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Cabaret Also see John's recent review of I must confess I was a bit apprehensive about seeing Cabaret done in Lewisville. This is, after all, a quite conservative suburb in our large metropolitan area. I was in for a shocking revelation! Director Matthew Layton, Assistant Director Michael Cramer, and Choreographer Brandon Harvey have taken this small theater company stuck in Rogers and Hammerstein land and brought them up to speed in regard to reaching out artistically and taking a risk. GLCT and this production team should be applauded and respected for taking such a risk. While this production does have its share of flaws, and some performances come up short when reaching for the truth of the piece, the effort to bring to this community artistic freedom and emotional growth has earned my deepest respect. If I had to choose who are the "stars" of this production, I would say they are Layton, Cramer, and Harvey. Director Layton interwove some of the images and moments from the recent Broadway revival in his production. I give him a lot of credit for bringing forth the decadence of the piece. He did not let the social climate of the local area stop him from pushing the buttons of social acceptance. The use of same sex couples in some scenes, a boy in drag for one number, and the dark subject matters brought to the forefront are all elements that Layton and Cramer use to tremendous effect. GLCT has very little stage space, no real wing space, no fly rail capability whatsoever. Layton uses small furniture pieces to create the mood of a hotel room, and for the Kit Kat Club he has chaser lights around the proscenium and various colored lighting to create the mood of this club. He blocks his actors to fill this small stage with purpose and reason. Choreographer Brandon Harvey's work is to me the best element in the production. His result goes beyond stale and cookie cutter choreography and heads for the groin to make you feel, well ... dirty, and it works beautifully! Harvey has his Kit Kat girls spread eagle at times right to the audience, he has his girls and boys grab, grope, and feel themselves and each other like it is a seedy, sweaty, and very dirty nightclub. This is greatly assisted by the torn costumes, hose, and harsh painted faces of his cast. Harvey uses chairs for the number "Mein Herr" with fantastic effect on the tiny stage. In the number "Two Ladies" Harvey choreographs the Emcee, a Kit Kat girl, and a boy in drag for the number. Harvey's first rate choreography is shown in such numbers as "Wilkommen", "Don't Tell Momma", and "Money"; each number is just dazzling to watch unfold. Harvey is greatly assisted by his marvelous ensemble of Kit Kat girls and boys. It is a perfect idea for Layton to have his "kinky eight" ensemble members serve as the scene changers - it is a thread to keep the scenes connected. Lauren Stanis, Rhonda Curfman, Jacque Tompkins, Casey Threatt, Quenby Seter, Katherine Hooker, Aric Schoonover, and Brad Hodges make up the tight ensemble. Their energy, commitment to character, and unity is powerful to say the least. Alex Collum, as the Emcee, has grand stage presence and it fills the theatre perfectly. He has direct eye contact with the audience and stays in total commitment to the role and to scenes in which he is only an "observer." However, he does not possess a strong singing voice. There is no strong vibrato or a solid belt to sustain the holding of long notes. He does have good volume in his speaking voice which helps him in the songs that have a lot of words but no long notes to sustain. Collum's best moments are in three songs: "Wilkommen", "What Would You Do?", and the finale. Wendy Barrett, a dead ringer for Reba McEntire, has a challenging task in portraying Sally Bowles. Barrett succeeds in some areas, but falls short in others. Her acting is solid and she digs into the layers of the woman who is the star at the Kit Kat Club. But Barrett lacks a strong singing voice. Her voice seems to hit the lower notes much stronger than her soprano notes and she has no strong belt, which is necessary for Bowles. Numbers like "Maybe This Time" and especially "Cabaret" fall short vocally, but in acting those songs she hits the mark. Bowles' pain and sorrow is captured beautifully in Barrett's face. Michael Rausch, as Clifford Bradshaw, has the best singing voice of the company - full and rich with a strong and powerful belt to support his vibrato. Rausch's acting is a perfect match to Barrett's. They show strong chemistry with each other. I applaud these two actors for using a real slap during one scene; the slap is real and it stings, but both actors play off of this beautifully. In their scenes together, Rausch and Barrett provide the best acting of the entire evening. I could tell that Layton was trying to really stick to Mendes' version. I wish he had kept this theme in the way Mendes cut some scenes and songs. For example, the song "Meeskite" serves no real purpose in the show. Mendes wisely cut this song in the revival and added some lines of dialogue to signify that Herr Schultz (who sings "Meeskite") is Jewish, and that did not hurt the pace and flow of the scene. But by keeping the song, the already heavy act one is weighed down even more with a song that just takes the pace and flow off track. Slow set and scene changes also slow the pace of the show. I truly feel, without a doubt, that Cabaret is the best production GLCT has EVER done, hands down! Cabaret plays through August 5 at GLCT Book & Lyrics by Joe Masteroff, John Kander, & Fred Ebb Director - Matthew Layton CAST Master Of Ceremonies...........Alex Collum Kit Kat Girls: |
