Cabaret: Off to a Strong Start

By Ella Cocchi ‘29

The fall musical this year, Cabaret, hit the ground running, with auditions on the first day of school followed by rehearsals the next day. Cabaret follows the story of the alluring Sally Bowles, played by Ailie Bell ’27, who performs at a nightclub in Berlin called the Kit Kat Club. She experiences a turbulent romance with the writer and English teacher Cliff Bradshaw, played by Al Ptaszek ’27. The story is set during the rise of Nazism in late 1920s and early 1930s Berlin. The political commentary of the musical and its representation of Berlin at the time place Cabaret as an important and relevant musical to both performers and the audience.

Because of the subject matter, the musical is heavier than others, and therefore merits a more thoughtful approach. Josie Koulomzin ’28 plays Fr.ulein Schneider, a practical older landlady. She reflected, “I have been in many other musicals, but most don’t feel as relevant as this one.” Indeed, the importance of the subject matter makes the musical relevant to both history and the current political state of the world. Koulomzin continued, “Hadestown’s message felt applicable to some aspects of life, such as the evanescence of beautiful things, but Cabaret feels more directly relevant to politics.” Because of the sensitive content, extra programming will be held to address the portrayal of Nazism in the musical. Ms. Kelli Edwards, the director and choreographer for the show, has been collaborating with the DEIJ board and the Jewish Student Union. Extra programming to discuss the content of the musical is essential to the understanding of the show and its themes and is necessary because the juniors and seniors are required to see the show on the matinee. Ms. Edwards remarked, “It is very important to me that the audience understands what they’re going to see, both for their experience and the performers’ experience.” Cabaret is an important musical to watch and properly understand.

The choreography of the show attempts to adhere as closely as possible to the artistic movement during the late 1920s in Berlin. The freedom of expression in gender and sexuality contrasts with the growing conservatism and violence of the Nazi Party, creating chillingly diverse dances. Naomi Nurenberg ’29, who is a part of the ensemble, commented that “the dances are . . . interesting and unique, and not what I expected at first, but in a good way.” The style of the dance and choreography will be new and different, considering  the unique nature of the musical.

Spirits are high in rehearsal; everyone in Cabaret is excited to interpret and perform the show. Ms. Edwards noted, “For people who haven’t seen a lot of theater, they might think that a production has to be a certain way, but there’s a lot of interpretation that goes into all of the aspects of it.” The same musical will be unique from other productions of it, depending on the choices that the cast and crew make. Jinghan Su ’29, who plays one of the Kit Kat girls, described her favorite part of the show thus far as “being able to be in such a wonderful community full of people doing what they  love.” The show is full of talented people who are excited to share their interpretation of Cabaret with the Milton community.

There will be a matinee for juniors and seniors at 12:30 in King Theater on November 12th, followed by performances at 7 pm on  November 13th and 14th, which are open to the public. Unique in its tackling of important topics and its interesting and dynamic choreography, Cabaret is not a show to be missed.

Source: Los Altos Stage Company