* * * out of 4
In the Trinity Repertory Company’s latest musical performance of Cabaret, the audience is taken on a delightful-turned-dark ride behind the scenes of Berlin’s most seductively sultry nightclub. The theater company’s version of the 1966 Broadway play stays close to the original book by Joe Materoff and maintains the imaginative score of Joe Kander and Fred Ebb—a combination that results in a satisfying show.
Set during the onset of Nazi terror in the early 1930s, Cabaret focuses on the nightlife of the sleazy Kit Kat Klub and follows the budding romance between the young and attractive Sally Bowles, played by Rachael Warren, and her handsome American counterpart Cliff Bradshaw, played by Mauro Hantman. What is most engaging about this production is the lack of emphasis that is placed on the main characters’ growing relationships; instead, Trinity has placed a stronger focus on the reactions of the audience. Even the promising relationship between German landlord Fraulein Schneider and her Jewish tenant Herr Schultz is portrayed in a light-hearted and subtle manner. Taking a vaudeville approach, Trinity effectively incorporates witty and flawless acting with meaningful and purposeful music, which got the audience thinking and questioning the true extent to which Nazi control constricted the lives of those in Berlin.
There were certainly many times when the ensemble finished a musical number and the audience questioned whether to applaud or not. The show began with catchy tunes and hilarious dialogue that kept the audience humming to a positive note, but at the end of Act I, when a swastika is carried on stage and the ensemble sings as if tomorrow will bring endless happiness, the entire audience is left stunned—anxiously awaiting Act II to delve deeper into the psyche of these well-developed and articulated characters.
Dramatic irony played a pivotal role in shaping how the audience would react to the action on the stage. Clearly, most people knew the fates of many of these flamboyant, Jewish, non-aryan characters, however, simply watching those characters transform from lithe and energetic beings into elegiac skeletons of continuous misfortune was heartbreaking. It appeared as though director Curt Columbus’ intentions were not to put on a flashy and clichéd Broadway performance, but rather to highlight how each and every character within the show (even the chorus members) was affected by the growing Nazi presence. Even if the audience was not aware of specific characteristics of each supporting character, Columbus’s decision at the end of Act II to keep certain recurring characters from entering for the final scene demonstrated the impact of terror on the once giddy members of the Kit Kat Klub.
Cabaret will run at the Trinity Repertory Company, located at 201 Washington Street, until October 11th, 2009. Bench seating is $10 and can be purchased at the door. Log on to www.trinityrep.com or call (401) 351-4242 for more information.
