‘Cabaret’ @ Art Centre Theatre
—Jan Farrington
Is there such a thing as hitting too close to home? Art Centre Theatre’s Cabaret makes sure we get the messages this dark-edged musical is sending us, the connections it’s making between then and now. Think Nazi Germany and “those old days” are entirely over? Think again.
As one character plaintively asks us: “What would you do?” Who would you be? Which side would you choose? Would you stay—or go? What would you “let pass” to keep yourself feeling (temporarily) safe?
This show, ably directed by Jamey Jameson, is one of the best things I’ve seen at ACT, a prolific company (housed in a Plano warehouse district) that seems to be pulling from a pool of talent that gets better each time I go.
Most of the lead roles in Cabaret, in fact, have been double- or triple-cast, so you can’t be sure what mix of actors you’ll catch on a given night. But the ladies (and a few guys) of the Kit Kat Klub (the story’s main setting is the falling-apart Berlin of the 1920s and ’30s, as the Nazis gained power) are a constant, stage filling, eye-popping presence with a strong burlesque feel. T-and-A Central this is, with bared bottoms and bosoms cantilevered up and out by multiple supports. The ladies strut their stuff right into the audience, chucking chins in the front row and sashaying away.
This is, of course, the story (drawn from Christopher Isherwood’s stories of Berlin back in the day) of wannabe American writer Cliff (Jeremy Bukaty on the night I came; Guy Chandler also plays the part), who comes to Berlin looking for inspiration—and finds his muse in a hedonistic and willful young cabaret singer, Sally Bowles (Kayla Bonina on my night, alternating with Brook Baker and Emmalyn Gladney Miron). A cynical and omnivorously sexual Emcee (I saw Clive Childress; Hayden Moore alternates) evokes the spirit of the time and place.
Cliff’s sexuality is fluid and apparently up for grabs. (Gay? bi? we aren’t sure because he isn’t sure.) He boards with Fraulein Schneider, an older unmarried German lady (Deanna Santos; Mary Jo Christian and Mizani Washburn alternate) being wooed by a Jewish fruit seller, the sweet-natured Herr Schultz (Sam Baker; Samuel Hyland alternates). The action moves from what happens at the Klub (often a comment on the state of the world) to what happens in Cliff’s small room, where the choice is clear enough: he can choose the typewriter or the bed to move his life forward.
Leo Santos sings out strongly as the Nazi youth pushing a “sunny” Hitlerian future with “Tomorrow Belongs to Me.” Amber Santos has a nice moment as a ballerina, and Caitlin Miles is the worn but fierce Fraulein Kost, whose stream of guys pull her more and more in the direction of Party and power. (Krystal Lancaster also plays the role.). The creeping (and creepy) Nazi-ism is embodied by the opportunistic Ernst (John Castro), a pleasant con man who sees the Party as his way toward money and success.
The standout performance on the night I came was definitely Childress as the Emcee, who’s winking eye and snake-charmer movements kept us constantly aware of him, whether “Willkommen”-ing us from a perch on high, or slithering down low in the thick of the dancing. A very bad boy, but somehow hard to resist. As Cliff and Sally, Bukaty and Bonina created some nice chemistry together; they’re both more actors than singers, though Bonina is righteously torchy in some of her solo numbers, with a few red-hot moves in her, um, back pocket.
Santos and Baker were memorable and lovely as the older couple Schneider & Schultz (sounds like a law firm). Their song-and-dance duet of “Married” was tender and sweetly sung, and Santos had a chance to showcase her extraordinary voice in “So What?” and “What Would You Do?”
The show closes July 2, so you aren’t out of chances yet. John Kander, Fred Ebb, and Joe Masteroff’s hard-hitting classic from back in the ‘60s is worth seeing on stage at least once (especially if you only know the movie, which changed and left out a lot). And it’ll make you think: What would I do—and would I see it coming?
WHEN: June 16-July 2, 2023
WHERE: 1400 Summit Avenue, Plano TX
WEB: artcentretheatre.com
