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Cabaret
Presented by: Amateur Repertory Company
(ARC)
Venue:
Banyule
Theatre, Heidelberg
Reviewer: Matthew Smith
Date Reviewed: 7th July 2007
The Amateur Repertory Company’s (ARC) version of Cabaret has left me
greatly enthusiastic about amateur theatre. Chosen as their annual
musical this year, Cabaret has provided the perfect script for some
very talented singers. Saturday night found the Banyule Theatre
packed to the rafters with an enthusiastic and a, consequently,
well-rewarded crowd.
With a simple set design and some good use of light, ARC has created
a fulfilling and compelling version of the well-known and well-loved
Cabaret, showcasing along the way some excellent new talent.
Cabaret tells the story of an American writer, Clifford Bradshaw
(Mark Kearney), who arrives in
Berlin
on New Years Eve 1930 to find himself in the midst of a politically
turbulent, socially decadent and economically starved city
landscape. In a matter of hours he has befriended the smooth German
Ernst Ludwig (Nicholas Durbridge), discovered the Kit Kat Club and
met the star of the show, Sally Bowles, a cabaret performer from
England. Clifford and Sally soon share more than just a room,
indulging in the party lifestyle that surrounds the Kit Kat Club and
in no time at all they face the prospect of parenthood in the midst
of an increasingly vociferous Nazi landscape.
Entwined with Clifford and Sally’s story is the relationship between
the local Jewish Fruiterer Herr Shultz (Luciano Parrisi) and
Clifford’s landlord Fraulein Schneider (Becca Posterino) which
exacerbates the tensions growing in Berlin between Nazi and Jewish
Germany. Another resident in Schneider’s building, Fraulein Kost (Emmalee
Bell) provides some comic relief through her professional
relationships with sailors and the like.
Casting for Cabaret can be congratulated on the fine allocation of
roles across the board. In particular, standout performances from
Jeremy Taylor as Emcee and Jessica Rae Taylor as Sally Bowles lifted
the show to marvellous heights. Having said this, I find it hard to
not also include Becca Posterino and Luciano Parrisi as their
charismatic and believable portrayals were moving. Nicholas
Durbridge, as Ernst Ludwig and Mark Kearney fit their parts
perfectly, portraying the original roles well.
Jeremy Taylor
is fantastic as the Emcee, introducing and welcoming us to the show
through a Clockwork Orange style performance mixed with
carnivalesque cabaret routines. Taylor’s confident and committed
approach to the character, most famously played by Joel Grey in the
1972 film version, compelled the audience to laugh and be intrigued
to a point where we finally had no choice but to feel moved by his
final fate.
By far the standout sensation of the evening was the performance of
Sally Bowles by Jessica Rae Taylor. With Liza Minelli’s brilliant
1972 film version overshadowing any consequent performances of Sally
Bowles, Taylor has given it her best.
Taylor’s
performance of the narcissistic, pleasure seeking Cabaret performer
was beautifully enacted and powerfully staged. Taylor’s vocals
lifted the entire show to another level. She is a very natural
performer who demonstrated to us all what fluid movement and fine
detail can add to an overall performance.
Taylor
filled the space around her through her strong vocals and emotional
acting, engaging well with both her fellow actors and the audience.
Unfortunately at times, twice in fact, I could not see the actors
performing their songs. I was seated only a metre from the right
hand side and my vision was obscured by both my proximity to the
wall and the placement of the performers - a poor, if not minor,
aspect of an otherwise wonderful production.
If I took one thing away with me from Saturday night’s performance,
it was the sound. From the fantastic and almost flawless audio to
the well-rehearsed and beautiful music of the live band and finally
to every singer who performed on the night sound production was of
the highest order. Their choice of Cabaret has allowed their
talented cast to perform a glorious set of songs. From my personal
favourite “Don’t tell Mama” to the comical “Two Ladies”, the ARC has
created a quality rendition of an all time musical favourite.
Willkommen, bienvenue, welcome. So begins and ends the world famous
musical Cabaret. A central theme that seems to accentuate the
dark and unwelcoming times to come under the rule of the Nazi Party,
the irony of the open-armed invite is all too clear by shows end.
Beneath the glitz and care free glamour of the cabaret lays a world
of torment and heartache that propels the musical forward through
love and tragedy. Ironically it is here in the cross hairs of the
hedonistic spotlight that the welcome song and the cabaret
metaphorically illustrate both an escape from reality and reality
itself.
Matthew Smith
studied writing, English literature and theatre at the Western
Australian Academy of the Performing Arts, Edith Cowan University,
Murdoch University and the Univeristy of Calgary. His Arts degree
saw him writing short plays, feature films and short films whilst
starring in 2 amateur student films. During the course of his
studies, Matthew researched and wrote several essays investigating
Romanticism, Tragedy and the influence of alchemy on 17th century
literature. Moving to
Melbourne
in 2004 to complete his Honours in English Literature, Matthew
developed a thesis based on the carnivalesque aspects of modern
music. Matthew is currently developing a career as a freelance
writer and enjoys the theatre whenever he can. |