ASF Interns: "Twelfth Night"

For three years in a row, the Alabama Shakespeare Festival's Intern Acting Company has been presenting abridged versions of Shakespeare's plays in its "Bringing the Bard to Your School" touring program. -- This year's staging of Twelfth Night continues the successful formula:

• One romantic comedy; plus
• One inspired and inspiring director; plus
• Four gifted designers; plus
• Eight energetic, enthusiastic, talented ensemble actors; equals
• One hour and ten minutes of charming, accessible, rambunctious theatrical fun!!! 

Deserving its standing ovation, and followed by an informative "talk-back" session and a "workshop" with audience volunteers, the Intern Actors are making a mark on the local theatre scene that keeps live theatre a memorable experience and makes the Bard easy and enjoyable to watch. Director Greta Lambert has this year's company showcase their many skills -- vocal dexterity, clear characters and storytelling, inventive staging, physical flexibility, respect for the script and its language -- to demonstrate Shakespeare's comic genius in Twelfth Night that speaks to audiences some 400+ years since it was first performed in London's Middle Temple in 1602 when Shakespeare was in mid-career as a playwright.

Many of the Elizabethan Period's comic conventions are found in Twelfth Night: an assortment of outlandish behaviors by people in the thralls of love, disguises/mistaken identity resulting in ambiguous gender confusion, drunken revelers, fools, practical jokes, all of which are intertwined with some pretty serious issues like madness, the folly of ambition, and the social roles of men and women. In Shakespeare's time, the end of the Christmas season -- the "Twelfth Night" of the title -- marked a time of "licensed disorder" overseen by the Lord of Misrule, and Ms. Lambert's production does just that, bridging time with occasional anachronistic gestures, rap and Gangnam-style versions of Shakespeare's lyrics, and contemporary attitudes struck by the actors...and it all works!

Ms. Lambert's script preserves all the major plot devices and includes its famous quotable lines so each of the characters and their relationships come across vividly. And she has added a clever prologue and an effective "shipwreck ballet" to show how twins Viola [Jillian Walker] and Sebastian [David Umansky] each believe the other has drowned and then segues into Scene One with Viola cast ashore on Illyria where she will disguise herself as a young man and serve Count Orsino [Seth Andrew Bridges] as his go-between in courting Olivia [Michelle Geisler] who refuses Orsino's attention and falls in love with "Cesario" (the name of the disguised Viola), while Viola falls in love with Orsino who appears to have feelings for "Cesario" (i.e. Viola) -- talk about confusion and comic possibilities!

If that wasn't enough, Olivia's drunken cousin Sir Toby Belch [Logan James Hall] helps his friend Sir Andrew Aguecheek [Chris Pappas] to pursue his love for Olivia; and Olivia's pretentious steward Malvolio [Jason Martin] tries to advance his social position by marrying Olivia. Malvolio is ripe for a plot hatched by Sir Toby and cohorts to make a fool out of him.

In the middle of all this is Olivia's fool Feste [Jim Staudt] who moves easily in all three "worlds" of the play: Olivia's household, Orsino's court, and the group who plot against Malvolio. Mr. Staudt's antics are infectious and his physical flexibility is admirable; and he is matched by the rest of the cast whose commitment and passion contribute to the success of the production. Mr. Bridges' excessively romanticized behavior as a love-sick suitor more in love with being in love than with Olivia is close to perfection; Ms. Geisler's change from haughty rejection of Orsino to adolescent yearning for the young man "Cesario" is subtle and engaging; Mr. Umansky is earnest as Sebastian and the unexpected attention from Olivia who confuses him with "Cesario" is received with immediate acceptance; Mr. Hall and Mr. Pappas make an exceptional double-act as Sir Toby and Sir Andrew; Mr. Martin's comeuppance as Malvolio is one of extraordinary invention (the famous "letter scene" followed by his wearing yellow stockings and cross-garters to win Olivia is a highlight of this production); and Viola's dilemma in maintaining her disguise while falling in love with Orsino, holding Olivia at bay, and almost fighting a duel with Sir Andrew, is achieved with simplicity and absolute credibility.

