Review: CABARET at Musical Theater Heritage

Now at Musical Theater Heritage, a show that grabs its audience by the throat and holds on viscerally through the final fade to black. The era is the early 1930s. The City is Berlin Germany. The setting is the grungy and erotic Kit Kat Club. The liberal Weimar Republic turns inward on itself and cedes control to some of the darkest forces in recorded history. This is a superb production of John Kander and Fred Ebb's 1966 classic masterpiece "Cabaret."

MTH Artistic Director Sarah Crawford has imagined an exceptional, entertaining, and unsettling stage experience. "Cabaret" is the kind of stage magic only rarely available. It begins with a director's vison and with cast members who will allow themselves to be molded into a multi-layered whole. Both components are achieved with MTH's "Cabaret" in spades.

These actors succeed in creating fully formed, multi-layered characters. Each and every singing voice compares favorably with musical theater at the highest level. The orchestra created and led by Jeremy Watson is professional and exacting. The ensemble (both men and women) are sexy and top quality from one to another to another.

"Cabaret" begins on a New Year's Eve aboard train moving from Paris to Berlin. Clifford Bradshaw (John Cleary) is a young writer in search of a subject for his first novel. He becomes pleasantly acquainted with a German national named Ernst Ludwig (Brian Paulette). Ludwig offers his assistance in helping the young man settle into his new city. Together, they celebrate the dawn of the New Year at Berlin's exotic Kit Kat Club.

The scene transforms and both men (along with the audience) find themselves in mid production number headed by the Club's Emcee and Host (Thomas Delgado) accompanied by the entire ensemble. "Willkommen" is performed with such snap and energy and dance that the audience immediately is immediately captured by the story and the spectacle.

Our leading lady, British saloon signer Sally Bowles (Stefanie Wienecke), introduces herself with a stirring rendition of "Don't Tell Momma" backed up by those sexy female ensemble members dancers, the Kit Kat girls.

"Cabaret" lives on with three storylines. Sally loses her singing job and falls in love with Clifford (the writer). Fraulein Schneider (Deb Bluford), their landlady, falls in love with Herr Schultz (Daniel Lassley), the Jewish proprietor of a local fruit and produce store. The show's third and overarching theme exists as a subtle undercurrent to the romances.

Ever so nice and helpful Ernst Ludwig has helped Clifford with finding a place to live, provided him with English language students, and even employed him to do a little innocent smuggling and money laundering.

Frau Schnieder and Herr Schultz announce wedding plans. At an engagement party, they celebrate, but Herr Ludwig is shocked by what he sees. Ludwig calls Frau Schneider over and tells her that this proposed union can never be because Herr Schultz is a Jew. Ludwig asks a party goer to hold his suit coat while he dances. Only then do we see him in shirtsleeves with a Swastica

Sally (Stefanie Wienecke) glows when she sings. Clifford has a very nice voice, but the score does not afford him enough opportunity to show it off. Frau Schneider and Herr Schultz are excellent as the middle aged lovers who can never be. And Ernst Ludwig is excellent as the the piece's central villain , but somehow remains a person that you want to like. The strength of all these characters is in their acting chops. They make you believe their characters.

Most have faith that this Nazi thing is just a passing political fad that will pass. Nice people like Ernst Ludwig are become Nazi party members. Clifford sees the danger, asks Sally to come with him, and prepares to returns home alone to America when she refuses. The Germans, even German Jews are mostly unalarmed in the 1930s. This lack of alarm, while knowing trailing events that makes "Cabaret" so powerful.

MTH's "Cabaret" is an excellent musical play, a reminder of things most prefer to forget, and an object lesson. "Cabaret" continues through November 20th on Level III of Crown Center. Tickets are available on the Musical Theater Heritage website or by telephone at (816) 221-6987.

Photo by Tim Scott and Musical Theater Heritage

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