There's a little place in Berlin, tucked neatly behind a few old buildings, past a dark corridor of drunkards and hussies. It's a place where you can forget your troubles, a place where you can roll up your sleeves, a place where that girl from the bar just may or may not be a woman and even the band is beautiful. It's a fantastic spectacle of dancing and debauchery; ladies and gentlemen, it's "Cabaret."
The Del Rey Theatre has replaced its usual crowd of quirky drama kids and curious East Quaders with a dazzling spectacle of Germany's underground in the 1940s. Set during the rise of the German empire before World War II, "Cabaret" provides a microcosmic example of what can happen when the party never ends.
The theater itself has been completely dressed to uphold the illusion that the audience is in a back alley speakeasy, complete with roaming actors during intermission. But it is the performance itself that sets "Cabaret" apart from other shows one may see around town. The show is originally intended for Broadway, so the stripped down version that has been crammed into the Del Rey Theater has no trouble filling up stage space. It puts you close to the actors, real close, perhaps a little too close at times, but this simply carries the illusion as it allows interaction between the performers and audience.
Standout performances in this show include Wolfgang Roth (Ben Gaetanos), the flamboyant master of ceremonies for this circus of dancing, decadence and drama. Initiating numbers, changing the set and moving the story, Gaetanos sets an enormous contrast for the sullen tone the show takes in its climax. However, the most intriguing aspect of this show is its technicalities.
It's one thing for a cast to maneuver through such complex choreography and blocking, but when you add an even more confusing lighting configuration, things get tricky. Kyle Ruebsamen designed the lighting for this show, requiring over 350 lighting cues. The result is a show whose set speaks just as loud as the exuberant performances.
Director Sharon Madden approached the difficult task of arranging this show back in January and the process was as entertaining as it was arduous. She explained that the show was originally written in the late 1960s as a response to Vietnam, using the rise of the Nazis before WWII against a backdrop of the surreal Kit Kat Club, to perpetuate themes of ignorance and decadence. She also explained that the show recently made its return to Broadway as a response to the Iraq conflict and as much as she truly adores Cabaret, she is saddened that it is pertinent again.
Madden took the liberty of adorning her cast with a few characters that were not originally written in the script. These characters form background vignettes throughout the show as the characters develop against the plot. She credits her audiences with being, for the most part, intelligent people who would pick up on the subtleties of these characters. At intermission, look for two sailors in particular.
But such a large show cannot fit in such a small venue, so seating is naturally limited. "Cabaret" plays April 2-5 and April 6-12. For tickets, contact the central ticketing agency.