Of course, Sebastian and Viola can't appear on-stage together till the end, though there are several complications that bring them inexorably together in time to save most everyone except Malvolio from embarrassment or physical harm.

Tara Houston's clever scenic design [several surprising and simple shifts of the set] is flexible for the touring company; Tom Rodman's lighting and Jacob Sullivan's sound serve the play and punctuate the action; and Elizabeth Novak's stunning Victorian-era costumes are both appropriate to the period and vividly help in creating characters that are simultaneously silly and grounded in reality.

Under Ms. Lambert's expert direction, the Intern Acting Company's ensemble performances make this Twelfth Night one of the most entertaining and enjoyable productions of Shakespeare in recent memory.

ASF: "To Kill a Mockingbird"

Fifty-three years after Harper Lee's Pulitzer Prize winning and only published novel To Kill a Mockingbird introduced the world to its Depression Era hero Atticus Finch, a stage adaptation by Christopher Sergel is playing at the Alabama Shakespeare Festival. Local audiences have had ample opportunities to see one or another version over the years, but this one's approach adds a freshness to the familiar story. Several other plays focus on the coming-of-age story of Scout [Abbie Salter], Jem [Reese Lynch], and Dill [Tapley Cronier], yet both Sergel's script and Diana Van Fossen's even handed direction of her excellent ensemble of actors gives a balanced interpretation. While many of the play's serious themes -- racism, class distinctions, courage -- are seen through the lens of curious children eagerly seeking answers to grown-up issues confronting them, the adult world's complexities and contradictions are truly the heart of the matter.

The quasi-autobiographical story is set in the fictional town of Maycomb, Alabama (cf. Monroeville) in 1936, and hinges on the trial of Tom Robinson [Jordan Barbour], a black man accused of raping Mayella Ewell [Michelle Geisler], the white teenaged daughter of the town's most vicious racist, Bob Ewell [Ian Bedford]. Though clearly innocent of the crime, Tom doesn't stand a chance of acquittal by an all white jury in a town and time that presume that all black people lie and that Tom broke the "code of separation" between blacks and whites by doing odd jobs for Mayella for free and feeling sorry for her. Both race and class distinctions elevate the Ewell's crude white-trash existence over Tom's place at the bottom of the social stratum simply because he is black. Even Judge Taylor [Tom Lawson] can't change that.

Atticus [Kurt Rhoads in his impressive first appearance at ASF] defends Tom in court despite the predictable outcome and despite the mean-spirited taunting of his children by their schoolmates because, as he tells them, sometimes a person just has to do what is right. -- Mr Rhoads' decidedly understated performance demonstrates Atticus' unflappable demeanor when confronted by a lynch mob headed by Walter Cunningham: Paul Hebron subtly shifts from a subservient man who can't afford legal fees and so pays Atticus in turnip greens, to a hard-nosed aggressor, to a reluctant and recalcitrant man when Scout diffuses the lynch mob. -- As Atticus is known to be a gentleman, Mr. Rhoads treats everyone with the same diffidence, regardless of race or social status; and while this is taken at first as weakness by the children, they gradually learn through his gentle approach and firm standards so that he changes in their estimation from a man who is "not interested in anything" to a hero.

The children's world of innocent games and inherent grasp of right and wrong is tested as the trial puts things in a new perspective for them. As Scout, Ms. Salter's persistence in asking why things happen or why people behave in ways she knows are wrong can be annoying, but she clearly idolizes Atticus and regularly sits in his lap to absorb his sage advice. When Jem is made to read to grumpy neighbor Mrs. Dubose [Janelle Cochrane] as punishment for destroying her flowers, Mr. Lynch's resistance to his father's disciplinary action is honestly rendered; his performance is the most credibly natural of the children here and in his creating Gothic stories about their mysterious neighbor Boo Radley [Brik Berkes], and in his sister's defense against Bon Ewell's attack. As Dill, Mr. Cronier affords some lighthearted humor as the bespectacled instigator of tests of courage and his appeal to Atticus when he runs away is met with Mr. Rhoads' gentle compliance. -- Keeping the children in check is Cheri Lynne Vandenheuvel as their housekeeper Calpurnia; her outspoken discipline of the children is met with well earned applause.

