The very first time I saw Q Artistry founder Asaykwee perform (in his own original musical -”Zirkus Grimm”), I felt that he was born to play the “Cabaret” Emcee. Serving as a sub-plot, is the ill-fated relationship between Fraulein Schneider (Judy Fitzgerald), the owner of a boarding house and her Jewish love interest Herr Schultz (Darren Murrell), owner of a fruit stand.Īs mentioned previously, the success of the ATI “Cabaret” cast is mostly due to the performances of its actors, many of whom are the most seasoned in the area. Shepherding the club’s action is the outrageously flamboyant Emcee (Ben Asaykwee). She performs in the Kit Kat Klub, a seedy cabaret which serves as a symbol for sinister and threatening developments occurring in Germany during the period in which the Nazi party is coming into power. The story, which is set in 1931 Berlin, centers on a British cabaret singer, Sally Bowles (Cynthia Collins) and her relationship with Cliff Bradshaw (Eric Olson), an American novelist. “Cabaret’ itself, is based on John Van Druten’s 1951 play “I Am a Camera,” which was adapted from the 1939 short novel “Goodbye to Berlin,” by Christopher Isherwood. It was darker and grittier than the original 1966 production and the subsequent 1972 film which won Liza Minnelli an Academy Award and made her an international star. Suffice to say, the Actors Theatre of Indiana production I saw Saturday at the Studio One Theater, though limited in scale and scope, managed to hold its own, thanks to strong performances from its lead and supporting actors.ĪTI’s interpretation of the musical, directed by Billy Kimmel, is based on the aforementioned 1998 Sam Mendes-Rob Marshall Broadway revival. This past spring I saw a touring company production of the 2014 Broadway revival. with music by John Kander and lyrics by Fred Ebb, including the 1998 Broadway revival, starring Alan Cumming as the Emcee and Natasha Richardson as Sally Bowles. I have seen numerous professional and community theater productions of “Cabaret,” the Tony Award-winning musical.
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