Theater Review | ‘Cabaret’ Packs a Powerful Punch
PCPA’s Solvang Festival Theatre Production Adds Depth to Beloved Show
Like many fans of the dramatic arts, seeing PCPA’s production of Cabaret, running at Solvang Festival Theatre through August 25, was not my first (or fifth, or 15th) visit to the Kit Kat Klub. Joe Masteroff’s classic musical follows Cliff Bradshaw, a lost American in Berlin who becomes hopelessly entangled with messy chanteuse Sally Bowles during the creeping rise of fascism in 1930s Germany. The Emcee, both literal Kit Kat Klub host and almighty voice of the underworld chorus, illustrates the narrative with jaunty, savage cabaret-style ditties. While every theater company does the show with their own signature aesthetic, the basic structure maintains a similar shape. PCPA’s Cabaret, however, features several noteworthy choices that gives their show a distinctive personality.
Directed by Emily Trask, Cabaret features an unusual Cliff (played by George Walker) and Sally Bowles (Erika Olson) relationship with the added depth of a not-necessarily-romantic love story. While it’s noted early in the dialog that Cliff has experimented with his sexuality, most productions leave this as an asterisk so he can fall under Sally’s intoxicating (intoxicated) manic flapper spell — only to be left heartbroken. PCPA’s production, to my delight, decided not to imply and then ignore Cliff’s queerness in favor of a ruinous infatuation — instead, Cliff enjoys Sally, but isn’t seduced by her, and only ran into her on his way to a rendezvous with one of the cabaret boys. This twist on their relationship adds complexity beyond the usual “man falls in love with nightclub singer too emotionally damaged to love him back” trope.
Speaking of Sally Bowles: Six out of five stars for Olson, whose final number, the titular song, is the most diva-on-the-verge-of-a-breakdown rendition I’ve ever seen, all while maintaining incredible vocal power. There’s much to enjoy in PCPA’s production, so if you love Cabaret, leave your troubles outside, because in the Solvang Festival Theatre, life is beautiful!
See Cabaret at the Solvang Festival Theatre through August 25, pcpa.org.
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