Review – Cabaret

Review “Cabaret” by Rochelle Smith

COME to Cabaret, old chums.
Sally Bowles’ welcoming words may be contrasted with the utter misery in her voice but I’d recommend you heed her advice for a confronting, highly satisfying night’s entertainment.

Geelong Musical Comedy Company’s production of Cabaret borrows liberally from British director Sam Mendes’ lauded revival from the late 90s, which starred Lisa McCune and Human Nature’s Toby Allen in the 2002 Melbourne production. The bruises; the dirty underwear costumes; the orchestra framed in lights behind the main stage; and the threesome in shadow behind the screen, are just a few of the similarities. In director Davina Smith-Crowley’s capable hands Cabaret is dirty, sleazy and chilling, with the unhappiest of endings – the triumph of Hitler’s Nazi party – covered with a thin veneer of fun and free love in 1930s Berlin.

Probably Geelong’s best dramatic actress, Kethly Hemsworth stars as the paradoxical nightclub singer Sally Bowles who seems so worldly yet is so naïve. Hemsworth sparkles as this cubic zirconia in the rough, inviting the audience to love and pity her all at once. Her delivery, under a single spotlight, of the title song is spine tingling. Her voice is intense, powerful and full of false bravado with an underlying fragile vulnerability.

Ben Mitchell is convincing and immensely likeable as young American writer Clifford Bradshaw. His experiences in Berlin shape the main plotline as he falls under the spell of the city’s nightlife, then in platonic love with the tragic Sally. Skyscraping former Supercat Michael Watson is a standout for more than his remarkable height in the guiding and pivotal narrator-role of the Emcee. Watson is a commanding, sexually-charged presence and beautifully carries off the irony of his role, which is the show’s most poignant in the end. My one disappointment is that this production’s talented makeup department stopped short of applying red glitter to his nipples – a memorable little touch in Mendes’ version.
The second and older set of doomed lovers is played with panache by talented singer Sophie Collins as Fraulein Schneider and experienced Howard Dandy and Herr Schultz. Jess O’Donnell is convincing as prostitute Fraulein Kost; diminutive Kelly Virgona is perfect as the Marionette; while Grant Whiteside gives his best performance to date as the initially likeable Nazi Ernst Ludwig. Both Whiteside and the Aryan-looking angelic-sounding Ed Harcourt’s leading of the ensemble in Tomorrow Belongs To Me send unsettling shivers up the spine.
The ensemble’s characterisations are excellent, however Jules Hart’s suitably bump and grind choreography suffers from sloppy delivery with the entire cast guilty of not finishing moves properly.
Musical director Kate Notini leads the small on-stage orchestra in creating a suitably big jazzy sound; while Shane Haugh’s impressive lighting helps create the often haunting atmosphere.
Smith-Crowley’s production takes over the entire space in GPAC’s Blakiston Theatre, so if you like your theatre up close and personally affecting you’ll enjoy Cabaret – and leave with much more than just a few songs in your head.
Cabaret continues until August 25. For bookings phone 5225 1200.