BWW Reviews: Life is a CABARET at City Theatre Company

"In here, life is beautiful," the Emcee deviously purrs to the audience at the start of CABARET, now playing at Austin's City Theatre Company.  Though he is referring to Berlin's seedy Kit Kat Klub, the same can be said of The City Theatre.  In here, life is many things: clever, engrossing, and always beautiful, even when the proceedings turn dark and sinister.

With CABARET, the most successful of the musicals by composer John Kander and lyricist Fred Ebb, The City Theatre tackles the challenging story of party-girl chanteuse Sally Bowles and her bisexual roommate/lover, Cliff Bradshaw, all against the backdrop of a dodgy nightclub in 1931 Berlin as the Nazis rise to power.  The material's book by Joe Masteroff is a bit clunky at times (it should be noted that The City Theatre utilizes the 1998 Broadway Revival's book which makes many welcome changes to the Original Broadway version) as it oscillates between the Kit Kat Klub, Cliff's one room flat, and other locales around Berlin. 

I t's very easy for CABARET to feel like two separate shows: the drawing room drama of Cliff, Sally, and the eminent rise of the Nazis and the song-and-dance debauchery of the Kit Kat Klub.  However, Director Andy Berkovsky skillfully keeps the evening well-paced and makes some very bold decisions that tie the multiple storylines together.  He allows the Emcee, usually limited to scenes in the club, to appear in the "real life" moments in which his all-knowing sneer seems to comment on the action, and Berkovsky's abrupt ending to the show is downright chilling and haunting.  While some of the clumsiness of Masteroff's book still shows through, Berkovsky's daring directorial choices dab some of the Emcee's make-up over the material's blemishes.

In addition to being brilliantly directed, this production is fantastically well-cast.  As American author Cliff, Matthew Burnet is appropriately muted, mousey, and easily manipulated until the second act allows him to explode in anger and frustration.  Vanessa Marie gets a few strong laughs as Fraulein Kost, Cliff's prostitute neighbor who always seems to be entertaining young sailors, sometimes two or three at a time.  As Frau Schneider, Cliff's landlord at the core of CABARET's doomed romance sub-plot, Karen Sneed is gruff, stern, and resilient but still incredibly likable and endearing.  With her strong voice and solid presence, she gives a heartbreaking performance.  Leslie Hollingsworth-Vander Gheynst, last seen as Else Schraeder in Zilker Theatre Production's THE SOUND OF MUSIC, gives an excellent turn as the deliciously mysterious Sally Bowles.  While she may have been saving her voice a bit throughout the performance I witnessed, her take on the title number got enthusiastic applause.  Her approach to the character is ever so slightly more demure and human than the wickedly cunning Sally is often portrayed, and her unorthodox choices are quite refreshing.

But the stand-out of the show is Johann RoBert Wood as the Emcee.  His Emcee is witty and charming but with a generous amount of menacing sleaziness underneath.  He occasionally borrows from the Tony Award winning Emcees of Joel Grey and Alan Cumming but still manages to make the character feel organic and genuine, and he manages to use his stellar voice, wily facial expressions, and nimble body to great effect.

Despite a few problem areas in the source material, The City Theatre's production of CABARET is first-class entertainment presented by a skilled director and an immensely talented cast.  Life is a cabaret, old chum.  Come to the CABARET.

 

PHOTOS: (Top) Matthew Burnet and Leslie Hollingsworth - Vander Gheynst in The City Theatre Company's production of CABARET.

(Bottom) Johann RoBert Wood and Leslie Hollingsworth - Vander Gheynst in The City Theatre Company's production of CABARET.

Run time: 2 hours and 30 minutes, including one 15 minute intermission.

CABARET plays The City Theatre in Austin, TX now thru September 9^th, Thursdays – Saturdays at 8pm and Sundays at 5:30pm.

For tickets and information, please visit www.citytheatreaustin.org

 

 

 

 

 

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