March 15, 2025 Opening Night
Reviewed by Chris Cassone cc@chriscassone.com
What it isn't: a sweet restaging reminiscent of Liza in her bowler with all of her precocious, youthful naivete. For sure, this isn't a production where you can watch without becoming engaged. And it certainly isn't a remake of anything you have seen before because director Sasha Travis went out of the way to find a new level of decadence for us.
"Cabaret," the brief revival at the Jaxx, asks us to participate in the debauchery this time. They even hand out masks for willing audience members (actors then know to pick on you.) And there was much picking upon, and it was all good. Made us feel like we were actually in a cabaret - not watching a play about it.
No, this production was edgier, grittier and, yes, tittier than any you (at least me) have seen. And that was just the men. Ah, no, I kid. The men were rockier, stockier and...well, you get the picture.
From the pre-show seating with scantily clad actors interacting with the audience members, even using broken German-English to put them at ease to the Emcee bouncing around, grabbing his crotch and trilling his R's ("Meine Damen und Her-r-r-r-r-r-r-r-r-en,") it was soon apparent that we were truly in a hedonistic club scene during the Weimar death throes and not a pasteurized film where even Joel Grey could babysit your kids.
The crowd came for Sally Bowles, played convincingly by Erin Lee Smith and she was spot on with all of her singing and cockeyed optimism. Her range was a surprise, especially on "Maybe This Time," starting in the lower register and ending with full belt at the top of her range. This chanteuse brought the house down.
The show's three hits ("Wilkommen," "Money" and "Cabaret") are all a joy to hear, always but "Money" especially blew this reviewer away. Old time tap dance and dance sparring between the Emcee (with his KISS-like makeup) and Sally was a total surprise. It was a joy to experience. (Producers, more of this, please.) They were scaringly good, using the box of the 2-foot-high stage as a drum they played with their feet. The fog and the reverb heightened the entire sense of drama.
The band. Yes, I want to bring the band to the forefront as they really contributed to the success of the evening. Led by keyboardist Andrew Lederman, the five-piece ensemble behind the plexiglass upstage was in constant motion and always painting the scene for us. They supported the singing, cleverly playing rubato where needed. Their tasty instrumentalism was a joy, especially the muted trumpet/coronet. They evoked the era of the Jazz Age so well--Tom Zygmont on drums, Karl Vincent the bassist, Alex Budman on clarinet, Chris Tedesco on trumpet. Well done, gentlemen.
The interplay of the "oldsters" (Jill Marie Burke as Fraulein Schneider and David Pevsner as Herr Schultz) was a welcomed return to morals. The older folks expressed their love in "Married" and in contrast to the depths at which the rest of the cast ventured, it gave an old timer like myself a little moral breathing room. There's only so much a**crack one could be forced to observe.
But the story with all its metaphors is what drives the engine here and that story really emerges in the second act. This masterpiece, remember, was written by Joe Masteroff and derived from a novel, "Goodbye to Berlin" by Christopher Isherwood. The hopes of the dreamers (Cliff, Schultz, Kost and even Sally Bowles) couldn't stand up to the march of the Nazis. Of note was Jill Marie Burkes' "What Would You Do?" as Fraulein Schneider. And as Schultz and Cliff both end up on the short end of the stick, all Sally can do is sing about the obvious.
Put down the knitting, the book and the broom
Time for a holiday Life is a cabaret, old chum Come to the cabaret.
Get there early because parking is dicey. Besides, you will be greeted by six or seven spirited frauleins und herrens in various stages of dress as they welcome you to their cabaret. The show runs Thursday, Friday and Saturday and closes on March 29. All performances are sold out unless you want to take your chances for no show seats. The Jaxx Theater is at 5432 Santa Monica Blvd. in Hollywood.
https://jaxxtheatricals.org/