Cabaret
Music by John Kander
Lyrics by Fred Ebb
Book by Joe Masteroff
Based on the play by John Van Druten
and stories by Charles Isherwood
The Keegan Theatre
Interesting. I think I liked the production of Cabaret I saw this past summer better than this one, despite the fact that this was a professional cast, and that, overall, the singing was consistently better. Certainly Herr Schultz was better, and I thought this Clifford Bradshaw was more believable as a bi, indigent author. But the choreography in this show was lackluster, at best, and the Emcee lacked charisma or energy. (And with that thick-waisted body, I can’t see how he possibly made a believable Moritz in the Keegan’s recent production of Spring Awakening. Maybe without the garish face makeup and a pair of shorts he would make a believable teenager. It was certainly a lauded production, but then this run has sold out, too. That could be on the basis of the work itself, I suppose.)
The action was effectively staged on a generally bare stage, with a few chairs and a trunk as the only set. In “If You Could See Her”, the gorilla was very gorilla-like, crouching and slinking around near the ground, and only really dancing upright near the end. That was interesting; it wasn’t the usual “music hall” approach. Sally’s “Cabaret” was effectively done, with Sally standing center stage in front of a mike, and Herr Schultz and Fraulein Schneider standing alone in their “rooms”, in spots on either stage, with Clifford in a spot up on the stage right balcony, and Ernst Ludwig opposite him. And speaking of which… I really think Christopher Gillespie, as Ernst, had the best voice of the bunch. When he chimed in on “Tomorrow Belongs to Me”, it was like a window opening. Jane Petkofsky, as Fräulein Schneider, did a very good job with her two solos. That was the case with the CcftA production; maybe it’s a charmed role.
“Two Ladies” swapped out the two Kit Kat girls for a pair of Kit Kat boys in the second half of the song. I don’t remember whether Cotuit did that, but it seems a logical thing to do these days, and it was funny, if no longer particularly daring. A bit more risque (and chancy) was the stage business just before the opening of the second act. The Emcee picked out a young woman on the aisle and brought her up to the stage to dance a few steps of a slow two-step, asking her if she was having fun. After a few steps, he sent her back to her seat, and proceeded to pick a young man from the front row. (He was obviously targeted earlier during the show. While he may have been a bit shy about going up on stage, he was certainly honest when he said yes, he was having fun.)
| Cast: | |
|---|---|
| Max/Herman | Charlie Abel |
| German Officer/Hans/Rudy | Timothy Adams |
| Lulu | Shayna Blass |
| Helga | Sarah Chapin |
| Texas | Alison Crosby |
| Rosie | Paige Felix |
| Enrst Ludwig | Christopher Gillespie |
| Fräulein Kost/Fritzie | Sarah Lasko |
| Fräulein Schneider | Jane Petkofsky |
| Sally Bowles | Maria Rizzo |
| Bobby | Matthew Rubbelke |
| Frenchie | Erin Ryan |
| Clifford Bradshaw | Bradley Foster Smith |
| Emcee | Paul Scanlan |
| Herr Schultz | Stan Shulman |
| Victor | Ryan Patrick Welsh |
| Swings | Shannon Marie Cusello, Ben Lurye |
| Crew: | |
|---|---|
| Musical Direction | John-Michael d’Haviland |
| Choreography | Rachel Leigh Dolan |
| Directors | Christine A. Coakley and Michale Innocenti |
| Production Design | Michael Innocenti |
| Costume Design | Shadia Hafiz |
| Hair & Make-Up Design | Craig Miller |
| Sound Design | Jake Null |
| Stage Manager | Lauren A. Miller |
| Properties and Set Dressing | Carol Baker |
| Assistant Stage Manager | William Pommerening |
| Assistant Director | Jennifer Richter |
Pie Repone Te 