‘Cabaret’ a dark, sensual tragedy of politics, personality
Senior Melory Mirashrafi’s Sally Bowles and sophomore Sam Hannigan’s Cliff Bradshaw share an intimate conversation over a bottle of gin.
May 6, 2019
Although “Cabaret” is the last production of the Linfield Theatre’s 99th season, the questions and themes that are raised in the historical musical will linger in the audience’s mind well after the final curtain closes.
The musical follows an American writer named Cliff Bradshaw as he moves to Berlin in the infancy and subsequent rise of the Nazi party. In his stay in the city he is acquainted with eccentric nightclub performer Sally Bowles. Before long the two starting a budding relationship and must deal with the political changes happening.
Sophomore Mara Youngren-Brown (left), senior Antoine Johnson and sophomore Hannah Curry (right) tantilize the audiece with their seductive song and dance.
While one portion of the production is focused on the romance and hedonistic nature of Sally Bowles and the other performers of the Kit Kat Klub, a doomed romance unfolds between German boarding house owner Fräulein Schneider and the elderly fruit salesman Herr Schultz.
The two stories are interconnected and are broken up with performances by the lavish and flamboyant emcee who gives an omniscient view of the events transpiring along with the ladies and gentlemen of the Kit Kat Klub.
I had the great pleasure of not having any prior knowledge of what events would transpire when I step into Marshall Theater. The show that followed dazzled and amazed.
The performers inhabited their roles so much so that when the show started it wasn’t hard to be sucked into the seedy world of the Kit Kat Klub.
I would also be remiss if I didn’t mention the great work the production team did to transform the theatre into a lived in and beautiful set.
The scantily clad ladies of the Kit Kat Klub bring the audience into the grimy and sensual world of “Cabaret” with their ensemble performance.
The cast was phenomenal, which has been a constant in all performances produced by the Linfield Theatre.
A highly notable performance came from senior Antoine Johnson as he brought the Master of Ceremonies (emcee) to life on stage. Johnson gave an perfectly outlandish and hilarious performance.
The emcee brings an insight into the social and political world of Berlin that other characters don’t get to have but elevates the characters importance and Johnson delivers and haves a lot of fun in that role.
The other performers that stuck out were the two main leads: Cliff Bradshaw, played by sophomore Sam Hannigan and Sally Bowles, played by senior Melory Mirashrafi.
Sophomores Calder Ifft (left) and Sam Hannigan creating a relationship between each others character that go through ups and downs throughout the performance.
Mirashrafi’s rendition of the iconic role of Sally Bowles is energetic and passionate and pairs perfectly with Hannigan’s subdued Bradshaw.
All the performances and athleticism that the cast put into the show elevated what I believed was possible in college theater. Along with the amazing production that went into making the show and the set, the story also played a big part in making this such a memorable performance.
There is no mystery why “Cabaret” has been memorialized through its dozens of renditions and multiple awards. It is a powerful story of love, complacency in growing darkness and breaking from conformity.
If there is any free time between classes and preparing for finals next week, I highly recommend grabbing a seat at the Kit Kat Klub.