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While Lineage centers most of its work on original pieces, every time they have done a Broadway musical they have hit it out of the park – from Tick Tick Boom, The Last Five Years, Pippin, and an extraordinary drive-in production of Next To Normal at the Gamble House during the pandamic, Lineage brings their unique vision and passion to every show and with Cabaret, they have done it again.
The story follows young American writer, Clifford Bradshaw, who comes to Berlin in 1929 to write a novel with no money and no prospects. A chance meeting with a mysterious German businessman leads him to a room for rent with Fraulein Schneider and the people who populate the decadent netherworld of the Kit Kat Klub. What begins as a sexy, free-wheeling time full of booze, sexual freedom and a new relationship with party girl and performer Sally Bowles, evolves into something far more sinister as the growing nationalism and Nazi movement bubbles to the surface. The themes of othering and the cunning ways it creeps in and takes over could not be more timely, making the second half of the show that much more urgent and poignant.
The direction by visionary directors, Austin Roy and Hilary Thomas, cleverly blends dance into just about every moment throughout the show – a Lineage trademark that works beautifully here. The sinewy bodies of the ensemble slink and slither their way across the stage, sitting in chairs at tables with patrons on stage, and draping all over the main characters to punctuate every word and intention. The result is intoxicating as the audience is placed literally inside the Kit Kat Klub.
Thomas’ choreography is pitch perfect in this setting, never more so than the playful pineapple number involving the sweet budding romance between Jewish fruit merchant Herr Schultz, played by the utterly charming Paul Siemens, and the authentic and subtle Cynthia Crass as Fraulein Schneider. Their tender love song, “It Couldn’t Please Me More” is made even more adorable with the addition of dancers helping Schultz to woo her with his dancing and offering of the exotic pineapples.
It was a wonderful reminder of just what an incredible John Kander and Fred Ebb score Cabaret is. I have been intimately familiar with the score my whole life, with iconic songs like “Maybe This Time”, “Money”, “Wilkommen” and of course “Cabaret” – but I had never seen a full stage production. No I never got over to New York to see Alan Cumming, so to finally see the songs in the context of the show was a revelation and this crackerjack cast leaves it all on the stage to bring this haunting, sad, sexy and beautiful show to life.
Aiden Rawlinson leads the troupe as the saucily sardonic Emcee who takes the audience through each satiric and biting Kit Kat number and doubles as several characters throughout the show, becoming a sort of everyman, giving the audience multiple perspectives. His dancing makes his Emcee a bit more poetic and lyrical than what is typically seen in the role. Rawlinson is funny and charming which makes his parting vignette extremely powerful.
Jana Souza is delightful as Sally, capturing perfectly her carefree wildchild as well as her brokenness and addiction to bad decisions and aligning herself with her own self-defeating thoughts. It’s a vivacious and vulnerable performance that crescendos into an emotionally raw rendition of “Cabaret” and Souza’s voice is up to the task.
Andrew Abaria is painfully naïve and compassionate as the young writer, Cliff. He has a lovely voice and beautifully wide-eyed expression that is utterly heartbreaking in the final scenes with Sally.
Every dancer and singer in the ensemble is a part of just about every scene and are completely enchanting. The small but integral live orchestra sounds terrific, directed by Alan Geier, and again, makes you feel like you are “in” the Klub.
With the stellar cast performing this incredible score in such an intimate space, the overall experience is visceral – taking the audience from the thrills of the Kit Kat Klub to the chill of listening to what amounts to a Nazi hymn, afterwhich you could hear a pin drop as the performers silently walked off stage because the audience spontaneously could not clap. As the show winds its way to the inevitable conclusion, we are painfully aware of what is to come for these characters and the world.
CABARET runs through January 21st, Tuesday through Friday at 7pm and a Sunday performance at 5pm, with only 55 seats available in each show. A limited number of tickets are also available to sit at a table for two on the stage of the Kit Kat Klub.
The show runs 2 hours and 45 minutes long, with one intermission, and is recommended for mature audiences due to themes involving sex, death, racism, and images and discussions of nazism.
Tickets are available through Lineage’s website at www.lineagepac.org.
Lineage Performing Arts Center is located at 920 E. Mountain Street in Pasadena.