Maudie Atkinson [Greta Lambert] and Stephanie Crawford [Jennifer Barnhart] are two of the local women who help connect the various plots & subplots with their contrasting views of the town, its inhabitants, and its events. They see things differently, but add texture to the proceedings -- Ms. Barnhart with her gossip's tongue and haute demeanor; and Ms. Lambert with her compassionate bearing serves also as a narrator and motherly guide to the children, an occasional impishness or kindly understanding makes her stand out to them and to us.

Mr. Barbour's portrayal of Tom is rendered simply and convincingly. When he finally takes the stand in  his own defense, we feel his difficulty in telling the truth that must be told; he doesn't want to hurt anyone and knows the consequences of testifying against a white woman. And, as the audience is complicit in serving as the jury in the trial, we are challenged to confront our own moral obligations.

Atticus has said that all men are created equal only in a court of justice, but that it all depends on the strength of the jury. Perhaps they have been swayed by prosecutor Mr. Gilmer [Anthony Marble] and his clever intimations of Tom's guilt. When the verdict is announced, the children are devastated, but what are we to think? The Ewells get off scott free and swear revenge, an attack on Jem and Scout that is thwarted by Boo Radley. Mr. Berkes has this small pivotal role that he distinguishes by his combination of violent retributive justice against Bob Ewell and his gentle treatment of Scout and Jem; as he returns to his reclusive existence, Atticus can only say "Thank you for my children."

Justice will prevail through Sheriff Heck Tate [Rodney Clark's solid performance] who insists that Bob Ewell "fell on his knife"; rather than put Boo Radley on trial for ridding the town of the miscreant, and commanding the situation despite Atticus' regard for the law, he states definitively: It's my decision.

Like it or not, the whole town looks up to Atticus -- a private man who surprises his children with his sharp-shooting in killing a mad dog, and who is so persuasive in defending Tom that, although the verdict is a foregone conclusion, he is "the only man who could make a jury take so long", and who deserves the respect of one and all as the preacher tells the children: "Stand up...your father is passing".

If society has not completely changed, this might indicate a small shift towards equality. Something to think about.

Millbrook: "The Wizard of Oz"

"We're off to see the Wizard......" The Millbrook Community Players are currently showing a sold-out run of The Wizard of Oz, involving a cast of some forty-five actors, and costumes and performances which replicate those in the 1939 film that this musical production emulates. Based on L. Frank Baum's novel The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, the film starring Judy Garland wasn't an instant hit, but has gone on to become one of the most beloved of American classics.

Under A. John Collier's direction, the Millbrook production is true to the film's design and to the lessons it gently delivers: "There's no place like home" still registers for both the young and young at heart. And the familiar songs have audience members taping their feet and quietly singing along with the energetic cast.

The action does lag a bit from over-long set changes and the backstage juggling of so many actors, but the spirit of the show is infectious and has audiences cheering by the end.

Dorothy's [Jubilee Lofgren] trip to the land of Oz is triggered by a Kansas tornado; she wakes up to assorted Munchkins, witches, wizards, and a talking scarecrow, tin man, and lion -- the dream versions of the real people she left on her Aunt's and Uncle's farm. Of course, she wants to get back home, but must earn the return by learning valuable lessons. She, like her companions, has the ability all along, but must realize it for herself before she can go back.

The costume crew and the cast have replicated the movie's signature costumes, making all the major characters instantly recognizable; as expected, the actors deliver their performances in ways that approximate their film models while adding a good amount of originality to them.

