Review: CABARET at Theatre Harrisburg

Cabaret, with book by Joe Masteroff, music by John Kander, and lyrics by Fred Ebb, first opened on Broadway in 1966. Based on Christopher Isherwood’s 1939 novel Goodbye to Berlin and John Van Druten’s 1951 play I Am a Camera, Cabaret takes place in Berlin in 1929-1930. It explores the serious economic, political, and cultural events that heralded the rise of the Nazis against the backdrop of the Kit Kat Klub, a cabaret offering audiences an escape into the seeming decadence of the Golden Twenties.

Cabaret, while it is based on the experiences of Isherwood in the Weimar Republic of Germany, is a story that is disturbingly recognizable throughout history and today. The characters in Cabaret—their words, songs, and actions—confront us with the question “what would you do?”. As the director of Cabaret at Theatre Harrisburg, Eric S. Mansilla, comments in his director’s notes, “We all seek an escape, a distraction. But while the distraction is of great value, what is the cost? Nearly a hundred years after Isherwood and his contemporaries lived through the rise of Hitler and the Nazi Party, we find ourselves in a world of conflict and violence, massive political differences, those who stand up and shout, those who stand back and stand by, those who are afraid, and those who carry on doing their best to survive however they can.” On stage at Theatre Harrisburg through September 22nd, Cabaret is powerful and chilling.

The set (Curtis Mittong, Benjamin Rand, Bruce Kolka, and Susan Oscilowski), costumes (Karen Switzer, Norine Bahnweg, Cheryl Petroff, and Diane Rothrock), and lighting (Matthew Mitra) emphasize the juxtaposition between the escape offered by The Kit Kat Club and the reality that exists beyond (and within) its walls. While there were some issues with the sound balance on Saturday night, the orchestra, consisting of Mitchell Sensenig-Wilshire (Piano/Conductor), Vic Wertz (Reed 1), Anthony Poehailos (Reed 2), Bill Perbetsky (Trumpet), Bob Yinger (Trombone), Adrienne Connaghan (Synthesizer), Sara Benson (Drums), and Tim Crane (Bass), performed beautifully, and the way in which the Emcee included them as actual performers at The Kit Kat Club, including joining them on piano in the second act, really pulled them into the action and the story in a wonderful way.

The choreography by Elizabeth Angelozzi is mesmerizing, particularly in the group numbers like “Money” in Act 1 and “Kick Line Number” in Act 2. The Kit Kat Club performers—Emma Burger, Alexandria Fazzolari, Joe Kemprowski, Lauren Kutz, Adria McGarry, Regan Newbury, Mia Thornton, Jeremiah Joel, Quentin West, and Grace E. Wellmon—perform this intricate choreography with energy, agility, and precision that is incredible to witness. Right from the beginning, with the Emcee’s introduction of The Kit Kat Club performers, these actors let their characters’ personalities shine through.

Josh Lebo takes on the role of Ernst Ludwig. Lebo achieves just the right balance with his character, at first portraying him as an affable, immensely likeable, charismatic fellow through most of the first act, and then allowing his prejudicial political beliefs to take center stage at the engagement party in a truly devastating way. His interactions with Tony Barber’s Cliff are so well crafted that it is a relief when Cliff stands up to him even though this results in a brutal beating (which is choreographed so well that it brings gasps from the audience). Aubrey Kyler portrays Fräulein Kost a boarder at Fräulein Schneider’s who entertains sailors to pay for her room. Kyler’s vocals are gorgeous, particularly as she sings the German verses in “Married” and the haunting opening solo of “Reprise: Tomorrow Belongs to Me”.

Herr Shultz and Fräulein Schneider are played by José Solis Corps and Tara Beitzel, respectively. Corps and Beitzel are wonderful on stage together—perfectly awkward in their initial flirtations and attempts to brush aside their growing affections for one another and heartbreakingly earnest as they plan to get married and, ultimately, are torn apart. The audience cannot help but take this emotional journey with them. While this reviewer wishes Corps’s mic had been louder, as it was often difficult to hear his dialogue, his facial expressions spoke volumes. Beitzel’s performance of “What Would You Do” is so powerful, soulful, and emotional that she makes the audience feel Fräulein Schneider’s heart ache.

Tony Barber portrays the American novelist Cliff Bradshaw. Barber does a fantastic job illustrating the way in which Cliff is swept up into the lives of the people he meets, seeming to have very little agency until he takes his stand in the end by choosing to leave Germany and the woman he loves. Barber interacts beautifully with Maggie Elizabeth’s Sally Bowles. Maggie Elizabeth gives a performance this reviewer won’t soon forget. Her Sally Bowles is vivacious, witty, tragic, emotional, and vulnerable. Her vocals are spot-on, giving the audience chills as she sings “Maybe This Time” with a heartbreaking tenderness and “Cabaret” with a gut-wrenching desperation. Tying the entire show together is Keifer Kemmerly as the Emcee. Kemmerly’s Emcee is charismatic, suave, and confident—the consummate showman, right up until the very end. His facial expressions, posture, and vocal tone draw the audience in, making them feel like they really are at The Kit Kat Club.

This production of Cabaret combines creative and thoughtful direction and design with incredible talent on stage and off. It is a difficult show that hits hard in many ways, and the team at Theatre Harrisburg meets the challenge of Cabaret head on. You do not want to miss this historically important and still overwhelmingly relevant musical at Theatre Harrisburg, so visit theatreharrisburg.com for more information.

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