[NoHo Arts District, CA] – A NoHo Arts theatre review of Los Angeles Pierce College’s Cabaret, with music and lyrics by John Kander and Fred Ebb, book by Joe Masteroff and based on the play by John Van Druten and stories by Christopher Isherwood.
Cabaret must be one of the most iconic musicals of the last two centuries. But Pierce College theatre department doesn’t shy away from a challenge, indeed, the last few shows I have seen there have been nothing short of spectacular. However, Cabaret is something else. Gorgeous music, of course, but there’s a grimness to the story, a hopeless quality that could very easily overwhelm everything unique and heartbreakingly beautiful about the characters and their stories. The music and the relationships, the incredible dance, the angelic punk-ness of the time and the place. There’s a very delicate balance that must be struck between the art and humor and the unravelling of Berlin as well as the constant emerging evil of the nazis spreading like a stain across Europe, revealing a temperament of such depraved magnitude that we had hoped to never see its like again…
But humankind being what it is, Cabaret seems sadly just as relevant as it’s ever been. Pierce College’s production of one of my favorite musicals is boldly and phenomenally staged and populated by the kind of talent and powerful performances you usually see on major stages in New York and the West End.
From the dancing to the costumes to the set design, not a thing is out of place or underwhelming. And the girls! Oh my! They dance and shimmy and glare from the stage, each with their own perfectly achieved character and personality. They are a marvellously motley crew, and boy can they dance and sing! I thought the rafters would rise! There is also an equally brilliant group of boy dancers. Just as naughty and disarmingly coy. It truly is a casting masterpiece!
There is also an almost alarmingly good band on stage. All brass and bombast. Perfect in fact. And ‘perfect’ is a word you may well use a lot when you go and see this show! And you must see this show!!!
The entire cast is incredibly good, but I do have to mention Madeleine McKay as Sally Bowles…beautiful, talented and heartbreaking. Also, Ali Suliman as the Emcee was shockingly good…making the iconic role all his own and taking no prisoners…brilliant!
You will walk into an entirely separate reality as you enter the theatre, beckoned in by the beguiling cast. And as the story unfolds, you will understand the importance of this show at this particular time in our collective history. Entertainment, art, collective conscience, or just an opportunity to sing these incredible songs and be these incredible people once again. You really need no excuse at all to stage Cabaret, only the talent and the nerve to pull it off and Pierce College has talent and vision and more than enough nerve to make this production of Cabaret one of the best I have ever seen…Bravo “Mein Liebchen!”
They only have one more weekend to put on your corsets and your heels and go see this incredible show!!!
When:
May 9-18
Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30pm and Sundays at 2pm
There will be a special sign interpreted performance on Saturday, May 17 at 7:30pm.
Tickets:
Where:
Peirce College, 6201 Winnetka Ave, Los Angeles
The Cabaret Cast
The cast features Madeleine McKay as Sally Bowles, Ali Suliman as the Emcee, Donna Accardo, Jack Bernaz, Madison Cheramie, Dylan Coogan and Donny Dahlman, with Haley Anglin, Tobey Chapman, Lucy Davison, Loumaile Finau, Leon Gael, Vlada Golovko, Essence Hardiman, Nzingha Lewis, Gia Lydon, Luke Mena, Jenny Moses, Emma Penney, Rocco Perdenza, Jenna Rodriguez, Clyde Sandoval, Alany Soils-Coleman, Tori Swick, Shannon Toledo, Maximilian Watson and Maya Zeltzer.
The Team
LAPC Theatre’s production is directed by Shaheen Vaaz, with musical direction by Ryan Espinosa and choreography by Brian Moe.
The production features scenic and lighting design by Michael Gend, costume design by Eileen Gizienski and sound design by DJ Medina. Valeria Ruvalcaba is the stage manager.