For the first time in its long history, The Croswell Opera House opened a stunning production of Masteroff, Kander, and Ebb’s musical Cabaret last night, and it left me (and most of the audience) speechless.
Stunning because Erica Wyman Abrahamson’s direction is spot on perfect, informed by intimate knowledge of every line and every emotional note in the musical.
Stunning because David Blackburn’s Emcee guides you every step of the way from early decadence to later tragedy and it’s a perfect transition from his hilarious firepole New Year’s Eve countdown to his simply hair-raising “I Don’t Care Much”.
Stunning because the Kit Kat Girls and Boys never miss a beat in their many songs and smaller parts. Chris Stack brings a deceptive warmth and cozy comfortness to his Ernst as he heads toward the big reveal at the end of Act One and speaks to the modern day “cabaret” of politicians. Kyler Mattoon is great as Fraulein Kost with sailors floating in and out of her rented room at night and an underlying pro-Nazi sentiment steaming ever under the surface. Leah Fox is haunting as Sonja, who also provides live accordian accompaniment throughout the evening. Listen for the train whistle sounds during the final moments. Chills.
Stunning because you’ll never find a better pairing than real-life husband and wife Jared and Julia Hoffert as Herr Schultz and Fraulein Schneider, just trying to live as normal Germans on the cusp of Nazi Berlin. The ultimate decision boils over in Julia’s “What Would You Do?” as do the emotions. Their acting and vocal skills are superb.
Stunning because Matthew Porter is the most appealing Cliff Bradshaw I’ve experienced in dozens of productions of Cabaret that I have seen, and because of the great chemistry with terrific Love Ruddell as Sally Bowles who shatters the roof with “Cabaret” and “Maybe This Time”.
Stunning because the set by Doug Miller, the Lighting by Crosby Slupe, the Sound by Karl Kasischke, the musical direction by Todd Schreiber, the choreography by Dom Glover, the Stage Management by Connor Raymond, and the costumes by Alexandria Szczotka are all perfect and work together to create a world of show business that is falling apart at the seams when the club lighting changes and you can see the runs in stockings and just slightly frumpy clothing in daylight. It’s brilliant work.
Stunning because we all know where the show is heading and when it gets there it still hits like a ton of bricks with lots of crying in the audience. I was surprised at how many people around me admitted they have never seen the musical nor the movie and by the audible gasps and audience reactions to some of the occurances on stage. Of course the 1998 version of the show (best known as the “Alan Cumming” version) is far darker than the 1966 original. It includes lots of adult content and while it is a great musical for teenagers on up, I would absolutely leave the kids at home. Not for them…yet.
And stunning because the incredible audiences at Croswell continue to suprise me with their open hearts and open minds. Except for a few older couples I saw leave at intermission (look, clearly the show isn’t for everyone with its references to politics, sexual diversity, and other adult themes and language) everyone sat rapt and thoroughly engrossed in what they were watching with an instantaneous standing ovation at the conclusion.
Bravo to Erica, the cast, the onstage orchestra, the entire creative team, and crew for an evening of unforgettable musical theater. This is what it’s about. This is what makes theater the love of my life, and as a bit of Musical Theater 101, this is one of those shows you should make an effort to go see, because it shook up the musical theater world in 1966, and it continues to do so today, as if it were written yesterday and we’re seeing it for the first time. That’s the magic of what live stage performances can do. And that is stunning.
Highest Recommendation.
Cabaret continues at the Croswell Opera House through September 22nd, and tickets are available at croswell.org or by calling 517-264-SHOW. Note that tickets are ONLY sold by Croswell and they do not use any third party resellers or ticket sites. Buy ONLY directly through Croswell.
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