An illusion of frivolity in a Berlin cabaret cannot conceal the encroaching menace of Hitler and the Nazis. An elderly couple enjoys a bashful courtship — he brings her apples and pineapples — and a young writer from America becomes enamored of a jazzed-up British ex-pat named Sally Bowles. But sadness gnaws at the edges of joy. And hatred festers in the streets.
This is the world of Kander and Ebb's 1966 Broadway musical "Cabaret," pretty dark for its time and rendered all the more louche in the 1972 film starring Liza Minnelli as Sally. Subsequent revivals played up the bisexuality of Sally's boyfriend, Clifford, who is drawn from the loosely biographical adventures described by author Christopher Isherwood in "Berlin Stories." And now comes Atlanta Lyric Theatre's staging. Situated on the Marietta Square, it feels G-rated in the extreme. This is not to say that director Freddie Ashley's production lacks technical gleam or visual opulence. The performances are good, and the costumes (by Broadway Bound and Benjy Gault) are so bright you can almost see the price tags on the sleeves.
My quibble with this razzle-dazzle treatment is that it seems to lose touch with the era it depicts, the "Blue Angel" smoke of Marlene Dietrich and the rancid ironies of the iconic Berlin cabaret of Bertolt Brecht, Kurt Weill and Lotte Lenya.
That said, Atlanta Lyric probably knows its audience, and the final production of its inaugural season at the Strand Theatre caps a strong run for a company that deals exclusively in musical theater and serves the community in that particular niche.
Back in my seat on Row P, however, the room felt more like a movie auditorium than a seedy Berlin boite. The music was pre-recorded, yet perfectly adequate and crisply amplified. I strained to see the actors' faces yet detected plenty of energy and effervescence nonetheless.
In song, Jackie Prucha (Fraulein Schneider) and Theo Harness (Herr Schultz) rarely mine the giddy potential of their material. But "So What." In their depictions of the lonely, uptight boardinghouse owner and her shy Jewish suitor, they are kind of adorable, and I loved the way the plot-moving pineapple ("It Couldn't Please Me More") had its own little perch, thanks to set designer Drew Monahan.
It was a shame, though, that there wasn't much chemistry between Jeff Juday's Clifford and Claci Miller's Sally. Both performers are terrific singers, but Juday's Clifford was a tad bland. As the Master of Ceremonies, Craig Waldrip projected the sinister swagger that makes the Kit Kat Klub a metaphor for the Babylon soon to burn outside. Jill Hames, as the boardinghouse floozy, cuts a loud and vivid figure.
When all is said and done, this is a better than decent "Cabaret" — and worth a look. In its dark contours and unhappy endings, the story varies from the time-honored structure of the Broadway musical. "Hello, Sally!" it is not. And yet Atlanta Lyric seems to try everything possible to make us believe this bitter brew is musical comedy froth. Gone are the glaring mirrors and the blinding white light.
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