Next week the local production of Cabaret by Fuse Productions opens at the McManus Studio Theatre (at the Grand Theatre) in London, Ontario.
The stage version of Cabaret is different from the movie. It is darker and has a tense rawness that tends to be glossed over a bit in the movie. From Wikipaedia:
Set in 1931 Berlin as the Nazis are rising to power, it focuses on nightlife at the seedy Kit Kat Klub and revolves around the 19-year-old English cabaret performer Sally Bowles and her relationship with the young American writer Cliff Bradshaw.
A sub-plot involves the doomed romance between German boarding house owner Fräulein Schneider and her elderly suitor Herr Schultz, a Jewish fruit vendor. Overseeing the action is the Master of Ceremonies at the Kit Kat Klub which serves as a constant metaphor for the tenuous and threatening state of late Weimar Germany throughout the show.
The first time I saw Cabaret on stage, I found it confusing and boring, but that's because it was a confused and boring production. The production that opens next week has power and drive that definitely avoid those problems.
The choreography and dancing are something to behold. They capture the mood of each scene and display an absolutely amazing sense of character, music, and mood. On top of the energy required for the dancing, the actors usually sing at the same time. The performers in this production have both the dancing skills and the vocal skills and power to pull this off effectively.
As you know, I'm in the show. But you will be relieved to know I don't dance. Instead, I have two fairly minor roles that are designed primarily to help set the overall scene and convey the mood of the various scenes.
Let me tell you, this is a show I am honoured to be a part of. It will definitely have an impact.
Cabaret (Fuse Productions)
McManus Studio Theatre, London, Ontario
March 22-23; March 26-30 8pm, $25
March 23, 30 2pm, $15
Preview, March 21, 8pm, $15