Stage Review - Cabaret (Harlequin Productions)

Stage Review - Cabaret
Presented By: Harlequin Productions - Olympia, WA
Show Run: June 28 - July 28, 2024
Date Reviewed: Thursday, June 27, 2024 (Preview Night)
Reviewed By: Greg Heilman

There have been no shortage of trips to the Kit Kat Klub this theatre season. In fact, with the Harlequin Productions version, running on stage at the State Theatre in Olympia through July 28, this marks the third iteration of the Tony Award winning play that I have taken in this year. The 2023-24 theatre campaign kicked off with Tacoma Musical Playhouse’s season opener, followed later by Bainbridge Performing Arts’ production, and we wrap up our awards qualification season with Harlequin’s. The State Theatre in Olympia has been transformed into the Kit Kat Klub and hosts a version directed by Aaron Lamb that is designed to produce a most immersive experience, complete with audience members sitting at tables within what is designed to be an extension of the club into the auditorium.

In fact, it’s the design that first catches the audience’s eye when they take their seats before the show begins. Designed by Jeannie Beirne, the set is striking, with an upper level that houses the live orchestra under the direction of Jon Lutyens, and a lower level that spreads out beyond the edge of the stage, a set that resembles part circus ring and part layer cake. With a sliding back panel, and trap door system, there are some unique and creative aspects to this set and overall scenic design. There are also some challenges inherent to go along with that. For one, it never really feels like a nightclub. Sure, Christina Barrigan’s lighting affects the location, whether it’s in the club, in Clifford Bradshaw’s apartment, or even out of doors, but there’s nothing seedy about the design that would reflect the implied subversive nature of the club. Additionally, the lion’s share of the action takes place on the smaller, upper piece of the lower half of the set, the top layer of the cake so to speak. There aren’t a lot of set pieces here, but they’re all placed on that smaller platform, and the changing of these through the back door does cause a bit of clunkiness, which prevents the show from flowing as well as it could if things were spread out on stage a little more. This lack of flow leads to a choppiness that impacts the storytelling, a prime example being what is perhaps the most emotional scene and musical number of the piece, the singing of “Cabaret” by Sally Bowles. The song is performed beautifully by Karin Terry, which underscores the best part of this production, the musical performances, but because the show feels more like the scenes are pieced together rather than one flowing into the next, it never feels like Karin’s character has earned the emotion of the song. There’s no buildup to that moment, and while Karin sings the heck out of it, there’s no time to make Sally look like the emotional train wreck that she is at that point in the story. The set design also limits Jessica Low’s choreography. Having most of the dancing take place on that upper tier of the stage, rather than being able to spread out makes it feel tight and compressed. I like what Jessica has done within the constraints of the design here, but I feel so much more could have been accomplished had a wider platform been used.

For those not familiar with Cabaret, the Cliff Notes version is that it is set in 1930s pre-war Berlin, in and around the Kit Kat Klub, where Englander Sally Bowles is the headlining act. The Kit Kat Klub is hosted by the emcee, who is also the musical’s de facto narrator. Berlin and the club are both disrupted when American aspiring author Cliff Bradshaw comes to town. He meets Ernst Ludwig on the train to Berlin, who refers him to the boarding house of Fraulein Schneider and offers work to Cliff that later seems suspicious. When Sally and Cliff see each other that first night at the club, it immediately turns both of their worlds upside down, and they begin a relationship that involves them navigating each other’s pasts as well as the writing that is on the wall that is sure to impact future events in Germany and around the world.

As the primaries around which the story revolves, the portrayals of a few characters can make or break a production of Cabaret. Cliff enters Berlin with a bit of wide-eyed wonder, naive to what the city has in its underbelly, but transforms as the piece progresses, influenced both by his newfound love for this exotic English club performer, but also by what he is witnessing politically in Germany and what he believes the ramifications of those experiences will be. At the onset of the show, and when she meets Cliff for the first time, Sally is hopeless, beat down by the world and club owner Max, but upon meeting Cliff, she starts to become hopeful, enough so that for the first time she can think about the future, until of course their relationship falls victim to political tensions and Cliff’s reactions to them, leading Sally to hit rock bottom again. Karin is an inspirational Sally Bowles, seductive in her cabaret numbers “Don’t Tell Mama” and “Mein Herr”, hopeful in “Maybe This Time”, and breathtakingly tragic in “Cabaret”. Karin hits all of the notes, and puts everything into these performances. She has a great way of expressing emotion, whichever is called for at any particular moment, and I’ve not seen any stage actors present emotion through physical expression in song as ell as Karin does. Christian Bolduc is Cliff in this production and though the height difference between Karin and him at times feels awkward, the two work very well together. I enjoyed Christian’s performance as Cliff, he handles each part of the character’s transition very well and his ability to portray the range of Cliff’s emotions makes for a performance with a good deal of depth. The character of Cliff doesn’t sing as much as some of the others in Cabaret, but the few times Christian is able to feature his vocal ability, for my part it made me wish Cliff had more of an opportunity to sing here.

