What good is sitting alone in your room? Come to the Cabaret, old chum!
There. I had to say it, so I did. The nice part is, I really mean it.
The Warehouse Theatre’s staging of the classic musical Cabaret opened this weekend, and it’s a rousing, gorgeous, thoughtful, and entrancing production.
The story of a young American writer in pre-World War II Berlin, Cabaret introduces us to the Kit Kat Club, a seedy dive filled with beautiful dancers and beautiful music. Soon the young writer finds his life and livelihood becoming entwined with debauched neighbors, political intrigue, and, most fatefully, the Kit Kat Club’s star attraction herself, Miss Sally Bowles,
Shannon Robert does a great job directing a stellar cast, led by upstate favorite Will Ragland as the Emcee. Ragland presents the Emcee as both a Chaplin-esque jester and a creepy hovering presence, almost Nosferatu-like in pallor and appearance. He’s loose and bawdy and funny and disturbing and simply a joy to behold. Though in many ways Cabaret is really another character’s story, the show revolves around the Emcee, and Ragland owns the part.
Similarly, Katie Rockwell makes a strong impression as Sally Bowles. With a warm, sultry voice and deceptively girly manners, Rockwell portrays Sally as a woman torn, vividly living in the present while simultaneously flirting with a future that, in her heart, she knows will never come.
The other performers are uniformly good, including Matthew Merritt as Sally’s conflicted friend, Cliff, Jason Shipman as the beguiling Ernst Ludwig, Boyd Galloway as kindly Herr Schultz, and Cindy Mixon, demonstrating a powerful voice as Fraulein Schneider. The rest of the ensemble slink their way in and out, sometimes in multiple roles, every one singing and dancing with aplomb.
April Schaeffer both performs as a Kit Kat girl and choreographs, both to great effect. The dance numbers all sizzle with energy, and some, like the delightful “Money,” are bravura showpieces, melding sly nods to the legendary Bob Fosse with a style and creativity all their own.
The band, led by music director Joe Wehunt, is simply terrific, both from a performance and sound standpoint – the music never overpowers the lyrics but also never gets lost in the mix. The rest of the production also wows, from Shannon Robert’s stunning set to Tony Penna’s dynamically effective lights to the sexy costume designs of Kim Grannar and Elizabeth Floto-Flagg.
Everyone involved deserves the standing ovation the show received.
What’s more, the show itself stands apart. Cabaret gives us much more than big production numbers. This is theatre with a conscience. Simmering beneath the sexually charged atmosphere are hot button issues that continue to resonate and nearly fifty years since it first arrived on Broadway, Cabaret still packs a mighty wallop.
Cabaret runs through February 18 at the Warehouse Theatre, 37 Augusta St. in Greenville’s historic West End. For tickets and show times, call the box office at 864.235.6948 or visit warehousetheatre.com.
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