In addition to hosting my very favorite show, "WETA Arts," I'm also a working actor and love performing with fellow artists and friends whenever I can in my hometown of Washington, D.C.

I took part in a one-night-only cabaret show produced by MetroStage, and my "WETA Arts" TV family followed me to share that journey with you.

♪ Hey, everybody!

It is Felicia Curry here.

And today is a really special day.

"WETA Arts" has decided to follow me around as I do a cabaret this evening with my friend Aaron Reeder.

I think y'all are gonna have a great time.

Hey, everyone!

So good to see you.

Welcome to my space and getting ready for this cabaret day.

OK, so this is my workspace.

I do a lot of my self-taping in here.

As you can see, Self-tape stuff is up.

I'm gonna get it out of the way so that we can get ready for this cabaret.

I am so excited.

Davis: ♪ Who can take the sunrise... ♪ Curry: Tonight's show is called "Beyond the Lights: Discovering Sammy Davis, Jr." This is a pretty special event for two reasons.

Because I'm working with two people that I adore.

Aaron Reeder.

He's a phenomenal talent.

He sings opera, gospel, Broadway, and he wrote tonight's show.

And Carolyn Griffin over at MetroStage is producing this.

She's produced at least 100 shows since MetroStage was founded back in 1984.

I'm just a guest in Aaron's cabaret, so he asked me to do one solo-- "Bewitched (Bothered and Bewildered)" It's from a Rodgers and Hart musical called "Pal Joey" from 1940.

I think it goes really well with what Aaron's put together.

It's about relationship.

It's about longing.

It's about love.

And then we're doing 2 duets.

I haven't played with the entire band.

That's why I have to do a lot of homework on my own to make sure I'm ready to do everything.

[Giggling] [Musical intro playing] ♪ Bewitched, bothered, and bewildered ♪ ♪ Am I ♪ I've never actually sung any of these songs except in rehearsal with Aaron.

So, tonight is both exciting and a little bit nerve-wracking, but that's one of the things I love about this business.

♪ I grew up in New Jersey and acted all the way through high school, and then I came here to go to the University of Maryland for journalism, but I stayed after graduation because of all of the incredible acting opportunities here in the DMV.

D.C. has allowed me to play Rapunzel.

I don't know that New York would have allowed me me to do that.

D.C. has put me in puppet theater, Shakespearean theater.

I've done one-woman shows here.

When she stepped on that stage...

I said to myself, "I want to do that."

Curry, voice-over: For me, it was a no-brainer to stay here and do really great work.

I think we are ready to go.

I have to pack everything up.

So, first things first.

We've got to get all the... outfits together.

I don't know if you all know, but I used to be a pageant girl, so I have many, many dresses.

It's actually one of the things that prepared me so well to do this job.

We're ready to go do a show.

Let's do it.

♪ We are headed to the Lyceum in Alexandria, Virginia.

The Lyceum is hosting MetroStage while they raise funds for a new theater.

Just taking this route makes me think about all the places that I've worked at.

I mean, this is the route to Ford's Theatre.

MetroStage really holds a special place in my heart.

They gave me the opportunity to grow as an artist, and it's because of some of the work that I did there that I got into theaters like Signature Theatre.

♪ I love him ♪ ♪ ♪ I love him... ♪ Curry, voice-over: I haven't talked to you about, you know, the places I started--Toby's Dinner Theatre of Columbia.

My first 2 Helen Hayes nominations were at Toby's.

Really proud of that.

["Footloose" playing] Kenny Loggins: ♪ Now I gotta cut loose... ♪ Curry: The first show I did at Toby's was "Footloose."

And there are 3 of us that I know have been on Broadway.

Curry: Let me say this.

I have many friends who are huge successes in this business and who have never been on Broadway.

D.C. has offered them the opportunity to be working performers, and that, to me, is success.

Even by the people in it sometimes, yes.

Oh, yeah.

I've always said to myself, if I stop getting the jitters, it might be time to reconsider.

[Laughing] ♪ And here we are at the Lyceum.

Let's get this show on the road.

Ha ha!

Do you see what I did there?

[Chuckling] ♪ Curry: Carolyn!

