The classic keeps a breath-taking pace throughout
By Camille Bounds
Camille Bounds
From the moment the curtain rises on South Valley Civic Theatre’s production of “Cabaret,” the momentum builds throughout the first act and holds the audience’s attention until the powerful final scene. The classic musical moves like a steam roller as director Carol Harris keeps up the breathtaking pace so the audience does not dare look away.
The story tells the tale of life in decadent Berlin in 1930 as fascism rises to take over the government. It portrays a time when the world stood on the precipice of oblivion.
As the brassy “Sally Bowles,” Sarah Duarte is the driven free spirited, diva with a vengeance. Her phrasing of “Come to the Cabaret” and “Maybe This Time” is impeccable and never delivered better. She handles the role with just the right amount of grit and chutzpah. In contrast, Vaughn Mayer as “Cliff Bradshaw,” Sally’s sensitive, patient boyfriend, comes across with a sweet innocence until the end of the show when he realizes Germany is falling to an evil political party.
The glue of the show, Bill Tindall as “Emcee,” takes the spotlight on stage as the insidious, leering, tacky master of ceremonies of the sleazy Kit Kat Club. He guides us through the plot and subplots with his creepy, amoral characterization that almost becomes uncomfortable to watch until you realize he is a sign of that turbulent time.
The show’s most tender moments come from a fine-voiced Mary Beth Anderson as “Fraulein Schneider,” the widowed landlady, and the sympathetic, gentle Jewish fruit merchant “Heir Schultz” played by a somber Peter Mandel. Their doomed sweet love affair is tender and poignant.
The glitz and glitter of Michelle Griffin’s costumes are spectacular. The creative lighting by Peter Mandel, Clara Shem-Tov and Coco Crowley with great sound by Kris Snook make for a super production. Christine Seadina’s choreography is right on mark with an energetic chorus. The Kit Kat Klub’s orchestra under the direction of Mark Gaetano is a hoot and makes great sounds.
It’s disturbing how easily a dark time in human history — one that destroyed the lives of tens of millions of people — can be forgotten. SVCT’s “Cabaret” serves as a reminder of how a cultured society can fail from apathy. The audience left the theater with the realization of what was about to happen would change the world forever and think about how parallel our world seems to be today.
Camille Bounds is the theater reviewer for Morgan Hill and Gilroy Life.
