The undeniable appeal of the scandalous underground. The historical significance of love in Nazi Germany. A pineapple. The foundations for great theater? Indeed.
The Keegan Theatre has ushered in an upbeat new era of its history with a spectacular production of the classic musical “Cabaret.” The troubled romances, iconic songs and adventurous stage acts remain intact in this iteration, but with several extravagant twists. This unique interpretation complements its cadre of female dancers with promiscuous male counterparts—including an AU student, School of Communication and College of Arts and Sciences junior Matt Rubbelke.
The play also incorporates the Emcee as an omnipresent force and even invites intermittent participation from the audience to complicate the proceedings.
Directed by Christina Coakley and Michael Innocenti with a book by Joe Masteroff, “Cabaret” offers conventional entertainment value as well as several darker themes which punctuate and deepen the spectacle. The result is an experience that stimulates the heart and the mind in equal measure.
Set in 1920s Berlin, the plot revolves around a seedy nightclub in Germany, run by the complex, baffling, flamboyant Emcee (Paul Scanlan) and headlined by the feisty English singer Sally Bowles (Maria Rizzo). The arrival of struggling American writer Clifford Bradshaw (Bradley Foster Smith) throws the nightclub into chaos — Sally falls in love with him, while his landlord Fraulein Schneider (Jane Petkofsky) discovers herself drawn to a Jewish man named Herr Schulz (Stan Shulman), despite the burgeoning stigma attached to such attraction.
This play explores the emotional truth beneath the façade of performance. The Emcee’s attitudes and costumes frequently reflect the evolving tone of the character arcs even when his lyrics suggest otherwise. As Cliff begins to realize that a service to his friend has been indirectly supporting the Nazi regime, Sally experiences personal difficulties of her own, struggling to find an identity and overcome a drug problem. The Emcee remains a presence throughout the other characters’ journeys, dangling a piece of fruit during a tender moment between Herr Schulz and Fraulein Schneider and lingering on a nearby staircase during another tense interaction.
The direction eschews elaborate set changes for the simple rearrangement of a few plain chairs, allowing the audience to focus on the character relationships. Despite the subtlety of the transitions, the audience never questions the location of a scene.
Nonetheless, every corner of the stage provides drama, as the actors ascend onto a tall platform and occupy a bench far stage left during another.
Meanwhile, the performances dazzle with range and emotional commitment. Rizzo in particular demonstrates spectacular command of her character’s buoyancy. Meanwhile, her wrenching delivery of the eponymous song establishes her impressive range. Rizzo’s Sally lights up every room, but her own heart ironically remains dark.
Elsewhere, Scanlan’s relative youth compared to other actors in this part suggests contrasting elements of melancholy wisdom and unfortunate naivete. The supporting players, particularly Stan Shulman as the confused but decent Herr Schulz, provide luminous support. Cooper, on the other hand, constitutes the cast’s arguable weak link. His performance lacks dimension; the character is a sad sack with few redeeming qualities. Without the perspective of a happier Cliff, the character feels hollow rather than complex.
This gripe is fairly minor, though, in a production rich with pleasures. The Keegan’s “Cabaret” provides a wholly satisfying theatrical experience, inspiring deep laughter and attachment to the characters while presenting an abundance of emotions and thematic questions to ponder on the way out. As Sally exclaims during the climax, “Come to the Cabaret!”
“Cabaret” will run at the Keegan Theatre until March 2.
mlieberman@theeagleonline.com
