The Department of Theatre is proud to present “Cabaret,” a story centered around various intrepid love stories and the consequences, told as the Nazis rose to power in the late 1920s.
All “Cabaret” productions will be held in the Wheelwright Auditorium, and remaining shows will run from Feb. 15-18. Tickets are $3 for both Coastal Carolina University and Horry Georgetown Technical College students, and $20 for alumni, faculty and staff.
The musical’s main setting revolves around the Kit Kat Klub, a sleazy yet sparkling Berlin nightclub, where patrons and staff spend time forgetting their troubles and romances.
A passionate affair blossoms between a young American writer Clifford Bradshaw, played by junior Cody Lewandowski, and an English cabaret performer Sally Bowles, played by senior Teryn Cuozzo.
The production crosses paths with the relationship between German boarding house owner Fräulein Schneider, played by Associate Professor of theatre Monica Bell, and the elderly Jewish fruit vendor Herr Schultz, played by artist-in-residence John Woodson.
Lewandowski said he’s been able to fit into his role as Bradshaw.
“I have really started to feel connected and understand the journey. [Bradshaw] is experiencing the different environment in Berlin and how it compares with his coming from America during this time and the differing views on social issues and the status quo of the time,” Lewandowski said. “The con is having to drop into those really tough moments and tough feelings.”
The Kit Kat Klub’s emcee, played by senior Trevor Terry, oversees all the events as they unfold, revolving around how politics disrupt love and daily life.
Through song, dance, sex, violence and comedic remarks, the performance is satirical of the sociopolitical setting.
Another character, Fraulein Kost, played by junior Alexa Niles, is one of many characters who stirs up trouble yet has sympathetic and comedic overtones. Her character sells herself in the world’s oldest profession for unfavorable causes as a simple means for survival.
Behind the curtains comes a lot of support from the castmates as Niles portrays a prostitute.
“The story we’re telling is important,” she said. “It’s heavy, it’s fun at times, but then it hits everybody at some point, and so everybody being there for each other throughout this process is really beautiful.”
The remarkable theatric elements cannot be done without help from the production crew, from director and choreographer Adam Pelty to costume designer Allie Hildebran.
Those behind the scenes bring to life a secretive nightclub with the right amount of sensual flair.
The setting of the production was new and exciting to Hildebran to the contribution of a new story of the dichotomy of life in a seedy nightclub.
“It is unlike anything that I have ever done before because of the location because 1920s in Germany is completely different then 1920s America,” Hildebran said. “So, it is an interesting brief look at a quick moment in history. I really enjoy it.”
The play’s overall theme is a statement of how living with purposeful ignorance leads to unhappiness. The reality of the characters’ depressing situations must be faced through showtunes, giving enough empathy to shine a light on the gritty world of totalitarian dictatorship.
The production is enough to make original “Cabaret” Playwright Joe Masteroff and Liza Minnelli, the original Sally Bowles in the 1972 film adaptation, proud.
