Friday, April 20, through Sunday, April 22
St. Ambrose University's Galvin Fine Arts Center, 518 Locust Street, Davenport IA
One of American theatre's most exciting, acclaimed, and tune-filled entertainments receives a St. Ambrose University staging in the April 20 through 22 run of Cabaret, the legendary Kander & Ebb musical that earned a combined 12 Tony Awards for Broadway's 1966 original and 1998 revival, and that was adapted into a 1972 film classic that received eight Oscars including Best Actress for Liza Minnelli and Best Director for Bob Fosse.
Based on John Van Druten's 1951 play I Am a Camera, itself adapted from Christopher Isherwood's 1939 novel Goodbye to Berlin, Cabaret is set in 1931 Berlin as the Nazis are rising to power. The musical by composer John Kander and lyricist Fred Ebb focuses on the nightlife at the seedy Kit Kat Klub, and revolves around young American writer Cliff Bradshaw and his relationship with English cabaret performer Sally Bowles. Overseeing the action is the Kit Kat's eccenrtic Master of Ceremonies, with the club serving as a metaphor for ominous political developments in late Weimar Germany. With the 1966 Broadway production running for 336 performances and its Tony wins including Best Musical and Best Featured Actor for Joel Grey (who would win a Supporting Actor Oscar for recreating his stage performance), Cabaret's hit songs include “Willkomen,” “Money,” “Maybe This Time,” and Sally Bowles' torch-song rendition of the title number.
Cory Johnson, who serves as director for St. Ambrose's spring musical, previously directed Cabaret at Luther College in 1984, and also appeared in the 1990 St. Ambrose production in the role of Fräulein Kost. Sarah Goodall plays Sally Bowles opposite Sam Jones' Master of Ceremonies, with Colin Evers as Cliff Bradshaw, Kelci Eaton on Fräulein Schneider, and TJ Green as Herr Schultz. And rounding out the cast are more than two dozen additional performers: Megan Clarke, Christian Colmenares, Anthony Duckett, Jackson Green, Keegan Harry, Tyler Hughes, Allison Hutson, Jessica Karolczak, Kayla Lansing, Ellie Larson, Gage McCalester, Rebecca Moews, Luke Peterson, Jeremy Smock, Vince Solis, and Bryan Woods.
Cabaret runs Friday and Saturday at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday at 3 p.m., tickets are $15-17, and more information and reservations are available by calling (563)333-6251 or visiting SAU.edu/cabaret.
