Friday, June 26, 2009
Cabaret plays the Met Theatre
Like the song says, “What good is sitting alone in your room? Come hear the music play. Life is a cabaret, old chum. Come to the cabaret…” You can do just that at the current Met Theatre production of Cabaret. The 99-seat venue at which it plays has been turned into the Kit Kat Klub, a seedy nightclub epitomizing the excesses of life in Berlin in 1931. The Nazis are about to come into power, and the world is about to undergo a loss of innocence no one could ever have ever imagined.The story follows young American writer Cliff Bradshaw and his relationship with English cabaret performer Sally Bowles. As she unexpectedly sweeps into his life, we watch Cliff transform from a drifting frustrated writer, to a man much wiser about the ways of the world.
Michael Bernardi (son of Herschel Bernardi, who was a Tony nominee for the role of Tevye in Fiddler on the Roof on Broadway) takes on the character of Cliff with an honesty that works beautifully in this production.
Eduardo Enrikez as the Emcee, and his Kit Kat Girls and Boys move through the Met’s crowd drawing the audience into the action, and occasionally even into the dancing. Kalinda Gray’s Sally Bowles has her moments as the club’s chanteuse, resembling in many ways a beautiful, yet damaged flower. Completing the cast are Annalisa Erickson (Fraulein Schneider), Jayson Kraid (Herr Shultz), Craig Bachmann (Ernst Ludwig) and Josie Yount (Fraulein Kost).
Cabaret (book by Joe Masteroff, lyrics by Fred Ebb, music by John Kander) became a hit on Broadway in 1996, and led to the acclaimed 1972 film (starring Liza Minelli and Joel Grey). It was adapted from the novel Goodbye to Berlin, by Christopher Isherwood. This version of Cabaret is directed by Judy Norton, best known as Mary Ellen from The Waltons, with choreography by Tania Possick and musical direction by Greg Haake. In fact, the band is great.
Cabaret runs through August 9. Performances are at Met Theatre at 1089 N. Oxford Ave. in Hollywood. For tickets and more information go to www.plays411.com/cabaret.