Roger Humber [Hunk/Scarecrow], Michael Snead [Hickory/Tinman], and Joe Nolin, Jr. [Zeke/Lion] have uncanny resemblances to the movie version's Ray Bolger, Jack Haley, and Bert Lahr, and come to life in their roles as they accompany Dorothy to see the Wizard of Oz [Ron Harris also plays Mr. Marvel] in hopes of getting back to the Kansas farm where she lives with her Uncle Henry [Randy Burdick] and Aunt Em [Emily Burdick]. -- Aided by Glinda, the Good Witch of the North [Jennifer Gay] and a host of Munchkins and Ozians, Dorothy and her three new friends [along with Toto (a dog named Murphy Snead threatens to steal the show)] make it to Oz, but not without the taunts and deviously attacks on them by the Wicked Witch of the West [Janie Allred, who also plays the nasty rich neighbor Miss Gultch] and her cohorts of monkeys and soldiers. -- Miss Allred's Witch, with her long hooked nose and bilious green face glowering, plays the arch-villainess to the hilt as she seeks revenge on Dorothy for the death of her sister and the return of her ruby slippers; she garners "boos" with some regularity, and receives deserved cheers at the curtain call for her performance.

Katy Gerlach on piano keeps the action moving and serves the songs well. "Ding Dong the Witch is Dead", "Yellow Brick Road", and "Off to See the Wizard" are all lively chorus numbers with simple choreography by Daniel Harms. -- Scarecrow, Tinman, and Lion each believe they lack something that the Wizard can provide in singing "If I Only Had a Brain/Heart/the Nerve (courage)"; yet, it seems they actually possess these traits, made clear by their abilities to help Dorothy and each other in their quests.
Mr. Nolin's "If I Were the King of the Forest" brings down the house.

Of course, the most famous song "Over the Rainbow" catches everyone's heart. Ms. Lofgren, a high school senior and veteran of several Millbrook productions, is an ideal Dorothy. She exudes confidence on stage, has a pleasant singing voice, and a charming demeanor that make it easy for audiences to care about her. -- So, when she makes it back to Kansas by clicking her heels three times and saying "There's no place like home", she -- and we -- have learned that she doesn't have to look very far to find true happiness.

WOBT: "Cookin' With Gus"

Award winning actor-playwright Jim Brochu's Cookin' With Gus opened its three weekend run at the Way Off Broadway Theatre in Prattville to a small but enthusiastic audience. The success of this formulaic comedy rests on the talents of its ensemble acting company, and WOBT has comedic talents in spades in its four member veteran actors.

Directed by Matthew Givens [who also plays a role] and Amanda E. Haldy [her first directing gig], the action moves briskly for the entire two hour running time.

Set in New York in the 1980s before cable television ushered in "The Food Channel" and assorted celebrity chef shows, Gussie [Dana Smith], a well known cookbook author and sometime newspaper columnist, is offered a chance at a contract for her own television program through the efforts of her eccentric agent Bernie [Zyna Captain]. Two things stand in the way: Gussie's "husband" Walter [Matthew Givens], an idealist and amateur hypnotist, would prefer a romantic married life with Gussie to the aspect of having to share her with the public and be placed on the sidelines of a seven year contract for the show; and, oh yes, Gussie has an abject fear of public speaking. Into this mix comes a predictably odd neighbor Carmen [Teri Sweeney], an "authentic" gypsy princess who is hardly ever sober.

Gussie really wants to do the show, but can't face the camera; so she asks Walter to hypnotize her to get over her fear, agreeing that if she doesn't get the job she will marry him. They've been together for eighteen years, and think all their friends believe they are married. -- And Walter provides...but with a difference that attempts to sabotage her audition demo-taping session by giving both her and guest-host Carmen "trigger words" that make them do outlandish things while on-camera.

Thanks to the script's sometimes surprising plot turns and witty dialogue, and the confidence of the ensemble, the predictable silliness of the central action -- the taping of the show and its I Love Lucy style slapstick food-fight -- comes off with hilarity not often seen on the WOBT or any other local stage. Individually and as an ensemble, the actors commit themselves to the demands of the script and are absolutely credible in depicting characters with all their foibles intact.

Ms. Captain is an archetypal "agent" -- all business, talking in shorthand, and pushy to the point of our wanting to strangle her; but she also demonstrates a good heart through all her befuddlement of the goings-on around her. And she has a comic ability to capitalize on using pauses to drive a point home.