Oh!

Ha ha ha!

Oh, so good to see you.

Fantastic.

Do you remember when we discovered you?

"Three Sistahs."

You came to an audition-- I do.

and Tom Jones and I sat there-- That's right.

and we looked at each other and said, "Oh, my gosh."

We knew you were the one.

So, there you go.

OK. Are we ready?

I'm ready, yes.

And I'll follow you up.

Curry, voice-over: I am so excited.

Aaron wrote this show because he was inspired by Sammy's music and the challenges that Sammy overcame-- race, religion, disability, stature, a lack of education.

So, for me, this piece is important on that level, too.

Davis: ♪ Under my skin ♪ Aaron!

Hi, my friend!

Ha ha ha!

Thank you for having me here.

Thank you for coming.

Shut your face.

Of course.

[Both laughing] What's your relationship history with MetroStage?

Do you have one?

So, this is my first time doing any sort of partnership with Carolyn and MetroStage.

And then you and I, of course, "Les Mis."

Chorus: ♪ Ahh ♪ Laying on barricades, dying.

Dying together.

That's it.

We've never done a reading, a workshop, nothing.

And what's the message of the show?

Why Sammy Davis Jr. cabaret?

He always stayed true to himself.

And I think being an artist, it's sometimes difficult to stay steadfast in who you are.

So I think the process of, like, putting this together really helped solidify, like, owning your own voice and being true to yourself.

I love that.

And one of the things that would be great is figuring out any sort of, like, blocking that we want to do.

That's what-- mm-hmm.

I think once the band gets in and sets up, we can figure it out.

I've never done any of these songs in public before.

Are you serious?

Um-umm, no.

Turn on the lights.

Ha ha!

Action!

♪ Curry: So, I'll come around you on that second-- so I'll do first verse...

Yes.

and I'll either turn this way.

You're looking for me on the...

Which, if we're gonna do all of that for those numbers, I'll just--just stand for my solo.

That's fine.

[Playing notes on piano] OK. Reeder: ♪ You're the mate that fate had me created for ♪ ♪ And every time, oh, your lips meet mine ♪ ♪ Old black magic called... ♪ ♪ [Piano notes playing] [Indistinct chatter] [Cheering] Griffin: So it's with great pleasure that I introduce Aaron Reeder as he takes us on a heartfelt journey of the indelible Sammy Davis Jr.

Thank you.

[Applause] ["I Gotta Be Me" intro playing] This is "I Gotta Be Me."

♪ Whether I'm right ♪ ♪ Or whether I'm wrong ♪ ♪ I gotta be me ♪ ♪ I've gotta be me ♪ ♪ What else can I be but what I am?

♪ ♪ Reeder: Felicia Curry, ladies and gentlemen.

Felicia Curry.

[Cheering] ♪ I'm wild again ♪ ♪ Beguiled again ♪ ♪ A simpering, whimpering child again ♪ ♪ Bewitched ♪ ♪ Bothered and bewildered ♪ ♪ Am I ♪ ♪ There is no place I know ♪ Together: ♪ To compare with pure imagination ♪ ♪ So go there ♪ ♪ We'll go there ♪ ♪ To be free ♪ Together: ♪ If you truly wish to be ♪ [Cheering and applause] Exquisite, fabulous.

Man: Intensely personal and intensely real.

What an incredible talent.

What an incredible voice.

Woman: To see him with Felicia, who is a fantastic talent in this area.

So it was just an amazing concert.

Reeder: ♪ Old black magic... ♪ Man: Sammy's music-- "Old Black Magic," all this material-- I could have played it without the music, but it was just great.

Reeder: ♪ Those icy fingers... ♪ Griffin: It's worth every minute I put into it, because what we're able to give to our audiences and to our artists is really extraordinary.

Woman: Bye.

Thank you all so much for joining me.

Until next time!

[Giggling] Curry: Aaron Reeder appears in the Washington National Opera's production of "The (R)evolution of STEVE JOBS" May 2nd-10th, and catch me on June 28th in "Broadway in the Park," the 5th annual collaboration by Signature Theatre and Wolf Trap.

Go to wolftrap.org for details.