Theater Review: Ziegfeld Theater presents ‘Cabaret’

TheatreARTBEAT
By Caril Jennings

“Cabaret”
Music by John Kander
Lyrics by Fred Egg
Book by Joe Masteroff
based on the play by John Van Druten
and stories by Christopher Isherwood
Directed by Jake Larrabee

January 30 - February 14 • 855-ZIG-ARTS|ZIGARTS.COM

Ziegfield Theater
3934 Washington Boulevard
South Ogden Utah
855-944-2787

Production photo of Ziegfeld Theater’s “Cabaret,” by Cory Waite with Waite Photography

To begin with, trigger warnings: strong sexuality, profanity, drug use, violence, abortion, hate speech. You name it, this production has it. And the emcee has the raunchiest voice. It makes you want to wash your ears out.

The Time: After World War I, American expatriates fled to Paris to drink, do drugs, have sex, and write novels. The British went to Berlin for the same reasons. The play is just one of those many stories.

The Place: A British ex-pat goes to Berlin to follow his boyfriend and write a novel. When he gets there he is introduced to the Kit Kat Klub, a lesbian bar where you can get anything you want, for the right price. Somehow he ends up with Sally, the featured act at the club.

The Story: Everyone thinks this story is about Sally, a victim and antihero at the same time, but it’s really about the Klub and its members. They come in all sizes. They have different stories. The times have conspired to bring them together to survive at the club. In a sad interlude, and indication of the times, a lovely old couple fall in love but are cruelly separated by religion.

Anyone with a sense of history knows what is coming for them all while they entertain you for an evening at the Cabaret. The denial expressed by some characters is chilling. Add that to a huge dose of complacency. This is the part in the movie where you shout, “Run away! Run away!”

The director, Jake Larrabee, has made some of the most interesting uses of the Emcee, Jeremy Gross, the shepherd of his flock of entertainers. The emcee keeps the show going in the story but also in this production. Be prepared to be drained by the fierceness of his performance.

Also, be prepared for live theatre. These are real people doing real-time, erotic acrobatics right in front of you. It is a much more vivid experience than watching a movie. You are made to feel that you are spending an evening at the club yourself. YOU are there. Be prepared.

I would mention individual actors but all I can say is everyone on that stage and behind the scenes accomplished a powerful and thought-filled production. The set designers provided an elevated dynamic of foreboding and the set was well used by the director. The sound was very loud so be prepared for that visceral experience, too. I sometimes wanted to hear more of the singers and less of the accompaniment.

I want to thank everyone for the surprise ending (for me). It smacked the tears right out of my eyes. It took a minute for me to regain my composure.

The reflection of our own time in this musical is classic: denial, complacency, fascism. It was obvious when it was written in 1966 (movie 1972) during another tumultuous time in the U.S. It has been a favorite political statement since it was first produced and continues to this day.

Go see it. Expect to be moved.