As the gypsy Carmen, Ms. Sweeney takes command of every scene she is in; complete with outlandish costumes, a New York Jewish accent, and an uncanny ability to get the most out of the script, she is a model of professionalism on the WOBT stage.

Ms. Smith and Mr. Givens are so comfortable with each other that one could believe them as an actual couple; they feed off one another's every glance or shift of posture or vocal inflection, and do so with apparent ease; we want them to stay together, forgive one another for any misunderstanding, and applaud the romantic ending. And, Ms. Smith delivers one of the most hilarious drunk-scenes to grace the area's theatres.

AUM: "The Normal Heart"

Theatre AUM is currently staging Larry Kramer's quasi-autobiographical The Normal Heart, a sometimes angry and heart wrenching call to action on HIV/AIDS. Written in 1985, and set between 1981 and 1984 before AIDS had a name and when a small group of gay men desperately attempted to get the attention of government and society to do something about a mysterious disease that was killing so many people around the world, this play's subject is as relevant today as then.

Played on a bare stage with minimal furniture shifted by the actors to determine multiple locations, and flanked by a set of large colorful panels emblazoned with pop culture iconography and the names of famous AIDS victims, set designer Ashley Stanaland and director Val Winkelman and their acting ensemble create some vivid pictures that support the fluidity of Kramer's script.

The play at first seems somewhat quaint by today's standards and our current knowledge of the devastating effects of AIDS; but it is essential for us to know our history and to learn from it. Today's persistent reluctance to publicly address AIDS, the heads-in-the-ground posture that ignoring it will make it go away, and the misguided belief still that it is a gay man's disease -- let alone the alarming statistics of the millions of deaths that have accrued from only 41 in the time of the play's action -- give The Normal Heart even more significance today.

Ned Weeks [Cushing Phillips, III], aka Larry Kramer, is the ringleader of a small group of gay activists who are concerned that a mysterious disease -- "it" is all they can call the "immune system" plague according to Dr. Emma Brookner [Amber Baldwin] -- is killing several of their friends, and spreading worldwide. As their requests for media attention and government funding are ignored or put off over four years, their frustrations build as they try to play by the rules while more of their number succumb to "it".

Whether intentional or not, the small coterie of organizers -- Ned, Craig [Mark Dasinger, Jr.], Mickey [Chris Howard], Tommy [Daniel Brown], David [Lee Bridges] -- possess such shared attitudes and behavior that render them indistinguishable from one another; but not for long. While it is difficult to invest much feeling for any of them to begin with, when they are shown in private moments, they become more than mere voices for the persistent litany of facts about the AIDS crisis and the obstacles they face.

Ned is the center of the piece, and Mr. Phillips takes "the Ned Weeks School of Outrage" to heart, building from a bit of a whiner-bully in the early scenes, to a bombastic threat to the movement which needs the more temperate behavior of the closeted Bruce [Sam Wootten is a model of control in his AUM debut] as the public face of the organization, to the anguish he feels when his successful "straight" lawyer-brother Ben [David Wilson] will not risk public association with a gay group that needs the straight world's support for verification of its worth, to the confrontations with Hiram Keebler [Michael Moskowitz], a representative of the mayor's office who can make or break the movement with the stroke of a pen, to the insistent prodding of Ms. Baldwin's concerned Emma whose determination despite the lack of support from her own medical profession urges him forward, to a concerned lover as his partner Felix [Mark Hunter's natural demeanor is an excellent contrast to Mr. Phillips' bombast] succumbs to the disease.

The Normal Heart is a sobering account of the early days of HIV/AIDS activism, and an indication that the battle to combat it is not yet over. Thanks to AUM for having the courage to bring some notice to the Montgomery community of an issue that needs its support.

Red Door: "Fair and Tender Ladies"

Ever since its 1998 debut at the Alabama Shakespeare Festival with Greta Lambert as its central character Ivy Rowe, director Fiona Macleod has been enamored with Fair and Tender Ladies -- "a play with music"; now she takes full advantage of bringing it back to life at the Red Door Theatre.

