Cabaret
Music by John Kander
Lyrics by Fred Ebb
Book by Joe Masteroff
Based on the play by John Van Druten
and stories by Christopher Isherwood
Cotuit Center for the Arts

The CCftA production of Cabaret is perfectly serviceable; in fact, some aspects of it are quite good. Kai Stewart has all of the ambiguous sexuality and charisma we’ve come to expect of the Emcee; and Marisa Lynn does well as Sally Bowles, although her English accent isn’t particularly good. The economical revolve set is put to good use, and the dance numbers are well done. Elin Hersch brings a wistful resignation to the role of Fräulein Schneider.

Other roles seem to have been cast for acting rather than singing. Tom Myers is a solid, if rather hetero Cliff Bradshaw, but his upper range is weak. And Kempton Parker really doesn’t have much of a voice, although his characterization of Herr Schultz is spot on.

The orchestra is small—trumpet, trombone, bass, keyboard, and percussion—but reallly excellent. Unfortunately they’re positioned in a balcony above the stage, with no sight lines between them and the singers. So in a couple of the bigger, more rousing numbers, the singers and the band occasionally got out of synch. (In one of Sally’s numbers, with a great deal of rubato, the Emcee was positioned at a corner of the balcony giving cues to the band. It helped.)

The theater was arranged as a cabaret, with a thrust stage surrounded by tables and chairs on three sides, and before the show, several dancers from the Kit Kat Klub were taking drink orders for the patrons. This seems a no-brainer arrangement for drawing the audience into the show, but not all spaces have the flexibility to allow it.