"Helloooooo ladies...und gennnnntlemennnnnn."
Welcome to the hottest nightspot in Berlin, where the dancing sizzles, the drinks flow, and dark atmosphere leaks across the dance floor from the cracks in society.
Welcome to Cabaret!
Producer-choreographer Judy Russell has already scored major audience acclaim with Cabaret on two past occasions, once in 2000 and again in 2001 due to popular demand. An entire generation of viewers hasn't been offered the gift of this international theatrical sensation, until now.
Cabaret will come to the Prince George Playhouse for a winter's run from Feb. 13-24 starring some of the city's best stage performers.
This is the Broadway musical that launched the superstar careers of Liza Minnelli as sultry siren Sally Bowles and Joel Grey as charismatic but creepy emcee of the Kit Kat Klub.
These are some of musical theatre's most coveted roles. Bowles has also been portrayed by the likes of Jill Haworth, Judy Dench, Natasha Richardson, Brooke Shields, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Molly Ringwald, Emma Stone and most recently on Broadway Sienna Miller. In Prince George, the past two productions cast Catherine McCarthy as the scintillating diva.
The emcee has been played over the years by such luminaries as James Dreyfus, Randy Harrison, Wayne Sleep, and it has become a vehicle recently for Alan Cumming in both London and Broadway. The Prince George version was done by Andrew Halladay to enduring fanfare.
In this upcoming Russell remount, Bowles will be portrayed by Shelby Meaney while The emcee will be carried by Owen Selkirk.
McCarthy will be back in the program, this time as Fraulein Schneider playing opposite Gary Chappel as Herr Schultz. Other casting includes Franco Celli in the pivotal role of Cliff the American writer, Adam Harasimiuk as Ernst and Sandra Clermont as Frau Kost.
In addition to a support cast and dance chorus, the show will also feature music by musical director Curtis Abriel and band leader Greg Prosser.
"I'm doing the show again because, yes, I know it is always popular and the audience loves the story and songs, but what really compelled me to do it is the news," said Russell. "When you look at what's happening politically today and what the Cabaret story is all about, you can easily see the relationship. It just became important for me to say something, to use this piece of theatre to talk about how a society can be taken over by forces of hate and forces of division, and the terrible things that can happen if people fall for it."
Cabaret was one of the first Broadway productions that used musical theatre as a platform for social commentary. It came to stage life only 20 years after the Second World War, and was an open metaphor for the dark side of human nature.
It's success and staying-power came from its strong music and vivid entertainment qualities. This is a story well told, with universal themes and slick presentation values.
"Cabaret takes audiences deep into the seedy nightlife of the Kit Kat Klub in Weimar,
Germany on the eve of Hitler's rise to power," Russell said. "Led by the enigmatic and dazzling emcee, Cabaret is an intoxicating theatrical experience, featuring well-known classics of the musical stage such as Don't Tell Mama, Maybe This Time, and of course Cabaret.
"Cabaret is a beloved and compelling piece of theatre and the winner of eight Tony Awards and has characters that are not only complex and dark, but funny and delightful - all in all, deeply human."
Tickets are on sale now. They are available for Christmas stockings from Central Interior Tickets, located at 3540 Opie Crescent or online purhcases at www.centralinteriortickets.com.