Capitalizing on the Red Door's simple stage with its stunning sepia toned stained-glass window serving as a backdrop, with fine musical accompaniment throughout, and an excellent ensemble cast, the story of Ivy Rowe's [Anna Perry] life journey in the Appalachian hill country is given a sensitive and thought provoking rendering.

Eric Schmeidl's script, adapted from Lee Smith's evocative novel, covers some seventy of Ivy's years in this production's two-and-a-half hours. Some judicious editing and quicker scene changes might move the action more quickly, but the intentional leisurely pace adopted here gives appropriate attention to the shifting moods and atmospheres established by Ivy's history and the songs by Tommy Goldsmith, Tom House, and Karren Pell that are seamlessly integrated into the narrative and punctuate its celebration of a stalwart woman's survival. -- In lesser hands, the epic content of Ivy's story [family dysfunction, husbands, lovers, children and grandchildren, disease, war, death, et al.] might have read as cliche-ridden as a bad country western song. But here it just seems right.

Ms. Perry is effervescent as the young Ivy, and her gradual aging over the course of the play's two acts is subtly drawn without the aid of makeup by shifts of posture and facial expression. Ivy emerges as a complex woman, one who makes mistakes and does not make excuses for them. Though she is drawn to the larger world outside her mountain homeland, and dreams of being a writer, she has a certain amount of book knowledge, and much like Emily Dickinson travels far away through books and her own imagination while luxuriating in the rural landscape. And, also like Dickinson, uses simple language with such dexterity that she speaks with authority and poetic sensibility. Ms. Perry's vocal range meets the demands of the score, and she also brings an actor's sensibility to the lyrics so that she tells the story clearly. We imagine everything vividly through Ivy's memories.

Beth Egan and Kristin Hedges play multiple roles each -- Ivy's sisters, children, teachers, neighbors, et al. -- demonstrating skilled personifications of each as we see them differently at various times in Ivy's life. Good accomplished work here that demands full commitment to every individual, and the shifts of posture and voice [aided, of course, by costumes and wigs] make them credible, distinct, and recognizable over the range of time. We get attached to them too, as we do Ms. Perry's Ivy, and welcome them on their return.

A few other characters are played by the on-stage musicians, the stage manager Joseph Crawford, and even director Ms. Macleod in a touching cameo as Ivy's grandmother.

So much of this story is told through the songs, that it is a delight to the ear that the ensemble all have good voices. The instruments served them well, though there were several times that the opening attack of the singing was somewhat tentative. Once started, however, the songs took off and had a life of their own.

Fair and Tender Ladies continues the Red Door's commitment to producing plays with Southern themes; they do them well. This one is a celebration of a traditional heritage; one that is both familiar and exotic, nostalgic and with contemporary relevance, humorous and poignant, and a tribute to the strength of Southern women.

Cloverdale Playhouse: "Cabaret"

Full disclosure: the reviewer is a member of the Board of Directers of the Cloverdale Playhouse.

B-R-A-V-O, and..."Wilkommen...leave your troubles outside...here life is beautiful...wilkommen, bienvenue, welcome..." to Cabaret, now playing a sold-out run as the Cloverdale Playhouse's first production in its second season, and forcefully imprinting its mark on the Montgomery theatre scene by bringing ambitious, challenging, edgy, and high-quality entertainment to the local community.

By way of Christopher Isherwood's "Goodbye to Berlin" stories, and John van Druten's play I Am a Camera, John Kander and Fred Ebb's inspired Cabaret took form on Broadway, generated the film featuring Liza Minelli and Joel Grey, and spawned several international revivals, notably with Alan Cumming as the Emcee which is now regarded as the model to follow as is done in Cloverdale under Director/Music Director Randy Foster's keen eye and ear. Mr. Foster has produced an enviable ensemble production that, with only a few tentative acting and orchestral moments on opening night, is one of the best theatre events in Montgomery's recent history.

