Cabaret – a perfect musical for the political season
by Rob Howard,
Associate Editor
“I love the underlying political and social message of Cabaret,” says Laura Skoch, the director of Theatre Tulsa’s production of the musical. “It’s made into a fun, non-preaching venue, with important things told to us.”
And that makes it perfect for election season, says Skoch. The original version “is such an iconic musical, it was so revolutionary when it came out,” she notes. “It came out in ‘66, and was in line with the social unrest then in the US – seeing the parallel with the unrest in Germany before the Nazi party took over.”
The musical was redone in 1998, says Skoch. It is “reimagined and updated for our day, goes further into the darkness and the grittiness, it’s even more intense with this ‘98 version. For me, it’s a perfect musical for the times we are in. It is a time of political unrest, and bad things can happen if we aren’t on our toes.”
The story opens in a second rate, little bit dingy cabaret called the Kit Kat Klub in Germany’s Weimar Republic, before the Nazis took over. The action is moved along by a crazy Emcee. “But it was a time of desperate despair, and people decided they might just as well have a good time,” says Skoch, so they went to places like the Kit Kat.
There are two love stories in the plot, Cliff, an American, and Sally Bowles, a performer in the Klub; and Fraulein Schneider and Herr Schultz, in the boarding house where Cliff lives. In one gripping scene a friend of Cliff’s, Ernst, shows up at Schneider and Schultz’ engagement party. Ernst turns out to be a Nazi, and tells Schneider that she should not marry Schultz, because he is Jewish. The scene ends with the menacing Tomorrow Belongs to Me.
A quote from Keith Garebian’s The Making of Cabaret has touched Skoch as she prepares for the production: “Today’s fun loving apparently apolitical people could easily yield to external forces and become tyrannists,” a warning that she feels is as true today as it was during the play’s setting.
Theatre Tulsa’s cast is all local – Cody McCoy is the Emcee, Sally is played by Tabitha Littlefield, Cliff by Sebastian Paden, Herr Schultz by Max Perkel, and Fraulein Schneider by Karlena Riggs. Working with Skoch are Musical Director Catherine Ratliff, Choreographer Pete Brennan and Stage Manager Ann Knode.
Skoch hopes to see great crowds at the show, which opens October 28 at the Williams Theater in the Tulsa PAC. Performances are Oct. 28-29, and Nov. 3-5 at 8 p.m., and Oct 30, and Nov. 6 at 2 p.m. Tickets are available online at www.tulsapac.com, by phone at (918) 596-7111, or at the Tulsa PAC box office.
“It’s an incredible cautionary tale that’s a tribute to tolerance and freedom,” says Skoch. Perfect for this year’s turbulent election season.
Theatre Tulsa is the Tulsa area's leading non-profit civic theatre, providing professional-level productions and artistic experience to local audiences and performers. Since 1922, Theatre Tulsa has been a part of the culture of Tulsa and has entertained the community through the Depression, World War II and the disaster of two fires, and has been responsible for bringing hundreds of productions to Tulsans.
Copyright The Gayly - 10/15/2016 @ 8:45 a.m. CDT.