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March 25, 2005 > Arts & Entertainment > This ‘Cabaret’ spotlights bare-legged ruckus

This ‘Cabaret’ spotlights bare-legged ruckus

By Jonathan Schumann | Thresher Editorial Staff

In Wiess Tabletop Theater’s brazenly ambitious production of John Kander and Fred Ebb’s classic musical Cabaret, madcap heroine Sally Bowles sings, ‘What good is sitting alone in your room?/Come hear the music play/Life is a cabaret, old chum, come to the cabaret.’ And it’s good advice. The occasional creative misstep aside, this production has inexhaustible vigor and style to burn.

Berlin on the eve of World War II is a bohemian hub of divine sin and decadence. The most hopping joint in town is the Kit Kat Club, with the sexually ambiguous Emcee (Lovett College Resident Associate Rick Spuler) as ringmaster. Directors Nicole Rodin (Wiess College sophomore) and Elisabeth Papadopoulos (Wiess senior) bring the audience into the Kit Kat. In addition to traditional seating, there are three three-person tables and two two-person tables at the foot of the stage. Just as when the show was produced on Broadway at the Roundabout Theater Company’s then-newly renovated space at Studio 54, the audience is part of the action. The Emcee prowls through these tables during scene changes, whispering sweet nothings into the ears of anyone willing to listen. Expect a proposition or two from the Kit Kat Girls during the second act overture. While these aspects help evoke a nightclub atmosphere, the effect would have been more complete with a more inspired lighting scheme. The flashbulbs that line the stage are not used to their full potential, and too often bright overhead lights flood the stage, killing the Kit Kat’s allure and mystery.

Still, the performers bring the Kit Kat alive as early as the first number, when Spuler and the Kit Kat Girls take the stage with ‘Wilkommen.’ Although the orchestra — located onstage in full costume — occasionally overpowers the voices, Papadopoulos’ slinky, sexy choreography more than compensates. The dance moves here and throughout the show are complex, intricate and perfectly executed. The Kit Kat Girls themselves, scantily clad in revealing lingerie and ripped fishnets with makeup that reminds us why heroine chic was once popular, do scintillating work.

Spuler inhabits the role of the Emcee with unbridled enthusiasm and passion. As he has proven with his other college theater performances, most notably in last year’s Art, he has great stage charisma.

Cabaret follows Clifford Bradshaw (Lovett senior Chapman McDaniel), a young, idealistic American writer, as he plunges into the Kit Kat’s seductive world. He rents a room from elderly spinster Fraulein Schneider (Wiess senior Emily Matuzek) and quickly becomes acquainted with the wildly promiscuous and utterly endearing Sally Bowles (Laurie Scott, Baker ‘02). The two become an unlikely couple; his sexuality is constantly in question and her loyalties shift from man to man. While Clifford spends most of his time agonizing over his black Underwood typewriter, Sally lights up the Kit Kat with her lively performances. The show hits its stride whenever Scott is onstage. With a period-appropriate bobbed hairstyle and a gaunt, lanky figure, she resembles a 30s pin-up re-imagined for a Calvin Klein ad. She has great physical appeal with fetching dance and vocal talents to match. The show’s uncontested high point comes halfway through the first act with ‘Mein Herr.’ Sally and the Kit Kat Girls mount chairs and playfully swing their legs about while Scott croons the mischievous ballad.

While this and most of the other musical numbers quicken the show’s pace, the first act is far too long, clocking in at almost 90 minutes. One number in particular, ‘Two Ladies,’ in which the Emcee canoodles with Bobby (Sid Richardson College senior Lorenzo DiSilvio) and Frenchie (Papadopoulos), falls flat and slows the narrative. Clunky scene changes, even when aided by the orchestra’s cool jazz musings, also disrupt the flow.

A charming subplot between Fraulein Schneider and Herr Schultz (Wiess sophomore Chris Burt) pleasantly supplements the central narrative. Matuzek in particular seems to be having a ball. She manages to be funny and still convey heartfelt wisdom in her solo numbers ‘So What?’ and ‘What Would You Do?’

Wiess’ racy, raucous Cabaret is just the production to invigorate a waning year of college theater.

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