By Barry Willis
Decades beyond its debut, Kander and Ebb’s Cabaret continues to pack regional theater houses. An enthusiastic, full-capacity crowd fills Walnut Creek’s Margaret Lesher Theatre for every performance. The portentous, irony-drenched musical runs through June 23.
There are many good reasons for the enduring popularity of Cabaret: not merely its supremely catchy tunes and in-your-face choreography, but also its message—a warning about what may lie over the horizon if a delusional would-be dictator backed by ignorant malcontents finds a way to return to power.
” … the real star of this show is theater veteran Kelly Ground …”
Background: a sugar-coated cautionary tale, the 1972 film version firmly established the show in pop culture. Many people know its songs without understanding that the show itself is far more than a lightweight romp through the decadent underworld of Weimar Republic Berlin. The story’s late 1930s time frame isn’t specific but encompasses the rise of Germany’s Nazi party and its increasingly virulent anti-Semitism. It’s often forgotten that the Nazi party was democratically elected. By 1933, it was the most powerful political organization in Germany.
The story’s simple plot is the sojourn of an American novelist, Cliff Bradshaw (Jacob Henrie-Naffaa) who travels into Germany to Berlin, where he hopes to find inspiration for his writing. On the train he meets a friendly German, Ernst Ludwig (director Markus Potter, filling in for Charlie Levy in the June 13 performance). Ernst promises to show Cliff the inner Berlin, including the notorious Kit Kat Club, a dingy dive that’s a mainstay of Berlin’s entertainment underground. He also introduces Cliff to Fraulein Schneider (Kelly Ground), owner of a rooming house that’s home to nefarious folks such as Fraulein Kost (Michelle Drexler), who earns her living entertaining sailors by the hour.
At the club he meets a self-centered British songbird named Sally Bowles (Monique Hafen Adams). The two are soon deeply but contentiously involved. A prolific Bay Area performer, Adams is tremendous, with stunning vocal ability. She portrays Sally Bowles as a ditzy airhead with neither interest in nor knowledge of the forces swirling just outside her limited frame of reference. Henrie-Naffaa is likewise more than competent as Cliff Bradshaw.
In this reviewer’s opinion, the real star of this show is theater veteran Kelly Ground, perhaps the best Fraulien Schneider this critic has ever seen. Relaxed, confident, and perfectly in character, Ground sings and acts her way into the hearts of the audience as a planned marriage to fruit seller Herr Schultz (Richard Farrell) gets scuttled due to growing anti-Semitism and Nazi influence. Amplified by wonderful song and dance, the late-in-life romance of Schneider and Schultz is the most arresting and heartbreaking subplot in Cabaret. We don’t really care about the fates of young lovers Cliff and Sally. Cliff escapes Germany before it’s too late, while Sally digs her own self-referential grave. Herr Schultz similarly ignores the obvious to his eventual detriment.
Another standout in this production is Rotimi Agbabiaka as the Emcee. A gifted singer, dancer, and very funny comedic actor, he propels the show through many high-energy production numbers, leading and provoking the Kit Kat girls and boys in a dozen or more demanding dance sequences.
On an imposing two-level set by David Goldstein (and the scenic construction folks at California Shakespeare Theater), Jessica Chen’s choreography is accessible and competent. Among the dancers, Sydney Chow as Texas is truly compelling. The band led by Eryn Allen is terrific.
The June 13 absence of Charlie Levy in the pivotal role of Ernst Ludwig was an unlucky occurrence. Director Markus Potter took the part, but not having memorized the character’s lines, had to read from a script during his time on stage. His delivery was excellent and the script in hand made sense in early scenes where he is getting English lessons from Cliff, but was otherwise an unfortunate distraction.
This Cabaret will likely not be the only such local or national production leading up to the 2024 election in November. It’s going to be long hot summer.
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Aisle Seat Review NorCal Executive Editor Barry Willis is a member of the American Theatre Critics Association and president of the SF Bay Area Theatre Critics Circle. Contact: barry.m.willis@gmail.com
| Production | Caberet |
|---|---|
| Written by | Book by Joe Masteroff. (Based on the play by John Van Druten and stories by Christopher Isherwood) Music by John Kander, lyrics by Fred Ebb |
| Directed by | Markus Potter |
| Producing Company | Center Repertory Company |
| Production Dates | Thru June 23rd, 2024 |
| Production Address | Lesher Center for the Arts 1601 Civic Drive Walnut Creek CA 94596 |
| Website | centerrep.org |
| Telephone | (925) 943-7469 |
| Tickets | $48-$73 |
| Reviewer Score | Max in each category is 5/5 |
| Overall | 4/5 |
| Performance | 4/5 |
| Script | 4.5/5 |
| Stagecraft | 3.75/5 |
| Aisle Seat Review Pick? | YES! |