Stage Page: ‘Cabaret’ brings musical joy, heartache to Pantages

By
Shari Barrett
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AT PANTAGES—The Emcee (Randy Harrison) and Kit Kat Girls welcome you to CABARET. Photo courtesy of Roundabout Theatre Company.

Willkommen, bienvenue, welcome! is the well-known lyric sung by the Emcee to open the multi-award winning musical CABARET. His half-naked, part male and female self goes on to encourage everyone to leave your troubles behind when you enter the world of the Kit Kat Club, full of sexy dancers and an orchestra with British chanteuse Sally Bowles the featured singer. But as life in pre-WWII Germany grows more and more uncertain, the question remains as to whether or not the decadent allure of Berlin nightlife will be enough to get them through their dangerous times.

Randy Harrison, best known for his portrayal of Justin in the Showtime drama “Queer as Folk,” steps into the role of the Emcee, playing him as a sort of all-seeing puppet master watching over the story, taking delight is the others sex life and suffering. He obviously loves the role as he brings an incredible amount energy to each of his many songs, playing them straight with a wicked gleam in his eye. Andrea Goss, a veteran of Roundabout’s ”Cabaret” on Broadway portrays Sally Bowles. As directed by BT McNicholl, Goss is an incredible belter but often underplays the emotions she should be feeling, especially during her closing title number ”Cabaret.”

Also featured in the cast are Shannon Cochran as Fraulein Schneider, Alison Ewing as Fraulein Kost, Mark Nelson as Herr Schultz, Ned Noyes as Ernst Ludwig, and Lee Aaron Rosen as Clifford Bradshaw. All are wonderful singers and under the musical and vocal direction of Patrick Vaccariello, their beautiful solos and harmonies soar. I especially enjoyed Cochran’s no-nonsense interpretations of “So What” and “What Would You Do?” which reflect how many Germans must have felt trying to deal with their inability to change the circumstances in which they lived.

True quadruple threats, the cast which also doubles as the onstage Kit Kat Band includes Kelsey Beckert, Sarah Bishop, Margaret Dudasik, Lori Eure, Aisling Halpin, Leeds Hill, Andrew Hubacher, Joey Khoury, Tommy McDowell, Samantha Shafer, Evan D. Siegel, Dani Spieler and Steven Wenslawski. Their energetic movements around the multi-level set designed by Robert Brill and frequent costume changes designed by William Ivey Long are a wonder to behold for their often tantalizing effect, especially during the Kit Kat Girls numbers and the comical as well as political songs “Two Ladies” and “If You Could See Her,” in which beautiful Aisling Halpin transforms into a sexy, dancing Gorilla.

The current national tour of Sam Mendes and Rob Marshall’s Tony Award®-winning production of “Cabaret” produced by Roundabout Theatre Company and the Nederlander Organization continues through Aug. 7, at the Hollywood Pantages Theatre, and I encourage you to get your tickets soon as this much-anticipated production is bound to sell out quickly. Tickets start at $29 and may be ordered by phone at 800-982-2787 or online at www.HollywoodPantages.com or www.Ticketmaster.com. Groups of 10 or more at www.PantagesGroups.com or by calling 866-755-3075. I guarantee you will leave the theater deep in thought after the musical’s somber ending – and then break out into song!

‘Go Back to Where You Are’ a tale of second chances

In the West Coast premiere of David Greenspan’s GO BACK TO WHERE YOU ARE, a forgotten chorus boy from the theater of ancient Greece is sent back to Earth on a mission from God that offers him a second chance at life when he finds himself summering among a makeshift family of theater artists on Long Island where he is able to witness their innermost thoughts and feelings, allowing him to re-discover his own ability to love and be loved.
Because the play is about theater artists, director Bart DeLorenzo brilliantly cast a group of talented union actors including Shannon Holt in the role of Claire, a Broadway diva who’s the host of this summer weekend, and Annabelle Gurwitch as Charlotte, her not-quite-as-successful, working out-of-town in touring company musicals friend who has been living in Claire’s shadow, visiting for the weekend. Justin Huen portrays Claire’s brother Bernard, a playwright who may or may not be writing a play as his thoughts seem to float about without really being grounded in anything. Tom, a celebrated director and his set-designer lover are played lovingly by Bill Brochtrup and Jeffrey Hutchinson, while handsome Andrew Walke portrays Wally, Claire’s L.A.-based director son who is back to celebrate his sister Carolyn’s birthday, a day made bittersweet by memories of his late partner Mark, both of whom are never seen. And celebrated performance artist John Fleck takes on the time-traveling, shape-shifting “outsider” role of Passalus, the chorus boy from another era in disguise as an elderly British actress simply by changing his voice and demeanor rather than his costume.
Be forewarned this play is told in the Theatre of the Absurd style with actors frequently speaking in asides directly to the audience within the seemingly pointless story which is often acted silently in pantomime while Fleck describes the action. It is often difficult to follow much like “Waiting for Godot” in which nothing really seems to be happening. Sound effects are described but never heard, while Nina Caussa’s simple patio seaside set design never changes other than when Michael Gend’s lighting design switches to red whenever God appears (Jeffrey Hutchinson who merely puts up his sweatshirt hood to switch characters).
“Go Back to Where You Are” performances continue through Sept. 4 at The Odyssey Theatre, located at 2055 S. Sepulveda Blvd. in West Los Angeles. For reservations and information, call 310-477-2055 or go to OdysseyTheatre.com. Tickets range in price from $34 on Saturdays and Sundays; $30 on Fridays; and $25 on Wednesdays and Thursdays, with discounted tickets available for students and members of SAG/AFTRA/AEA. There will be “Tix for $10” performances on Friday, Aug. 12 and Wednesday, Aug. 17, and a post-performance discussion on Sunday, July 31. The third Friday of every month is wine night at the Odyssey when you can enjoy complimentary wine and snacks as you mingle with the cast after the show. And I am sure you will have questions for them about their characters and the show.