Cabaret
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 Steven Bogart; Set and Costume Design, David Israel Reynoso; Lighting Design, Nicholas D. Vargelis; Sound Design, Clive Goodwin; Music Directors, Debra Barsha and Lance Horne; Movement Director, Steven Mitchell Wright
CAST: Emcee, Amanda Palmer; Sally Bowles, Aly Trasher; Cliff Bradshaw, Matt Wood; Fräulein Schneider, Thomas Derrah; Herr Schultz, Remo Airaldi; Ernst Ludwig, David Costa; Fräulein Kost, Claire Elizabeth Davies; Max, Jeremy Geidt; Kit Kat Dancers: Lucille Duncan, Gaetano Pugliese, Eric Johnson, Tamara Hickey, Renée-Marie Brewster, Jordy Lievers; Ensemble: Christopher I. Thomas, Ed Walsh, Annika Franklin
Performances through October 29 at Oberon, 2 Arrow Street, Cambridge, MA Box Office 617-547-8300 or www.americanrepertorytheater.org
There are occasions when theater must be described as an event: when it is impossible to contain the dramatic scope of the production on a narrow stage and numerous ancillary areas must be put into play; when the performances are so shattering and fully realized that characters can evoke fear and loathing, or unbridled sympathy from the audience; when The Combined effects of the art designs transport said audience to a convincingly imaginary place in a bygone era. This defines an event, an extraordinary occurrence. This describes Cabaret, brilliantly conceived and directed by Steven Bogart at the A.R.T.'s Oberon cum 1930s Berlin's Kit Kat Klub.
This is not the Cabaret of Harold Prince and Joel Grey, which opened on Broadway in 1966 and ran for 1,165 performances, nor the 1972 Bob Fosse film starring Liza Minnelli. Bogart's vision relentlessly hammers us with the raw emotions and decadent behavior of his characters and delves deeply into their psychological complexities, strongly portraying how they parallel the political and social complexities of pre-World War II Germany. He envelops us in the dark, seedy world of the night club and its fiendishly immoral inhabitants and, like any train wreck, we can't help but watch them crash and burn, despite knowing in advance how it will end. In this iteration, it is simply fascinating to observe the route that each character will take to his or her inevitable outcome.
Casting Amanda Palmer of the Dresden Dolls as the Emcee of the Kit Kat Klub is a bold move, especially since she plays the part as male. She virtually dares anyone to doubt her capacity to sell the concept as she struts about the stage in black jodhpurs, suspenders, and high black lace-up boots, sometimes sporting a malevolent mien, and often with a twinkle in her eye. It is impossible to take your eyes off of her and she is everywhere in the course of the show, even appearing in scenes that take place outside the environs of the Klub. She insinuates herself into the relationships of others and becomes symbolic of the rising power and pervasiveness of the Nazi party. In effect, her Emcee is the conductor of the train, the puppet master pulling the strings, and the personification of the collective nightmare.
