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Past Reviews

Regional Reviews: St. Louis

Cabaret
Stray Dog Theatre


Paula Stoff Dean
Does this one go too far?

Theatre addicts will know the ending of Justin Been's newest production most closely resembles the 2012 London revival, but I hate to say anything more specific than that, because the variation here may be even more dramatic, in its own way.

You can look up that 2012 version on Wikipedia, if you're desperate to know: in what sort of direction the cast, including all of Mr. Been's incredibly vibrant, relentlessly engaging and ingratiating Kit-Kat boys and girls, are heading. They dance in the aisles, and gaily chat you up before each act (and even in the basement, during the tornado warning opening night). They really become indispensible to the relentless culmination of the effort. You could even say they become the "third couple" in the play, making the ending even more powerful.

It is a perfect moment of theatre, that stays with you on to the next morning.

And here I've been trying to think of how I'd break the news that the brainy, hilarious Lavonne Byers is playing the Emcee. Turns out she's just one of the three or four startling developments (along with the vastly elevated importance of the chorus, and a few other clever gambles that pay off handsomely).

Ms. Byers takes a perfect, almost fanatical control of the stage, in a thrilling performance. I first met her 30 years ago (or more), and her intelligence and sense of humor have always been just a little bit frightening to me, even before she cropped her hair and put on the Clockwork Orange eye make-up for this role. As the Emcee, she plays with the audience like a cat with a mouse.

Her singing is generally reminiscent of Dietrich's, as is her air of soigné sophistication. But then there's also the faint outline of German expressionism that seems to add a fleeting, harsh shadow to so many of her, and nearly everyone's, musical moments on stage (the normally small apron is blessedly built-out with a foot-lit runway and cafe tables this time).

Ms. Byers is reunited (from last year) with Paul Cereghino after their work on Entertaining Mr. Sloane and, once again, his name in a theater program seems like a producer's license to print money. Cliff, the rueful, handsome young man, brings an American's strange hopefulness to a nation of people who seem near spiritual collapse, like puppets, the very moment that they're left alone.

And then there's Paula Stoff Dean, a gleeful, almost darkly maniacal English flapper, sleeping her way to somewhere-below-the-middle, and ending up at Berlin's mythical Kit Kat Klub for all her trouble, in 1929-31. Ms. Dean seems like a prettier young Liza Minnelli type, and she sings very well (which may be another sore point with with traditionalists). Her conflicted relationship with Cliff, in this mounting, is equally important as that of the older lovers (who so completely dominated the Repertory Theatre's production last year).

Jan Niehoff is solid (and stolid) as Fraulein Schneider, and Ken Haller is surprisingly small and delightful as Herr Schultz, despite being of normal size off-stage (it's sort of the opposite of Helen Hayes, who was said to be able to "act" much taller than her own height of five feet). Dr. Haller and Ms. Niehoff add tenderness and sentiment (and historical dread) to a story that would otherwise be as bitter as bong-water.

Michael Brightman is excellent in a rare appearance, here as the Nazi money-launderer. He even seems to momentarily resemble Adolf Hitler, after ruining a party. The physical resemblance is partly due to that subtly strange lighting, but I still can't quite figure out how lighting designer Tyler Duenow pulled it all off. Maybe it's partly the footlights of the cabaret runway, helping to etch all those ephemeral dark lines on everyone, like a Max Beckmann painting.

Elsewhere, Deborah Sharn gets some emotionally powerful solos as Fraulein Kost, while Keith Thompson serves very well as Max, the threatening manager of the nightclub. Taken all together, this is an amazing balancing act, where every performance is brought into surprisingly fresh psychological harmony with the others, and with the great musical itself.

Sourced from the writings of Christopher Isherwood and the play I Am A Camera by John Van Druten; with book by Joe Masteroff, and music and lyrics by John Kander and Fred Ebb. Through April 19, 2014, at the Tower Grove Abbey, 2336 Tennessee Ave. For more information visit www.straydogtheatre.org.

Cast (in order of appearance)
Emcee: Lavonne Byers
The Kit Kat Girls: Sara Rae Womack, Angela Bubash, Eileen Engel, Jessica Tilghman, Kimberly Still, Deanna Mazdra
The Kit Kat Boys: Mike Hodges, Michael Baird, Zach Wachter, Brendan Ochs
Sally Bowles: Paula Stoff Dean
Clifford Bradshaw: Paul Cereghino
Ernst Ludwig: Michael Brightman
Fraulein Schneider: Jan Niehoff
Fraulein Kost: Deborah Sharn
Herr Schultz: Ken Haller
Max: Keith Thompson
German Youth: Charlie B. Southern

Band
Accordion: Steve Wozniak
Banjo & Guitar: Adam Rugo
Bass: Kevin Baudrexl
Director/Keyboard: Chris Petersen
Percussion: Bob McMahon
Reed 1: Harrison Rich
Trumpet: Andrew 'AJ' Lane
Trombone: Gabe Mueller
Violin: Steve Frisbee

Crew
Director: Justin Been
Music and Vocal Direction: Chris Petersen
Choreography: Zachary Stefaniak
Costume Design: Alexandra Scibetta Quigley
Lighting Design: Tyler Duenow
Scenic Design: Robert J. Lippert
Audio Engineer: Kerrie Mondy
Stage Manager: Justin Been
Assistant Stage Manager: Dan Jones
Production Manager: Jay V. Hall
Managing Director: Wendy Markum
Artistic Director: Gary F. Bell


Photo: Dan Donovan


-- Richard T. Green