Cabaret - Seattle
"One way to get the most out of life is to look upon it as an adventure."
Northwest Adventures | Published Restaurant Reviews in The Suburban Times
Translate/Traducir - 253-759-6639
Cabaret - Seattle Gilbert & Sullivan Society Production
The first time the song "Money" made an impression on me was in 1980 at a little nightclub in San Luis Obispo. My wife Peg and I left our children in our hotel room and walked a little over a hundred yards to the small bar based on a read-a-board sign that advertised "Live Music." The small group did a great job of singing songs from musicals. Since then other songs from CABARET have become favorites. I even like the song "Tomorrow Belongs to Me," but usually only play it on my baby grand as a sweet melody and not a "Schutzstaffel" march of death and triumph. My favorite song from the musical came from listening and re-listening to Kristin Chenoweth perform "Maybe This Time" on the TV show Glee as a duet. I play this song to myself on gray and rainy days of winter.
Content Advisory CABARET contains strong sexual content, some partial nudity, and depictions of domestic violence and violence motivated by hatred for race and sexual orientation.
The small bar in San Luis Obispo was no Kit Kat Klub. Set in 1931 Berlin during the rise of Adolph Hitler, Wikipedia tells us that "The club serves as a metaphor for ominous political developments in late Weimar Germany." Although Cabaret is a musical, it is not a musical comedy. It also, should not be missed.
This production by the Seattle Gilbert & Sullivan Society is located at 12th Avenue Arts on Capitol Hill. The theatre inside is black and the scene/sets are all gray or muted tones with Kit Kat Klub up in lights overlooking it all and hiding the excellent orchestra (Music Director: Brandon Peck). The stage had two doors and acts as an apartment hallway and runway for the Kit Kat Klub girls and boys. Jutting out from the hallway and a step down is a small stage maybe twelve feet by twelve. There is one step between the stage and the floor. There is a smaller stage a few feet away acting as a railway car and a bedroom. Surrounding the two stages there are eight small tables with two chairs each. You can purchase VIP seating and enjoy the production as a participant at the Kit Kat Club. My wife and I heartily recommend the VIP seating. (Lighting Design: Ahren Buhmann - Scenic Design: Burton Yuen)
The costumes and the choreography worked well together. There were numerous sailor costumes for the "brothers" of Fraulein Schneider's boarding house renter Kost. In the song "If You Could See Her From My Eyes" the Emcee sings and dances with a person in a gorilla outfit. I watched the feet. The actor wearing the gorilla head (Nicholas Parsons?) had to be dancing by feel as he danced on and off and around the small stage, stepping up and down. One of my favorite numbers was "Two Ladies." Again, the Emcee wearing Lederhosen with green sparkly decorations reminded me of a sex starved leprechaun except the Emcee was much taller. The two ladies and the Emcee, twerked and jerked and elevated Kit Kat Boy Karin Terry in a human swing as they gyrated away. (Costume Design: Jon Albritton - Choreographer: Alyza DelPan-Monley)
Fraulein Schneider (Teri Lee Thomas) and her friend Herr Schultz (Mark Rabe) provided a sweetness that eventually tears your heart out. Both actors have extensive acting credits and were a great building block in launching this production.
Cliff Bradshaw (Christopher Puckett), an American looking to write a successful novel comes across looking like an innocent abroad, but we soon learn otherwise. As an American you want him to stand up for justice against the coming tide of desolation and he does . . . almost. He lies to his mother and wishes he was a better person. It's a tough character to play. At times you're pulling for him and at times you just shake your head. I've known many people like that. Nice job.
Ernst (Kenon Veno) befriends Cliff and steers him to Fraulein Schneider's for a room to rent. You know within the first few minutes of meeting him that he does nothing on the up-and-up. His shoes bothered me. They just didn't look right. Sorry, Jon Albritton. Veno moved to Seattle to further his acting career. He should do well here.
Kost (Callie Williams) has a revolving door in her flat rented from Fraulein Schneider. She's also not above blackmail when she sees Herr Schultz visiting Schneider's room. Williams comes across as determined, smart, and someone you do not want to cross. She is not a prostitute with a heart of gold, but she is a survivor.
Our Emcee (Casey DeCaire) is a far cry from Joel Grey who played the original Emcee character on Broadway and the film version. Joel Grey is five foot five. DeCaire is a full head taller. It looks like he must have shaved all his body for the part. I'm only guessing on the "all his body" comment. As master of ceremony, he did a masterful job.
Sally Bowles (Tanesha Ross) was triumphantly portrayed. I picture Bowles as being more vulnerable . . . more frail. Like Casey DeCaire and Joel Grey, Ross's portrayal versus Liza Minelli (Sally in the film) is a difference in body type also. While Minelli is thin, Ross is "zaftig." Zaftig comes from the Yiddish zaftik, or "juicy." We're always hoping for her. We want her to do better, we want her to be happy, and we don't want to see her hurt. Perhaps, that's the strength of the character and the choice of Ross.
No matter how we want the characters to succeed and no matter how much we want the world to be a better place, we have to deal with reality. The reality is that this is an excellent production and provides a very entertaining evening.
We enjoy meeting people and we expect to have a wonderful time when we travel. Our expectations are almost always met. If you have a favorite restaurant or a favorite hotel, where they offer exceptional service, please, share your favorites with us. Or if you have a B&B, hotel, or restaurant that you would like us to try and then include in our stories tell about what you have. No matter what, please share your thoughts.
Pacific Northwest Adventures and Vacations
If you come to Tacoma, you have to see: Chinese Reconciliation Park, Ruston Way, Point Defiance, TAM (Tacoma Art Museum), Tacoma Narrow's Bridge, America's Car Museum (LeMay Museum), and our Museum of Glass. If you come to Seattle, you have to see: Pike Place Market with the flying salmon, the Wing Luke Museum, Pioneer Square, the Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet, and Volunteer Park. The list goes on and on . . . well, you get the idea . . . come to our Pacific Northwest for any number of reasons . . . come to visit or come to stay . . . you will be welcome.
