“There was a cabaret, and there was a master of ceremonies… and there was a city called Berlin, in a country called Germany… and it was the end of the world.”
Cabaret first hit the stage in 1966 when it had its first Broadway production. Since then it has continued to build up its fan base and has been shown continually in theatres around the world. The musical became so popular that in 1972 the script was adapted for film and starred the massively famous Liza Minnelli.
And then Cabaret was to be performed by our very own students at Blackpool Sixth, and the pressure was on. There were big shoes to fill and expectations to meet. I was lucky enough to catch the Blackpool Sixth production on its opening night on the 2nd March at Montgomery High School. I was not sure to expect and so I was prepared for anything!.
As the audience descended and the lights went out, all whispers silenced and all eyes were on the closed curtain. Silence. Then, as the anticipation was becoming almost painful, a single hand broke through the curtains and clicked rhythmically. On cue the band played, the curtains opened and the cabaret began.
I was impressed by what I had seen. So much so in-fact, that I was thankful to catch my breath during the interval; after which it was back to the marvellous madness. I was first blown away by the talent it we have at Blackpool Sixth. From the Emcee (Andy Dixon) and the Kit Kat dancers’ spectacular opening with “Wilkommen” to the beautifully sang sentimental number “Maybe this time” from Sally Bowles (Alice Tripp), the musical numbers were brilliant. Not only the singing and dancing was impressive, the largely impressive eleven-piece live band sounded brilliant too. The numbers were catchy and enthralling and the amount of energy put into them by the cast furthered this ten-fold.
The show seemed to go pretty much hitch free. Despite some minor issues with microphones producing startling bangs every now and then (it kept the audience on their toes) and some silences on stage, the performance seemed anything but “amateur” as the programme declared it was. The acting was emotive, full of life and full of personality from everyone, even those without speaking lines. It was nice to see that it was not only students getting involved; Blackpool Sixth’s own Steve Spencer and Shirley Richmond played the delightfully adorable Herr Schultz and Fraulein Schneider.
Having never seen Cabaret before the story was new to me. For those who have never seen it, go out and see it! A lot of stuff goes down! Set just before the start of Nazi Germany, 1929-1930, the play follows an American writer and his lady friend who he meets at the Kit Kat cabaret nightclub. The play unfolds as Germany starts to change with the politics and the times become more sinister. Cabaret has a dark and sinister undertone with a sprinkling of jazz hands and catchy songs.
I was very impressed by the performance and was surprised how drawn into it I became. Hardcore fans may be disappointed to hear that the number “Money Money” was cut from the production but it was still great without it. My three word summary for this production would be: sexy, sinister (and) superb”. Zehr Gut!
If you’re looking for a play with romance, lust, pineapples, knickers and Nazis then let it be this one! After all what else could you be looking for? Auf Weidersehn!
Written by Jack McCafferty
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