School of Theatre and Dance performers will take over the Wright-Curtis stage with the musical production “Cabaret” Oct. 27 through Nov. 9.
The musical “Cabaret” is set during the 1930s at the Kit Kat Klub cabaret in Berlin, Germany. Sally Bowles, a young English singer at the cabaret, meets American writer Clifford Bradshaw. The two fall in love – however, their relationship is complicated by political turmoil as the Nazis come to power in Germany.
During the 1920s, Berlin was a city exploding with self-indulgence and expression.
Todd Hartline, a university lecturer who specializes in World War II history, explained the societal norms in Germany during that time.
“In the late 1920s, the youth of Germany were very open in their drug use,” Hartline said. “Activities like cabarets, burlesque shows and [cross-dressing] bars were very common. But that all changed in 1933 when Hitler came to power.”
There have been many productions of the musical staged. Kent State is putting on the 1998 adaptation.
Director Terri Kent, who is also the musical theatre coordinator and an acting and musical theatre professor, discussed why this version was chosen.
“The 1966 version focused on life in the club – the 1998 version focuses on the world that the club exists in,” she said. “There is a really strong sense of humanity that runs through the show.”
The cast and crew have implemented certain techniques to make their production of Cabaret truly unique, Kent said.
“I’m not doing a big set or a large amount of costumes,” she said. “It’s very minimalistic so that the story, the words and the music can bring the musical to life.”
Although “Cabaret” is a fictional story, the themes and tragedies the characters face are historically accurate, Hartline said.
“If you look at the German culture between 1932 to 1933 it’s almost like a light switch,” he said. “The young people in Germany were experimenting and enjoying themselves and then it all came to a very quick dramatic end, [and] I do think that is shown in ‘Cabaret.'”
The leading roles of “Cabaret” are: students Dominic Young and Nicholas Bradley as Master of Ceremonies, Madison Shannon as Sally Bowles, Anthony Ghali as Clifford Vradshaw, graduate student Rebecca Poole as Fraulein Schneider and Timothy Culver, interim director of the School of Music, as Herr Schultz.
There are 12 performances of the show scheduled to run from Oct. 27 through Nov. 9 in the Wright-Curtis Theatre in the Center for the Performing Arts. Opening night is Oct. 27 at 7:30 p.m.
Tickets can be purchased at the Performing Arts Box Office or through the university’s online ticket system. General tickets cost $25 and faculty/staff tickets are $20. Full-time undergraduate students at the Kent campus can get a free ticket by using their Arts Pass. The cost for students without the pass is $17.
“‘Cabaret’ has serious topics but at the same time, there’s lots of humor, great dance numbers and incredible music,” Kent said. “We weave all of that together and it creates a kind of magic, and we take you along for the ride.”
Abigail Kinney is a reporter. Contact her [email protected].