The last of the characters that are key to the success of Cabaret is the emcee, the master of ceremonies at the Kit Kat Klub, and the audience’s host for the evening. Adam Rennie is this production’s emcee, the gender-fluid thread that weaves the story together. Adam is very good with a stage presence that draws the audience in at the beginning of the show and holds them while his character navigates through the political and social upheaval that is 1930’s pre-war Berlin. Musically, of course there is “Wilkommen” the call to the audience to leave their troubles at the door, but I found Adam to be even stronger in “Two Ladies” and especially in “Money”. This is also a transformational role, and it’s interesting to see the changes in appearance and attitude in the character as the plot progresses. And if you think you know how Cabaret ends, you might be in for a surprise or two here.

There are surprises and wonderful performance up and down the supporting cast as well. Fraulein Schneider is played by Teri Lee Thomas and David Gassner is Herr Schultz, the would be lovers, both in the twilight of their lives. I found Teri Lee’s performance to be very enjoyable as the spinster boarding house owner. Her performance of the contented “So What” is funny and very pleasant, while her duet with David’s Herr Schultz in “Married” is sweet and tender. The real beauty of “Married”, though, is when Fraulein Kost, played by Heather Matthews, joins the couple with a German language verse that contrasts Schneider and Schultz’s happiness with something that is heartwrenching and tragic. Heather’s performance all around is good, and her interactions with Teri Lee’s Schneider add a good amount of humor to a show that is not short on its heavy moments. Finally, there is Bruce Haasl as Ernst Ludwig, the one Cliff meets initially on the train, but turns out to be much more than he originally appears. This is a role that requires some depth in that the character is obviously layered, with an intensity that is boiling just below the surface, belied by Ernst’s calm and cool exterior. Bruce does well here to bring out that intensity when it’s required and keep it inside when it’s not.

I would be remiss in ignoring the ensemble here, the Kit Kat girls and boys. The girls (Amy Shepard as Rosie, Mariesa Genzale as Lulu, Lola Havens as Frenchie, Araquin Boome as Texas, Jacqueline Tardanico as Fritzie, and Emma Bradley as Helga) and boys (Travis Tingvall as Herman, Perseus “Percy” Wait as Hans, and David Breyman as Bobby), are all talented singers and dancers, and do very well to contribute to the theming of the show. Where the design is lacking in the gruff underground nature of the Kit Kat Klub, these ensemble actors more than make up for that.

There are some excellent creative aspects to this production of cabaret. Darren Mills’ costume design captures the spirit of Cabaret, from what little the Kit Kat Girls and Boys wear, to Cliff Bradshaw’s more formal attire, Darren has designed a wardrobe that is varied and adds to the characterizations for all in the show. A prime example of the good that is the design is in how Darren dresses Sally differently as she goes from hopeless to hopeful and back again. Finally, lighting and sound (Christina Barrigan and Keith Jewell) bring a needed sense of seediness to the club, starkness to Cliff’s apartment, and precision to some of the other locations where the Nazis have started to increase their control.

The timelessness and unfortunate timeliness of Cabaret is underscored by the sheer number of versions that have appeared on Seattle area stages this year. The latest is on stage in Olympia and is produced by Harlequin Productions. While the design of the show is stunning and grand, it misses some of the key thematic elements that make the Kit Kat Klub and Cabaret feel like the seedy underbelly of pre-war Berlin and it limits the ability of the production to spread its wings, creating a show that feels more choppy than smooth and prevents this cast, led by the wonderfully versatile Karin Terry, from shining as bright as their talent proves they can. It is worth taking in, if only because Cabaret is a show that still has relevance after so many years. The fact that this cast is so good in every aspect of their performances is just icing on the cake, and more than makes up for any shortcomings on the show’s design.

Cabaret, presented by Harlequin Productions, runs on stage at the State Theatre in Olympia through July 28. For more information, including ticket availability and sales, visit http://www.harlequinproductions.org/.

Photo credit: Shanna Paxton Photography