The Town Hall Arts Center staged a “Cabaret” so gritty in 2006 that one Kit Kat Girl, having fallen backstage, profusely bled throughout the opening number — the audience fully unaware that the gash on her head and two chipped front teeth were real.
That’s just the way this generation of theatergoers has come to know “Cabaret”: Dirty, drugged-up and fluid — both bodily and sexually. Because that’s the way Sam Mendes reimagined it in his monster 1998 revival that ran for six years on Broadway. His “Cabaret” was all about eye candy, crotch-grabbing and hedonism in the hours just before one party ends . . . and the Nazi party begins.
So if you were to see the Arvada Center’s comparatively squeaky-clean new staging of “Cabaret” and think, “That’s not how I remember it,” you wouldn’t be wrong.
Turns out the licensing rights to the ’98 version that’s since been presented at area theaters from Boulder to Colorado Springs are not currently available. So Arvada Center director Christy Montour-Larson got stuck with the old-fashioned ’87 revival script, which was Hal Prince’s reimagining of his own ’66 Broadway original.
Confused? You’re allowed. But you go with what you get. And at the Arvada Center, that means no coked-up Sally Bowles. No Kit Kat Girls making out. No pansexual sleaze. No master of ceremonies as a seductive harbinger of the coming human apocalypse.
That also means no “Mein Herr” and no “Maybe This Time,” two of the best songs. And those fantastic Kit Kat Girls and Boys are eventually reduced to glorified set-piece movers.
Stripped of its essential sordidness, you are left with . . . the reason Mendes reimagined “Cabaret” in the first place. But the Arvada Center may have caught a lucky break. This cleaner, less-explicit version is probably the right version for its conservative audience base, for whom this staging will still be quite raunchy enough, thank you.
“Cabaret” tells the story of the tawdry nightclub life of the Weimar Republic in 1929-30, through the eyes of American wannabe novelist Cliff Bradshaw. It’s well-played and precisely executed by one of the Arvada Center’s best-ever assemblages of talent — and that’s saying something. The live band, the classic “Cabaret” set, flapper costumes and daring choreography are top-notch.
Performances are strong, from the talented if de-emphasized Leo Ash Evens as our friendly party host (best on “I Don’t Care Much”) to Billie McBride and Wayne Kennedy as the pragmatic room keeper and naive Jewish grocer whose romance gets caught in the coming crossfire.
But this new “Cabaret” also means the old Sally Bowles, the sexually undiscriminating showgirl who uses Cliff for a bed and a meal ticket. Sally is certainly no longer the declining, self-destructive showgirl who could have been a star had she not gotten stuck in this seedy, drug-infested place. She’s a powerhouse . . . so what is she doing here?
She’s played with clear head and cold heart by Kendal Hartse, while Brett Aune gives us a significantly butched-up Cliff, played in almost full denial of multiple hints to his sexual ambivalence. The absence of ambiguity and drug affectation certainly changes the dynamic of this central relationship. It allows us to consider the two as an actual, legit couple — except that the script doesn’t allow for one moment of believable intimacy between them.
Despite any incongruity, Hartse is an undeniably dynamic performer whose angry rendition of the title song provides the lasting impression of the night.
Most confusing for the audience might be figuring out what is the deal with the band. Most of music director David Dyer’s orchestra remains backstage, hidden. Four play above the stage, seen wearing gender-opposite costuming. And for the big numbers, four multitalented Kit Kat chorus boys and girls join in on cello, guitar and sax. This takes advantage of these individual performers’ musical talents, but c’mon! . . . We want to see the Kit Katters dance, not blend into the band.
This staging takes a comparatively mild approach to the politics of the piece until the very end, when Montour-Larson takes a dramatic stand that seems overreaching.
Though it’s a compromised staging, there’s plenty to like about an evening most will find a “perfectly marvelous” entertainment.
John Moore: 303-954-1056 or jmoore@denverpost.com
“Cabaret” *** (out of four stars)
Musical. Presented 6901 Wadsworth Blvd. Written by Joe Masteroff, John Kander and Fred Ebb. Directed by Christy Montour-Larson. Through April 17. 7:30 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays, 1 p.m. Wednesdays and Saturdays; 2 p.m. Sundays; $49-$63 (adults); $25 (children). 720-898-7200;
Best bet: A decade of “Stories on Stage”
Stories on Stage, an ongoing public-reading series that brings short stories to life – and some of America’s best actors to Denver stages – is turning 10. To celebrate, SOS will present “The Anniversary Show” at 1:30 p.m. Sunday, April 3, at Su Teatro’s Denver Civic Theatre, 721 Santa Fe Drive. The program includes excerpts from “The West Texas Sprouting of Loman Happenstance,” by Matt Clark, read by Chip Persons; “The Queen of Mold,” by Ruth Reichl, read by Kathleen Brady; “The Fix,” by Percival Everett, read by Candy Brown; and “The Cat That Went to Trinity,” by Robertson Davies, read by Sam Gregory. Tickets are $35. Info is available at 303-494-0523 or – John Moore
This week’s other theater openings
“The 30th of Baydak” Buntport Theater’s full season of reprises continues with this absurd story performed on a set that is suspended entirely in air. Inspired by 2003 events in Turkmenistan, as well as Bohumil Hrabal’s novel “Too Loud a Solitude,” this dark comedy follows a quiet, unassuming government drone forced to spend his workday performing mind-numbing tasks, trying to extrapolate meaning from his life. Through April 23. 717 Lipan St., 720-946-1388 or
“Black Stocking” A controversial musical morality play about the atrocities of war and sex. Presented in Brechtian style, it asks, “Why is it that despicable acts that take place during war are deemed less vulgar just because war is used to justify the act?” It is “a filthy play,” producers warn. Through May 7. Dangerous Theatre 2620 W. Second Ave., 720-233-4703 or
“Chicago” Classic musical about infamous dame Roxie Hart, who murders a faithless lover and convinces her hapless husband to take the rap. A cynical take on the American justice system and the cult of celebrity. Songs include “All That Jazz.” Directed by Nick Sugar. Through May 1. Town Hall Arts Center, 2450 W. Main St., Littleton, 303-794- 2787 or
“The Dixie Swim Club” Five lifelong friends leave their husbands, kids and jobs behind every August and meet up at the same beach cottage on North Carolina’s Outer Banks. Through May 1. Vintage Theatre, 2119 E. 17th Ave., 303-839-1361 or
“The Foreigner” Larry Shue’s enduring comedy about a man so painfully shy he poses at a fishing lodge in rural Georgia as a man who speaks no English. Through May 8. Bas Bleu Theatre, 401 Pine St., Fort Collins, 970-498-8949 or
“The Wedding Singer” Stage adaptation of the hit Adam Sandler film set in 1985 about a rock-star wannabe who, shot through the heart, ends up making every wedding as disastrous as his own. Until he meets a sympathetic waitress who wins his affection. Through April 10. Presented by Steel City Theatre Company at Central High School, 216 E. Orman Ave., Pueblo, 719-258-8399 or
This week’s video podcast
Artistic director Kent Thompson announces and details the Denver Center Theatre Company’s 2011-12 season. Video by John Moore, The Denver Post. Running time: 7 minutes.
Complete theater listings
Go to our complete list of in Colorado, including summaries, run dates, addresses, phones and links to every company’s home page. Or check out our listings or
The Running Lines blog
Catch up on John Moore’s roundup of the latest theater news:
