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By this point Cabaret has become so engrained into the public consciousness that it is easy to forget how deceiving the play is. Chances are, whether you’ve seen it or not, what stands out in your mind is Liza Minnelli (in the 1972 movie version) or the catchy melody of one of the musical numbers: “Life is a Cabaret” from the title song, or perhaps “Money makes the world go round” from “Money Money”. Maybe you even picked up the hedonistic philosophy at the forefront of the production. It’s easy to forget, then, just how deceiving a play Cabaret really is.

The play centres on the story of Sally Bowles, a young British upstart cabaret performer with delusions of grandeur, and Clifford Bradshaw, a young American would-be writer with… well… delusions of grandeur. Bradshaw enters the world of 1929-1930 Berlin in search of a topic for his breakthrough novel, but rather than writing, gets swept up in the fast-paced sex-soaked atmosphere and falls in love with Sally.

And of course Germany in the 30s was all fun and games, right? Nothing could possibly go wrong, right? Right? Well, no. This was also the time of the rise of the Nazis. The play is not only set at this crucial moment in world history, but echoes the transitional political situation in both its themes and its plot. Nazism is continually the sublimated factor lingering under the surface of the play until the end of the first act and the beginning of the second when it is released in a big way. Man, Freud would have had a field day!

This production of Cabaret by the UC Follies handles the shifting moods masterfully under the direction of Stephen Low. I mean it. At the start of the play I was actually worried because I couldn’t think of a way to write a positive review without sounding like a pervert. Picture this: an entire chorus full of girls (and a few boys) singing and dancing provocatively in lingerie so skimpy that you’re simultaneously wondering how they are avoiding a wardrobe malfunction and hoping that they are all 18. And that’s just the opening number! I wasn’t able to avoid sounding like a pervert. So sue me! (Note: do not sue me.)

This spectacular tone keeps a smile on your face with ease. Then later it keeps you feeling uneasy, but entertained. It helps that they managed to find an entire cast full of amazing actors. Let me remind you, this is amateur theatre, here! It’s hard to talk in terms of standouts since they were all standouts. But if there was a gun to my head, I’d probably mention Geoff Stevens in his fantastic portrayal of the androgynous EmCee. Playing that part takes some real balls. And I mean that almost literally considering the costumes he has to wear.

It’s easy to look good, though, when you’re costumed, choreographed and musically backed so perfectly. I can’t think of a single moment in any one of the 14 musical numbers that lost my attention.

I admit, at the very start of the play I had a slight doubt about Thomas Davis’ ability as he seemed to play Cliff as almost too American, too naive, too dumb. But his transformation into a very sympathetic character is so subtle and gradual and now I realize that I was the one that was actually too dumb and naive. It`s not two-dimensionality; it`s skilful acting.

Skilful acting doesn`t say enough about Claire Rice as the iconic Sally Bowles. That`s mainly because she doesn`t only employ skilful acting, but also an amazing singing voice and a spot on British accent. I can`t say the same about Michael David Blostein`s German accent in his portrayal of the Nazi, Max, but I can say that his characterization is so spot-on that by the end I was seriously loathing him.

A lot of time and effort obviously went into Cabaret and it definitely shows. This could not have been the work of any less than fifty people. If it is, then they are fifty supergeniuses. If I could I`d give each and every person their due, but you wouldn`t want to read a review that long. As it is, I`m running out of superlatives. Just go see it.

DATES: Feb 7-9 & 13-16, 2008

VENUE: Hart House Theatre
7 Hart House Circle
Toronto, ON

All nights start at 8:00 PM
Tickets available at UofTtix

This entry was posted on Thursday, February 14th, 2008 at 9:55 am and is filed under Arts, Entertainment, Events, Featured Posts, On Campus. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.