ORLANDO — The frisky, sometimes naughty and always playful first act of the musical Cabaret is so comical and engaging that it hardly prepares you for the second act, which takes this tale of Berlin in the late 1920s into much darker and crueler territory. The production at Orlando Shakes ends with a final image (added to the show by the Shakes, I suspect) that’s so harrowing it will make your skin crawl. You leave the theater feeling emotionally depleted.
Before the show began, I found it odd that the first act was exceptionally long, one hour and 45 minutes, while the second act was just 45 minutes long. Afterwards, I realized how fitting that was. The first act sets up the story of American Clifford Bradshaw’s arrival in Berlin and his discovery of the popular Kit Kat Klub, where a seedy Emcee urges patrons to leave their troubles behind and enjoy the songs, sexy dancers and strong booze. It’s also where Clifford meets the club’s lead singer, the outspoken and pushy Sally Bowles.
All good fun, but the second act is appropriate at 45 minutes as we’re plunged head first into the Nazi Party coming to power. In the blink of an eye, the risque fun of the first act gives way to a vicious punch in the teeth, and an powerfully impactful one. It’s a stunning production that you will haunt you long after the lights rise.
Cabaret is being performed at Orlando Shakes now through March 2, and one of the great pleasures of seeing this show is how the impressively the Shakes transformed the lower half of its lobby around the Margeson Theater into the Kit Kat Klub, complete with 1930s German music being played and dark curtains that plunge you into a dark red (and slightly ominous) atmosphere. It’s terrific.
What is the Musical Cabaret?
Cabaret premiered in November 1966, with music by John Kander, lyrics by Fred Ebb, and a book by Joe Masteroff, based on the novel Goodbye to Berlin by Christopher Isherwood, the British writer who spent time in Berlin before fleeing the country once the Nazis came to power.
In the musical, Clifford arrives in Berlin nearly penniless, hoping to write the great American novel, and he’s not much worse off than the average German, since the country is still in the throes of an economic depression. But Clifford has some luck. On the train ride into the city he meets a friendly German, Ernst Ludwig, who makes money by smuggling illegal goods into the city. He offers Clifford an opportunity to do the same for much-needed cash.
Clifford finds a room in a boarding house run by Fraulein Schneider, who is all too happy to have the room rented, even if Clifford can’t afford much. Ernst also introduces Clifford to the hottest club in town, the Kit Kat, where the ribald Emcee and his performers sing funny, delightfully rude and indecent songs, and Clifford makes friends with Sally, who moves in with him after losing her job.
Meanwhile, the aging Schneider is wooed by Herr Schultz, who runs a local fruit stand and proposes to her. The fact that he’s Jewish doesn’t matter to Schneider one bit.
At first.
Despite Berlin’s economic problems, everyone seems a bit hopeful. Schneider and Schultz find love at an older age, Sally starts to think she and Clifford can become a happy couple, and Ernst is doing well financially and happy to help Clifford. Then at a party, we learn something else about Ernst: in order to help boost his finances, he’s joined the Nazi Party. That’s when we get a reminder of the grim atmosphere happening in Germany that most of the first act skillfully skirted.
How is the Orlando Shakes’ Production of Cabaret?
The lobby outside the Margeson sure looks lavish, with the Kit Kat Klub sign above the stairs and deep red curtains giving the entire area an ambiance that evokes different emotions, from passion and excitement to just a hint of risk.
Inside the theater, small tables with phones on each one surround the stage, and the band provides a zestful accompaniment to the energetic and dynamic performers. Shane Bland gives us a deliciously subversive, sometimes rude emcee, with his wink-wink nods to the audience and animated mugging in the comedic songs “Two Ladies” and “Money Money.” Anastasia Remoundos is an effectively headstrong and bawdy Sally, at least until her attempts to lead a “normal” life come crashing down. Her rendition of the song “Cabaret,” performed as Sally is on the verge of an emotional collapse, is staggering.
Easton J. Curtis as the wide-eyed Clifford, Ann Hering as the financially struggling Fraulein Schneider, Mark Gray Miller as the kindly Herr Schultz and Zach Nadolski as the friendly but scheming Ernst round out an impressive cast, exceptionally well chosen for their roles. The play deals with some very adult themes, including prostitution, abortion, and the growing horror of antisemitism in Berlin.
It’s fitting that the first act ends on a disturbing note, as Nazi sympathizers sing the chilling anthem “Tomorrow Belongs To Me,” and the second act takes us to the equally disturbing and bigoted song “If You Could See Her,” indicating the Kit Kay Klub’s acquiescence to the rising Nazi movement. By now, any sense of happiness or optimism from the first act is long gone. The ending is devastating; it’s worth noting that after he came to power, Hitler shuttered Berlin’s nightclubs and many of the performers ended up in concentration camps. This musical is true to that horrific chapter in world history, with no attempts to whitewash it.
Where Can I See Cabaret?
Cabaret is being performed at the Orlando Shakespeare Theater, 812 E. Rollins St., in Loch Haven Park, now through Sunday, March 2. The play runs for two hours and 30 minutes, with a 15 minute intermission. The first act is one hour and 45 minutes long, followed by a 45 minute second act.
To make reservations or purchase tickets, call 407-447-1700 or visit the online box office.
Michael Freeman is an Orlando journalist, playwright, and author of the book A Christmas Eve Story. Contact him at Freelineorlando@gmail.com.
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