By Scott L. Miley
The Herald Bulletin
ANDERSON, Ind. —
Community theater is a lively “Cabaret” — cheeky singing with appearances by gays, hookers and scantily-clad dancers — at Anderson’s Mainstage Theatre. Those saucy character back stories are part of the trappings defining the death of the party once known as Berlin, Germany.
At the heart of “Cabaret,” of course, are the winds of 1930s German politics blowing through the lives of two couples; one we root for, the other we find it difficult to connect with.
The musical starts tonight and runs Friday, Saturday and May 7-8 at the theater, 124 W. Ninth St. Each performance is at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $10 each.
The audience is guided through the two-hour, 10-minute musical by the Kit Kat Club’s emcee, played with spice and swarm by Lot Turner, though he could plug more camp into some bits.
Behind the scenes is the slender relationship between cabaret star Sally Bowles (played by Tiffany Taylor) and American writer Clifford Bradshaw (Cameron Vale).
Taylor’s spunk shines against Vale’s staid but stable performance. Taylor takes on slower numbers with commitment and adds a proper somber tone in the title tune. The duo click together on stage but their off-on relationship doesn’t draw in the audience.
More compelling is the friendship-turned-romance between the older stars, Fraulein Schneider (Nita Arnold) who runs a boarding house, and her suitor, Herr Schultz (Bill Malone), a fruit vendor. At Monday’s dress rehearsal, there was a small group of visitors from a retirement facility in Indianapolis. Arnold and Malone tugged at their hearts.
Arnold is show-stopping with a confident, mature singing voice that wraps the audience in compassion. Side-by-side with Malone, the two sweetly balance the bittersweet entanglements of love amid politics and religion. You’ll care deeply for them.
Backing all singers and dancers is a band nicely tempered with dancehall fun and reflective moments, though it could be used more during set changes.
The musical has been around since 1966. Yet Mainstage’s “Cabaret” is a bold walk among the invasion of politics, the campiness of a swinging nightclub and ageless love. Don’t sit alone in your room, go see “Cabaret.”