Set in a seedy nightclub in the late 1930s as Hitler was coming to power in Weimar Germany, the impending threat of Naziism creeps stealthily into the lives of the hedonistic entertainers of the Kit Kat Klub as well as to their customers and to the audience by association, as some of them are seated at tables abutting the stage and are occasionally conscripted to participate in the show.

When life is uncertain and potentially dangerous, the choices we make in order to survive often come at some cost; and so it is with many of the characters in this award-winning musical who find it hard to preserve their integrity and dignity while trying to eke out a meagre living, or establish a stable friendship or romantic relationship. The harsh reality is that they often make questionable choices, and we sense their unhappy fate from the outset as the Emcee's [Bill Cobb] ironic invitation to the cabaret as an escape for those already pretty desperate provides little solace from the outside world's pressures.

The party inside the club, with its free-flowing booze and easy sex, seem to dull the senses rather than stimulate them -- very effectively shown in the blank glowering stares and harsh robotic movement of the chorus of Kit Kat Klub Girls and Boys. -- The club is a mere distraction from the real world's impending crises; and it can't last. "Tomorrow Belongs to Me" is an anthem begun by a solo child's voice signaling the devastation of World War II.

Everyone, it seems, wears a mask of some sort; a disguise through which they try to convince themselves that all is well. English cabaret singer Sally Bowles [Sarah Carlton] disguises her need for acceptance by always posing as a happy optimistic sort; but she refuses to face reality and escapes through drink and denial. Ms. Carlton's versions of "Don't Tell Mama", "Perfectly Marvelous", and "Maybe This Time" tell her story very well. And her relationship with Cliff Bradshaw [Wes Milton], a closeted bi-sexual American writer hinges on her inability to commit to it, even with an unexpected pregnancy that he is willing to accept. Mr. Milton's conflicted portrayal of Cliff is enhanced by his natural performance and an urgency to resist the financial rewards offered him by the two-faced Ernst Ludwig [Scott Page] as a smuggler for the Nazis.

A more touching story involved Fraulein Schneider [Eleanor Davis] and Herr Shultz [Billington Garrett]. She runs a boarding house where several other characters live, and turns a blind eye to the goings-on under her roof; though she claims a moral high ground, she allows Fraulein Kost [Rhonda Crim almost steals the show with her reprise of "Tomorrow Belongs to Me"] to entertain sailors nightly in her room in order to afford the rent, and she lets Sally move in with Cliff for the same reason. Though she is unconcerned that Herr Schultz is Jewish ["So What"], and though his intentions for marriage are accepted [Mr. Garrett turns in a most sympathetic characterization], when push comes to shove and Ernst Ludwig intimidates her, she calls off the marriage ["What Would You Do?"] in order to survive in the Berlin where she has lived and worked all her life. We feel her anguish.

The action shifts between the cabaret and the city outside, but much of the content in the cabaret songs provides commentary on the socio-political scene as well as on the problematic lives of its characters. The Emcee both conducts and joins in on the action; and it is his sometimes sinister editorializing that hammers home the intentions of the show. He knows full well what is going on, distracts people with outlandish behavior, and is a grim reminder to us all that the forces of Naziism and the dissolution of a brilliant cultural heritage were just around the corner. -- Mr. Cobb is a chameleon in the role, shifting personality and physically committing to the several nuances of his character, by turns threatening, charming, persistent, ingratiating, deviant, innocent, and utterly fascinating. His presence is felt even when he is off stage. But when he is on, it is hard to look away from him: whether he cajoles us with "Welcome to Berlin", or is a sly fox in "Two Ladies", or lets us know that "Money" makes the world go round, or beguiles us with "If You Could See Her" [a novelty dance number with a gorilla that has a twist at the end: "she wouldn't look Jewish at all" reminding us that there are better ways of looking at the world, that tolerance and compassion are needed], or devastates us in the "Finale" tableau dressed in Holocaust prison garb.

And Ms. Carlton's desperate singing of the title song, "Cabaret", signals her capitulation to the Emcee's invitation: live...have fun...ignore the truth. But the Emcee has the last word -- to us -- "Where are your troubles now?" Something to think about.