Sit down, and Willkommen!

By Andrea Krejci Paradis
Contributing Writer

A seedy, smoke filled lounge. Drinks. A place you can go when you are feeling down and out or need a friend. You have just entered the Kit Kat Klub where a beautiful woman will be your friend for the right price, and a mischievous Emcee is there to facilitate it all. It would be so easy to fall in love with this place, but what if you were there in 1930’s Berlin? With smoky vocals and seduction abound, MSUM presents Cabaret, Sept. 28th- Oct. 2nd, 2011.

MSUM’s Gaede Stage is appropriate for this musical, with the close proximity helping the audience feel as though they are actually seated in the Berlin nightclub. The show opens in the Kit Kat Klub and the audience is welcomed with open arms (and legs). Life is beautiful and Berlin is clearly place to be. Cliff Bradshaw, played by MSUM Senior Ivan Olson, decides to move to Berlin for this exact reason and with the hopes of producing an immaculate novel. On his first night in town, he happens upon the club where he and the audience are mesmerized by the Kit Kat Klub girls. The club’s lead performer, Sally Bowles (Carolyn Schmitz) is immediately attracted to Cliff and a tumultuous relationship proceeds.
 
What follows is a tragic story where the lives of the characters are swept along on a ride they cannot control and are powerless to stop. The rise of the Nazi party in Germany threatens all their lives, turning the bright people of the Kit Kat Klub into shells of themselves. Relationships are torn apart, particularly in Cabaret’s sub plot. Fraulein Schneider (Meagan Kedrowski) and Herr Schultz (Evan Christie) are two native Germans living in the same apartment building, both past their prime. They decide to marry each other singing “And the old/despair that was often there/ suddenly ceases to be/ For you wake one day,/ Look around and say:/ Somebody wonderful married me.” Kedrowski and Christie have built fantastic chemistry and the audience cannot help being thrilled their characters will no longer eat meals alone and will be with someone they love. The only problem? Herr Schultz is Jewish. The Nazi party forces Fraulein Schneider to make a decision: marry a Jew, or go on living in freedom.

Dealing with issues of anti-Semitism, homosexuality, and abortion, Cabaret is an edgy musical with a message for today’s audiences. “[It is] easy to get trapped in your own perspective of the world around you and miss some really important developments happening on a local and national level that could seriously alter the world you live in,” says director and MSUM Theatre professor, Jennifer Tuttle. “You do not want to be a passive observer in a world that requires action.” The MSUM cast sat down to take time to understand what was really happening in Germany in the late 1920’s, early 1930’s. Tuttle explains, “We discussed how the preceding events caused unrest, disillusionment and anger and how Hitler and the Nazis tapped into that, first posing as being patriotic, and then upping their discourse step by step to finally arrive at the Final Solution.”

With music by John Kander and lyrics by Fred Ebb, Cabaret’s recognizable music transitions this happy Berlin first presented in the Kit Kat Klub into one of darkness and despair. Carolyn Schmitz, playing the Kit Kat Klub performer Sally Bowles, musically connects her character with Berlin’s subsequent despair. During “Maybe This Time”, Sally sings of hope after finding someone with whom she could possibly spend the rest of her life. Schmitz effortlessly sings this prominent piece making the audience want to hear it again. The tragedy is complete with Sally and the people of Berlin hopeful of the future but the audience knowing it will not be.

Nick Kaspari, as the Emcee, effortlessly becomes the flashy role and is the immediate focal point not only at the top of the show but throughout the entire performance. He welcomes the audience during “Willkommen” reminding you “So - life is disappointing? Forget it! We have no troubles here! Here, life is beautiful…” However, throughout Cabaret, the Emcee transitions from gaiety to sorrow and morbidity. Kaspari evokes deep anguish during “I Don’t Care Much” displaying the Emcee’s true emotions and creating goose bumps in the audience.

Cabaret is a musical for any theatre-goer who is new to the musical scene or has seen this show before. Recognizable music with poignant topics makes this musical a must see. Lose yourself in the Kit Kat Klub and willkommen.

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IF YOU GO:

WHEN:  September 28-October 1 @ 7:30pm and October 1-2 @ 2pm
WHERE: Gaede Stage, MSUM
COST: $20 adult, $10 students, $15 seniors
RATED:  R
Tickets can be purchased at the MSUM box office at 218.477.2271