Theater Review - "Cabaret" at Goodspeed Musicals

EAST HADDAM - The opening strains of “Willkommen, bienvenue, welcome” can be heard at The Goodspeed’s production of “Cabaret,” the musical that opens Goodspeed Musicals 2022 season. The production marks the first time that Goodspeed has staged this Tony Award-winning musical, which is scheduled to run through July 3.

“Cabaret” is Kander and Ebb’s legendary musical about British nightclub singer Sally Bowles, American writer Cliff Bradshaw, and the decadence of Berlin as the Nazis are rising to power. While there is mounting fear and uncertainty outside in 1929 Berlin, the bawdy Emcee lures the audience into the world of the Kit Kat Club, where troubles are left at the door.

The book by Joe Masteroff was based on the play by John Van Druten and stories by Christopher Isherwood, the British-American author who moved to Berlin in the early 1930s
as Hitler rose to power. Isherwood recounted the decadent nightlife culture of Berlin against
the increasing hostility toward Jews, as well as the willful ignorance of a majority of Germans toward Nazi brutality.

“Cabaret” was one of the first concept musicals,” meaning that it was more about its theme and central idea than it was about a strong narrative arc of the characters. The original production team decided that the musical numbers that are performed by the Master of Ceremonies would serve as a comment on the action of the plot.

I certainly noticed the intention of the Goodspeed creative team that the physical world on the stage slowly deteriorated in front of our eyes. The costumes appeared grungier and the hair and makeup got a little rougher as the set and lighting followed the ominous political shift of Berlin outside of the cabaret.

James Vásquez directed the Goodspeed production that is choreographed by Lainie Sakakura. The choreographer infuses the look of Bob Fosse into the moves, with lots of strong angles. An obvious change made by the production team was the elimination of the gorilla mask when the Emcee sings of love that is met with universal disapproval in “If You Could See Her.” Changing the character into a life-size rag doll will not please “Cabaret” purists but I thought that it still made the political point of "if you could see her through my eyes... she wouldn't look Jewish at all.”

Kudos to the dialect coach Jennifer Scapetis-Tycer on making all of the accents sound authentic, while still allowing us to understand all of the dialogue.

The scenic design by Michael Schweikardt fits the relatively tiny stage at the Goodspeed Opera House and intentionally allows the boarding house scenes to blend into the Kit Kat Club set. The much too cutesy “Muppet Show” style cutout in the red drop allowed the Emcee to wave to the audience.

I appreciated the costume design by Lex Liang because they were striking and slightly more modest. Wig and hair design by Jason Hayes completed the look of the dancers.

Adam Souza is the musical director who leads the six musicians in the tiny pit. The big numbers like “Don’t Tell Mama” and “Mein Herr” are just as effective as the more intimate solos that include Sally’s “Maybe This Time” and the title song.

Equity actor Jelani Remy gets up close and personal with the audience as the Emcee in his Goodspeed debut and makes the most of every aspect of this signature role. Equity member Aline Mayagoitia, who was born in Mexico City, does very well as Sally Bowles. Tom Fuchs plays the German smuggler Ernest Ludwig and Bruce Landry performs well as the author Clifford Bradshaw.

The subplot that involves the doomed romance between the German boarding house owner Fräulein Schneider and her elderly suitor Herr Schultz, a Jewish fruit vendor, lends some lightness to the first act. Jennifer Smith, a veteran of 15 Broadway shows, sings very well as Schneider and Kevin Ligon (“Hello, Dolly” with Bette Midler) is very cute as her not-so-elderly suitor. The nine members of the ensemble work hard in their various roles and dance well.

Masks are required in the theater. Call the Box Office to get $15 student rush tickets for any available evening performance, beginning at 10am on the day of the show. Valid student ID required. One ticket per ID.

Nancy Sasso Janis has been writing theatre reviews since 2012 as a way to support local theatre venues. She posts reviews of well over 100 productions each year. In 2016, she became a member of the Connecticut Critics Circle. She continues to contribute theatre news, previews, and audition notices to local Patch sites. Reviews of all levels of theatrical productions are posted on Naugatuck Patch and the Patch sites closest to the venue. She recently became a contributor to the Waterbury Republican-American newspaper. Her weekly column and theatre reviews appear in the Thursday Weekend section of the paper.

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