Altadena Music Theatre presents Cabaret. Written by Joe Masteroff, based off the play by John Van Druten and The Berlin Stories of Christopher Isherwood. Directed by Oliver Azcarate and Sarah Azcarate. Produced by Sarah Azcarate.
The girls and boys at the Kit Kat Klub are back, this time at the historic Charles S. Farnsworth Amphitheater in Altadena. The story is based on the lives of the residents of Berlin in the late 1920s and the characters that work in a cabaret, one of the defining features of the Jazz Age. Known as a symbol of spending, decadence, and hedonism, the cabaret was a place where customers could eat, drink, watch a show, and dance the night away. Once the strict rules of the monarchy were over, the newly found freedom allowed Germans to express themselves liberally, and what better place to show that relaxed attitude than the cabaret. Straights, gays, lesbians, and transvestites partied together in these places, where sex and politics were the main topics. Many of the patrons, however, were aware that this extravagance was artificial and temporary.
Cliff Bradshaw (Michael Thomas Grant), a young American writer, arrives in Berlin to write a novel. He meets Ernst Ludwig (Sean York), a Nazi and black market operator who offers him a job bringing contraband from Paris. Ernst tells Cliff of a place to stay, a boarding house run by Fraulein Schneider (Ursula Gueringer), who is the love object of Herr Schultz (Craig Wright), a Jewish fruit vendor. Another resident of the house is Fraulein Kost (Skye Marie Sena), a friendly character that keeps bringing sailors and other men to her room, much to the disapproval of Schneider. Cliff then meets Kit Kat Klub singer Sally Bowles (Emily Lopez) and both fall in love with each other. Meanwhile, everything is business as usual at the burlesque theatre Kit Kat Klub. The enigmatic Master of Ceremonies (Cruz St. James) and the dancers deliver performances that reflect the liberal atmosphere of the city and the fiercely experimental nature of the avant garde.
This production features some young talent worth noting. Cruz St. James has a dazzling stage presence that is magnetic and hints stardom at every move. Not only is he a fantastic singer and dancer, he also delivers a powerful and emotional performance that captures so vividly the height and demise of an era. Lopez, Grant, Wright, and Gueringer depict masterfully the debauchery, hopes, and somber panorama of a society that is witnessing the contrast between the cultural renaissance during the Weimar Republic and the chimeric expectations of Nazism.
Directors Oliver Azcarate, Sarah Azcarate, and choreographer Melissa Schade have achieved a phenomenal production that allows the actors/dancers to shine and deliver high-energy performances. The costumes are sexy and flamboyant, an accurate picture of the extravagant lifestyle of the times. Cabaret is barely their second production, but they demonstrate their commitment to offer entertaining and high-quality shows.
Music Director Chris Wade and his band are the cherry on top, offering a vibrant and spectacular musical performance that keeps the energy flow all across the show, with Wade becoming a character on his own in a passionate display of feeling and charisma.
Make sure to bring warm clothes and seat as close as you can to the stage, this will enhance your experience. Let yourself be enchanted by the decadence, dance, and music of the magical atmosphere of the bawdy Kit Kat Klub.
Cabaret
Charles S. Farnsworth Amphitheater
568 Mount Curve Ave. East
Altadena, CA 91001
May 25th – June 4th
Tickets: eventbrite.com/e/cabaret-tickets
Book by Joe Masteroff. Directed by Oliver Azcarate and Sarah Azcarate. Produced by Sarah Azcarate. Cast: Emily Lopez and Cruz St James starring as Sally Bowles and the Emcee. Television’s Michael Thomas Grant playing the role of Cliff Bradshaw. Altadena locals Craig Wright and Ursula Gueringer as Herr Schultz and Fraulein Schneider, Skye Marie Sena as Fraulein Kost and Sean York as Ernst Ludwig. Joining us at the Kit Kat Klub dancers are Lindy Jones, Molly Fowler, Abigail Loucks, Jacqueline Dennis, Bimei Flores, Jeannette Sharp Oakes, Zachariah Griffin, Avery Bass, Cole Elliot and Sebastian Twohey-Jacobs. Creative team: Choreographed by Melissa Schade and music direction by Chris Wade.
