Review-Cabaret

So, I managed to get to a performance of Cabaret at Spotlighters recently. I will say this much, most of the reviews I had read previously to attending were mixed, mainly due to the physical limitations at Spotlighters. Coming in, I didn't really know what to expect, and I left feeling the same way. In some ways, the fact that Spotlighters is a very small space located under a hotel in downtown Baltimore could have been a great place to stage this show. I was proven wrong.

First off, it might just be my own preference, but performers roaming around before the show actually begins has gotten quite tired, no? I feel like any show that has been attempting to look "edgy" or "different" immediately means breaking the fourth wall. When I enter the theatre, I want time to pick up my ticket, possibly grab a drink, take my seat and read through the program. I do not need to be accosted by 1930's club workers, thank you very much. It isn't just this production, but I've seen the same thing happen with productions of Sweeney Todd and RENT. It is wonderful that directors break down the fourth wall and add something new to a production, but it has been done a million times over at this point. Granted, Spotlighters is very cramped and also in the round, but why not just keep the actors backstage until showtime?

Cabaret is by far one of my favorite musicals, it is set in Nazi Germany, and deals with American writer Cliff Bradshaw. He travels to Berlin and meets Sally Bowles, the star performer in the Kit Kat Club Revue. They have a sordid affair, which leaves Cliff reeling at the end of the show. I'd write more of a synopsis, but if you don't know "Cabaret" then you should be ashamed. It is a beautiful and complex piece.

The only standout performance is delivered by one Tim Elliot. While, in recent years, the Emcee is generally a skinny, over the top ladyboy, Mr.Elliot stands out. He delivers a knockout performance that balances the commanding power of the character, as well as his flamboyance and few rather serious bits. Congrats to Tim in a production that was, for the most part, disappointing.

I had an unfortunate seat located near one of the four vertical support beams that surrounds the stage, which left me annoyed having to strain my neck to see what was happening. The choreography was different, sometimes it worked, sometimes it didn't. There is a reason Bob Fosse was hired in the first place for this show...to create movement for these nightclub performerrs that is sleazy and not overdanced. Melissa McGinley does a good job, but overdoes it at times, and seeing as some of the ensemble are not meant to be dancers, the choreo sometimes falls short.

For the most part, the Kit Kat Club dancers are a rag-tag group. It looks more to me like the audition turnout didn't have much to choose from male wise, and they did what they could to fill in the cast. The women of the "Klub" manage to get things right, having stronger dance skills and genereally, better characterization. The men, though trying, just look out of place most of the time.

Aaron Dalton and Lynn McCormick as Cliff and Sally, don't quite have a hold of their characters. The fact that both never seem to delve into the twisted nature of these people leads me to think that direction time was spent more on trying to conquer the physical limitations of the theatre rather than exploring characters. Towards the end of the show, we get a slight glimpse of how great the performances could have been, but it might be due to the extremity of the script. Suzanne Young and Jim Hart as Schneider and Schultz give touching performances. They have settled into their characters quite nicely, especially when there is a pineapple involved.

Michael Tan serves as musical director. The cast sounds decent, but the 3 piece put doesn't quite serve the needs of the score, and there is a general disconnect between the music and the cast, which will rip an audience member out of willing suspension of disbelief faster than one can say "Wilkommen".

Overall, this production relies too much on stock direction choices which have been made to try and fit the difficult space of the theatre. It wanted to be fantastic, but leaves one feeling generally confused by the time it is over. Also, because of the incessant pre-show interaction with the audience in such a small space (I'm aware that the emcee addresses the audience...once the show has b.e.g.u.n.) seeing the performers after the show in street clothes is awkward. I give it a C-, and if it weren't for Tim Elliot's insanely well done performance, I'd say skip this production. It is a FAR cry from Todd Starkey's brilliant mounting of the show for Phoenix Festival Theatre a few years back.

Opening Tonight!

