Good theater engages you with its storytelling. Great theater finds the true essence of the story being told. Using this definition, the production of “Cabaret” playing at Barrington Stage Company in Pittsfield, MA through July 8 is great theater.
There is no question that the message of “Cabaret”, which is set in Berlin, Germany in 1929, says if you accept evil men as leaders, you are responsible for the atrocities that must inevitably follow.
Never for a second does director Alan Paul let the audience forget that freedom of all kinds - political, cultural and even sexual - are able to be lost in a second. Indeed, the intensity of the production is so unrelenting it is actually physically and mentally draining.
On an emotional level, it is a work of art that is likely to remain in your brain and heart indefinitely. Just as important, it will, hopefully, enable you to look at world-wide current events in ways that might encourage contemporary comparisons to that dark time.
From the minute you enter the theater you are involved in the decadent hedonism of the Kit Kat Club. It’s a place where drinking, drugs and promiscuity are the norm; a place where gender fluidity is commonplace and the concept of morality is unknown.
In other words, it is Berlin 1929. It’s an environment that permits the unleashing of the Nazi Party. The population denied political reality focusing instead on an indulgent pursuit of pleasure.
This willful ignorance permitted the murder of anyone considered different - especially Jews. In this production Paul, without ignoring the price the Jewish population paid, makes it clear all “others” were also victims of the “Holocaust”.
One brilliant sequence has three gender-fluid individuals at a make-up table singing a hopeful version of “Tomorrow Belongs to Me.” They believe their acceptance inside the club means liberation throughout society.
When, later at an elderly couple’s engagement party, the song is sung celebrating the rise of the Nazi Party while condemning the engagement because one partner is a Jew. When no one steps up to reject the fascist philosophy it becomes clear that the future belongs only to those who fight for it.
Thankfully, the cast is superb. Despite wonderful singing and breathtaking choreography there are times the applause is begrudging because actor and character have so merged you believe you are applauding tragedy.
A perfect example is “Maybe Next Time,” as well as the title song, sung in a heartbreaking manner by Krysta Rodriguez who plays the reckless Sally Bowles, with a tender combination of neediness and self-destructiveness.
The emcee played by Nik Alexander is another enigmatic figure. As the theatrical representative of the German population who accepted Hitler as a leader and pays the price, he is constantly shifting his personality. He is initially a fey hedonist who becomes a crushed victim of an immoral code. Alexander has a magnetic stage presence and captures every shift of mood with emotional honesty.
Despite a spellbinding performance the character ultimately becomes so fragmented he loses the clarity so important to creating a singular character.
Dan Amboyer is ideally cast as Cliff, the American would-be writer who is seduced both by Sally and the illusion of sexual freedom offered in Berlin. Though he sings well, this is primarily an acting role and Cliff’s journey from a naïve, privileged American to a politically aware citizen of the world is perfectly drawn.
In a heartless work, the performances of Candy Buckley and Richard Kline bring affection to the script as an older couple who decide to marry. She is a hardened spinster; he is a Jewish fruit dealer. That these two deserving people are victims of a society run amuck is nearly as heartbreaking as the future we know awaits Herr Schultz.
Together they are marvelous, but in a work filled with emotional songs presented in a cynical manner, Buckley delivers Fraulein Schneider’s numbers “So What” and “What Would You Do?” so fiercely they become the anthems that support the director’s vision. Director Paul even gives her a punctuation mark in the final scene.
Whether it be perfect supporting actors, a marvelous band led by musical director Angela Steiner, costumes by Rodrigo Munoz, a phenomenal scenic design by Wilson Chin or the mesmerizing choreography of Katie Spelman, this is a production where all the parts support the incredible staging of director Alan Paul – who is proving himself a worthy successor to BSC founder Julianne Boyd.
“Cabaret” is a dark but brilliant interpretation of a musical that is as important now as when it premiered in 1966. It’s not an easy show to experience. Which is one of the reasons you should see it.
“Cabaret” at Barrington Stage Company, Pittsfield, MA. Through July 8. For schedule and tickets call 413-236-8888 or go to barringtonstageco.org
Bob Goepfert is theater reviewer for the Troy Record.
The views expressed by commentators are solely those of the authors. They do not necessarily reflect the views of this station or its management.
