SPRING CABARET: On Saturday, April 6 at 7:30 p.m., Katie Welsh performs “The Broadway Musical Heroine,” the first of her Spring Cabaret Concert Series at the Arts Council of Princeton.

Welsh, who is a graduate of Princeton University, takes the audience on a journey through the decades, from the 1940s to the 2010s, on a quest to understand how Broadway’s leading ladies have changed over time. What makes a Rodgers and Hammerstein heroine different from a Sondheim heroine? How do favorite female characters navigate the world of relationships in similar and different ways?

Welsh considers these questions as she sings songs from Oklahoma!, South Pacific, Bells Are Ringing, Sweet Charity, Jesus Christ Superstar, Sunday in the Park with George, Into the Woods, Les Miserables, The Light in the Piazza, and more.

Welsh first developed the concept of “informative cabaret” for her senior thesis at Princeton. She shapes her patter to be informative and educational, giving her audience the backstory and context of each song, occasionally quoting scholars and journalists, touching on the history of musical theater, and leading fun moments of musical analysis.

Later in the series, Welsh will present “Love…According to The Great American Songbook” on May 11 and “The Music of Richard Rodgers,” a benefit for the Arts Council of Princeton on June 15. Pianist David Pearl, who collaborates frequently with musicians in the jazz and classical community, will be Welsh’s accompanist.

In addition to performing in venues and at private events in the Princeton area, Katie has also been seen in New York at Feinstein’s/54 Below, Don’t Tell Mama, The Duplex Cabaret Theatre, the Metropolitan Room, BroadwayCon, and the Princeton Club of New York.

Tickets to each event are $15 and are available at Eventbrite.com or for cash at the door. The Arts Council of Princeton is at 102 Witherspoon Street.