With the fall comes two things: colorful trees that make fore some epic photographs, and tons and tons of local theatre. If you are in theatre, you have probably been inundated with more Facebook invites for your friends and family's shows that you can actually keep track of, so I will try to help. I know of only a few shows that open today, but lots open sometime in the coming weeks...so here we are:

OPENING TONIGHT

Phoenix Festival Theatre's "Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street"
September 10-19
Fridays and Saturdays at 8 pm, Sundays at 3pm
Tickets $9-18
Box Office 443 412 2211
PFT is Located in the Chesapeake building at Harford Community College

Spotlighter's "Cabaret"
September 10-October 10
Thursdays-Saturdays at 8pm, Sundays at 2pm
Tickets $16-20
Box Office (at the door or www.spotlighters.org)
Spotlighers is Located in Baltimore on St.Paul Street

Maryland Ensemble Theatre's "The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee"
September 10- October 9
Thursdays, Fridays,Saturdays at 8pm, Sundays at 2pm
Tickets $16-26
MET is Located at 31 W. Patrick St in Baltimore.

Alright everyone! Break legs and sing your faces off!
I know I'll be at Sweeney either tonight or tomorrow and I plan on attending Cabaret on Sunday!

Bye!

Hiatus/Reviews

Welcome back, all who read this blog. All meaning all four of you.

I'm back from my hiatus from theatre and showtunes, and I'm looking forward to a fall season full of lots of theatre and lots of belting, because lets face it...if you're not beting, you're not trying. Anyways, enough with me falling off the face of the earth without telling you, so let us move on.

Review wise, I caught Teatro 101's outstanding production of "Sideshow" which took place at the Mobtown Theatre in Baltimore. Artistic Director David Gregory has been garnering rave reviews for his work with his new theatre company, so I was very excited to see what the production had in store, and I will start with this...they need a better space. The work being done there is very high-caliber and really deserves a bigger space that can fit more people and give them more room to create, because, after seeing some terrible regional theater in the past few years, Teatro 101 is a breath of fresh air. The creative team work so well to bring this show to life, and this piece is notoriously difficult to do well. The company is fresh and exciting, and handled the conceptual challenge of this show with style. Upon entering, the audience is watching an old black and white film about a freak show, which sets an odd and almost unsettling mood that is kept until curtain call.

Mr.Gregory has assembled and directed a great cast. His direction is simple and effective, and doesn't rely on campy stereotypes to get the point across. It is clear that he holds his audience accountable to expect more from local theatre than some other companies do. Ryan Michael Haase, who is also in the cast as The Geek, created a brilliant set. The entire concept of his design was just so well thought out and well executed, despite the fact that it was generally sparse. The show is set in a run-down traveling freak show, and that is exactly what he created. The stage is nearly bare, accented with a few boxes and staircases. Various strung lights and ropes create a controlled chaos that I really enjoyed. Props to him for fantastic design. Julia M. Smith created an opening video which was projected during the first number of the show, and her creative use of stop motion animation gave the production a punch of something unexpected, and they handled the "transformation" of the freaks in a way that I've never seen before.

As for the cast, Amanda Rife and Shelly Work as Violet and Daisy Hilton, do a great job. Their voices blend well, and despite the physical challenge of staying "attached at the hip" they manage to create entirely separate characters, which is crucial with those roles. I will say that age wise, they were mismatched, but it is merely a surface observation that one quickly forgets. For such demanding roles, these two divas handle them wonderfully. Chris Rudy is Buddy, one of the roles that I can't say I'm very fond of. M.r Rudy has a great pop tenor voice, which is put on great display throughout the production, but some of his acting choices felt slightly stale at times. Perhaps it was a character choice that I never fully absorbed, but overall, he was enjoyable. The evening's real scene stealer is Kevin McAllister as Jake. If anything, it was worth seeing the show solely for his "You Should be Loved" in Act 2. The man can sing, and on top of that, he knows how to act a song. The audience was eerily still when he sang. He has a commanding presence that cannot be ignored, and he was the evening's stand out performance.

The ensemble fills out the show nicely. Their costumes were a little wonky, but they more than make up for it with their powerful sound and characters. I've seen Side Show done with a rather large ensemble, and I like that the ensemble was small. Granted, there wasn't any space for one more person on the stage, but they do a great job. I was really loving the vocals during "Tunnel of Love", especially with a special light trick that was used to set the mood.
Overall, the show gets an A++ from me. Great job, freaks!

OKAY. I know...it has been too long since I've written a review so that sucked, but deal with it. They were amazing, and I promise to post their next review ON opening night. Kudos to them!