Although Europe just celebrated the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II, the prejudices and fears that fomented that conflict continue.
“Cabaret,” the John Kander and Fred Ebb musical about 1930s Berlin, and loosely based on a novel by Christopher Isherwood, shows how a police state can slowly but irrevocably encroach upon its populace.
The story centers on burlesque singer Sally Bowles, who performs in Berlin’s Kit Kat Klub during the early years of the Nazi ascendancy. A new production of the musical — which was made into an Oscar-winning film starring Liza Minnelli and directed by Bob Fosse — opens this week at Arlington’s Signature Theatre, where it will run through June.
“It’s actually the first thing I ever directed back when I was in high school, so I have a huge appreciation for the piece,” director Matthew Gardiner told The Washington Times, adding that it was important he bring the musical to the Signature to coincide with the theater’s 25th anniversary.
Mr. Gardiner said he was careful to avoid directly pantomiming the 1972 Fosse film or the recent successful Broadway production mounted by British filmmaker Sam Mendes and starring Alan Cumming as the Emcee and Emma Stone as Sally Bowles.
Mr. Gardiner said he especially connected with the original Isherwood novel that was the basis for the musical adaptation.
“My goal is always to tell the story that the writers wrote,” Mr. Gardiner said, “and I believe that the actors I’ve chosen and the design team I pulled together we are inherently going to have a new take on it.”
Portraying the role of the Emcee for Mr. Gardiner — who acts as a sort of Greek chorus on the proceedings — is Wesley Taylor, a Broadway veteran of “The Addams Family” and “Rock of Ages.”
“I loved Joel Gray’s marionette ventriloquist dummy portrayal” of the Emcee from the 1972 film, Mr. Taylor said. “And then Alan Cumming just came and slapped everyone in the face with his portrayal and his reinvention of this character. So that sort of immediately made me think, well, what would I do?”
Mr. Taylor, who has been acting in musicals since his childhood, cites “If You Could See Her Through My Eyes” as among his favorite songs in the show. During that number, the Emcee is joined onstage by a Jewish girl in a gorilla suit.
“It’s an act at the Kit Kat Klub, but it’s very metaphorical, reflective of the social unrest, what’s happening outside the club,” Mr. Taylor said. “I think what’s so brilliant is we take what is happening in [Nazi Germany] and we satirize. That number specifically goes on a journey: It starts very light and fun, and then it ends very dark and grotesque.”
Mr. Taylor said that Mr. Gardiner keeps himself and the rest of the cast physically active during the show. To add to his workout, Mr. Taylor said the District’s reputation as a “swamp” has been wreaking havoc on his allergies.
“Everyone in the cast say their cars are covered in yellow pollen in the mornings,” he said. “I’ve got humidifiers and steams, and I’m trying to stay hydrated, but it’s a tough town for allergies.”
Mr. Taylor said his director has realized a unique take on the material, which he credits to Mr. Gardiner’s collaborative artistic spirit.
“I think what Matt’s done with the piece is very different,” he said. “It’s very dark and bold and sexier than it ever has ever been.”
Mr. Gardiner added that releasing himself from the “pressure” of previous incarnations of the show can be difficult.
“It’s hard to sort of rid yourself of that and allow yourself to see the play in a different way,” he said, “and I think I have.”
“I think that people’s ignorance, blindness, inability to truly listen to other people and see what is going on with other people is always going to be prevalent,” Mr. Gardiner said. “That’s something that never goes away, and what leads to all major conflict is the inability to understand other people and differences in people.”
Mr. Gardiner said he is excited to share a “sexy terrifying evening” with the District’s theatergoers, and reiterated that the play’s themes continue to resonate.
“I can’t imagine ’Cabaret’ would ever not be fitting to what’s happening in the world,” he said.
If you go
WHAT: “Cabaret”
WHERE: The Signature Theatre, The Village at Shirlington, 4200 Campbell Ave., Arlington, Va. 22206
WHEN: Through June 28
TICKETS: $29 to $85; call 703/820-9771 or visit signature-theatre.org
• Eric Althoff can be reached at twt@washingtontimes.com.
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