to many organizations and efforts to support LGBTQ+ folks in both the darkest and brightest of moments. Can Can is, itself, a welcoming home for any and all who need it; we embrace difference and advocate for fierce joy. 

Keep reading to learn more about five other wellsprings of endless hope, accessible resources, and opportunities to continue growing. Whether it be food insecurity, a struggle with addiction, or a desire to pursue education, these organizations are dedicated to helping you pave your path to a better and brighter tomorrow that we all deserve. Happy Pride! 

If you’re reading this on an empty tummy, prepare to be hit with an intense wave of cravings. We’re here to break down some of the most scrumptious dishes and most irresistible drinks on our brand new Spring 2023 menu for the Dressing Room and Can Can Theatre. 

Our kitchen full of talented flavor connoisseurs and our bar of craft cocktail magicians have designed a food and drink menu that truly gives us the taste of the season. This spring, we’re indulging in freshness, bursts of flavor, and oh-so-satisfying textures. 

Keep reading to feed your soul (and your tummy). 

To celebrate this year’s Pride, Can Can is absolutely honored to be partnering with Pride Foundation, one of the organizations uniting and empowering the Northwest’s LGBTQ+ community.

Founded in the dire need for resilience, Pride Foundation has been serving the five-state region of Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, and Washington since 1985, and their ability to support both individuals and entire communities of folks fighting for inclusivity, safety, and hope has only grown since.

We were able to sit down with Katie Carter, Pride Foundation’s CEO, to learn about the perennial foundation’s beginnings, goals, and how, every day, it embodies the values of courage, integrity, innovation, and hope in everything they do.

Keep reading to join the fight for a world in which every LGBTQ+ individual can live as their full, authentic selves, safely and proudly, no matter where they call home.

NOIR brings Can Can and all of its guests into a world of sultry hypnosis and irresistible revelry. The latest show also brings us Rey Rodriguez, a brand new face on the Can Can stage hailing all the way from Cuba.

Born and blossomed in a culture of dance, Rodriguez has never stopped moving to the rhythm of his life’s unique song in all of its ups, downs, and perfect pivots. From countless auditions to teaching ballroom lessons in downtown Seattle – a style he had never explored before stepping foot in the studio – Rodriguez has truly mastered the universal language of dance.

Despite being far from where his journey initially began, Rodriguez feels as if he is finally “at home” here at Can Can.

Read on to hear all the dreams come true, details, and more.

We’re still riding the high of celebrating Can Can’s 18th Can Canniversary, and we’re delighted to throw even more confetti for a dear, dear friend of ours. This month, we had the pleasure of interviewing Patricia Gray, the Director of Philanthropy for the Pike Place Market Foundation, about the growing impact of the foundation and how it's nurtured a healthy and thriving community within Seattle over the last 40 years.

What started out as a little cabaret theatre hosting traveling rock bands and local performers has now, 18 years later, turned into one of Seattle’s most unique and empowering havens of damn good entertainment, damn good food, and damn good friends.

We sat down with Chris Pink, the founder and owner of where we call home, to hear more about our tantalizing theatre’s first steps, how failure cultivates success, and what he’d tell himself way back when before embarking on the wildly wonderful, divinely drudging journey that is Can Can.

Read on to take a trip down memory lane and celebrate the good, the bad, and the sexy over 18 years of Can Can.

Raise your glass, whether it’s water, whisky, or wine, to Annie Arrasmith, Can Can’s beautiful, badass Bar Manager and creative mind behind the cocktails. 

Annie is proof that girls rule – especially behind the bar. To celebrate the Women of Can Can both on and off the stage, Annie sat down with us and shared all about how she continues to persist as a successful mixologist despite small-minded folks, dated gender norms, and even her own budding confidence. 

“I stopped wanting to prove other people right or wrong about me and, more so, I just wanted to make myself know that this was something I wanted to do no matter if I was a man, woman, or whatever. I could be good at it and it had nothing to do with my genitalia. If I wanted to be good at it, it was up to me.”

Read on for a guaranteed, heavy pour of girl power. 

Watching Shadou Mintrone perform is like watching power, confidence, and grace perfectly personified in the most sparkly get-up you can imagine. 

What most folks may not realize, though, is that Mintrone’s power, confidence, and grace work just as hard off-stage as they do on, and that what we see on the surface is truly just the tip of this Woman of Can Can’s larger-than-life iceberg.

“I'm coming up on 10 years at Can Can now,” Mintrone shared. “And the ability that I have been granted to prove my hard work has been so empowering. I've never been told that I’m not working hard enough, but at Can Can, it's more like, ‘Hey, you work really hard, and you're really good at what you're doing. So, if you want to do more, you can.’”

From a decade's worth of show seasons to costuming her castmates, and from behind-the-scenes management to running auditions, Mintrone seems to do it all – and she truly does just keep doing more. 

Ready to get inspired? Read on to learn more.