thePurchase
INDEPENDENT
277
NOVEMBER
29th 2012
CABARET
by rachel weiss What good is sitting alone in your room? Especially when you could be spending the night seeing an astounding production of “Cabaret” right here at Purchase! That’s right- “Cabaret” has officially arrived! This student-run production will making its grand debut on Nov. 29 and will be running until Dec. 2. Everyone has FIVE chances to see this incredible musical, and ordering tickets has never been easier. Just go to: www.cabaretatpurchasecollege .brownpapertickets.com and you can place your order with ease. There is even an option to purchase tickets for special seating on the stage, ensuring that you won’t miss a single swing or step by those Kit Kat Klub dancers. Your “Cabaret” experience will be enhanced with intimacy and lots of laughs, along with a “mocktail service.” So what exactly is “Cabaret” about? Meet Jesse Penber, a Junior Theatre and Performance major and the director of “Cabaret.” He called the show “the story of the Kit Kat Klub, a deliciously seedy nightclub in the heart of Berlin.” “The story of ‘Cabaret’ alternates between Cliff Bradshaw, who comes to Germany in search of something to write about,” Penber said. “He goes there to get some new experiences, and he does in the form of Sally Bowles, who is a nineteenyear old English singer performing at the Kit Kat Klub. Then there’s Fraulein Schneider and Herr Schultz, who are in love, and it does not protect them.” He went on to explain, “It’s a very dark storyline, and between that there is commentary from the Kit Kat Klub, and the dancers have their own stories.” As this musical’s storyline treks through the history of Germany, there is so much to be said for the quality of the cast and crew of students who have put this piece together and managed to keep the historical accuracy and believability in tact. “Cabaret” stars Gina Amico, Billy Manton, Miiko Valkonen, Tony Mita, and Laura Meltzer, who play Sally, the Emcee, Cliff, Herr Schultz, and Fraulein Schneider respectively. The production team includes the assistant directing of James Mcdermott,
music by Juno Arreglado with piano by Rebecca Chin, choreography by Cyndi Harder, costumes by Jessica Dimartino, lighting design by Jane Dibartalo, and stage management by Helena Hadden. “Quoting the musical ‘Urinetown,’ this is not a happy musical,” Penber said. “No one has a happy ending. The best they can hope for is to escape the misery that is 1938, and not all of them do.” Along with a dark storyline, this musical is also considered pretty raunchy to say the least. Penber expressed the sexuality of “Cabaret” to be a prominent aspect, as some of the characters are actually sex addicts, and the number “Two Ladies” is a humorous ode to having two partners in
bed. However, Penber was never concerned with crossing the line while directing. “There’s no such thing as too far in ‘Cabaret,’” he said. “If humans do it, it’s not too extreme. Humans betray each other, have sex with each other for reasons other than love, humans have obsessions, and humans die.” Summing up this production in three words, Penber used, “Desire, regret, and double-edged.” Want to find out the true definitions of those words? Buy your ticket today and get ready for a thrilling performance!