Nouse.co.uk » Cabaret

Cabaret

November 17, 2009
Phoebe Cullingworth

Production: Cabaret
Venue: York Grand Opera House
Rating: ****

The multi-award winning production of Cabaret bursts onto the stage of the Grand Opera House in a whirl of extravagance and excess. It is set in the context of 1930s Berlin, the then permissive playground of Europe. With countless outlets for artistic expression, freedom took on a distinctly hedonistic spin. Cocaine was fashionable; transvestites and homosexuals mingled openly and freely, promiscuity was rife. The audience are immediately plunged into this city of un-censored and un-restricted indulgence.

The first act transports the audience to the centre of this world in a dizzying spectacle of suspenders, naked flesh and impressive dance routines. We arrive simultaneously with Clifford Bradshaw played by Henry Luxembourg, a struggling American writer. He is quickly drawn into the wild world of Berlin and finds himself in the illustrious Kit Kat club, owned by our mysterious host, Emcee played by Wayne Sleep. Amongst the promiscuity and the entertainment Bradshaw meets the entrancing Sally Bowles, played by runner up in the BBC’s production of “Maria”, Siobhan Dillon. The audience shares the shock and confusion of the unsuspecting foreigner as he is helplessly swallowed into a whirlpool of sex, scandal and seduction.

The second act is a potent reminder that the 1930s did not end in quite the frivolous fashion the era began. The deeper political drama unfolding in Germany starts to emerge, performed and directed with confidence. The audience are transported on an emotional journey as the Nazis rise to power through excellent and engaging performances from the cast. The dancers are all superb, performing exceptionally choreographed routines with panache and style. At this point, the audience begins being plagued with the haunting images of the Nazis. They march across the stage behind the scenes, their symbol seeped into the action, and young Nazi soldiers soon appear among the dancers. The first act had ended with a young boy singing “Tomorrow Belongs to Me” before the backdrop of a limp, naked body silhouetted against a Swastika. These images resurface throughout.

The show maintains its humour alongside these harrowing events, leaving the audience hankering for more despite feeling uncomfortable during certain scenes. The shocking events that take place are portrayed with respect and accuracy. Delight and despair juxtapose and yet the wit is not lost despite the tragedy. York’s Grand Opera House boasts an excellent production of a classic piece of musical theatre. It is both food for thought as well as a feast for the senses.