The Arizona Repertory Theatre runs its last show for its production of “Cabaret” today at 7:30 p.m. and tomorrow, Nov. 8, at 1:30 p.m. According to the cast, crew and audiences, this is a production not to be missed.
“Cabaret” is a musical that has been performed around the world in several different forms since its creation in the 1960s. The original 1966 Broadway production of the show is what made the musical so famous, and from there the story was adapted into a film in 1972 and revived on Broadway and in London a handful of times. Each revival added a little something to the story of Sally Bowles, a cabaret dancer at the German Kit Kat Klub in the 1930s.
“It’s a slice of life right before the Nazi regime comes to power,” said Danny Gurwin, an assistant professor of musical theatre at the UA and the director of “Cabaret.”
“Before the Nazis and Hitler came to power, [Berlin] was a really decadent, very artistic, kind of wild city, and ‘Cabaret’ reflects that,” he said.
The Arizona Repertory Theatre’s production of the show is based on the 1993 London revival script, in which Alan Cummings’s hyper-sexualized portrayal of the Emcee was the most significant change. Gurwin described the revival as a much darker and more intriguing version of the musical and wanted to honor both the original and the revival through this production.
The cast and crew at Arizona Repertory Theatre have worked on “Cabaret” since the start of the semester. They dedicated exuberant amounts of time and effort to this production, and have become one with their characters and created a little family among themselves.
Ali Wood Moser, a musical theatre junior, plays the role of Sally in this production and explained how complicated her character is. Moser said Sally is very optimistic and looks for the good in tough situations while also revealing a dark, self-deprecating side.
“If there’s one way to describe Sally, it’s that she’s larger than life,” Moser said.
Many other students involved in the show said they love their roles just as much as Moser loves Sally. Joshua Dunn, a musical theatre junior, portrays the character of the Master of Ceremonies, or “Emcee” as he is typically known. After running the show for two weeks, Dunn said he is very pleased with how the performances have gone and how the audience continues to react to the production.
“Each show is a journey for me,” Dunn said. “The audience is an active participant in the show and my performance changes with each new audience.”
“Cabaret” has run at the Tornabene Theatre since Oct. 18. With just two shows left, the cast and crew said they are both excited to begin work on their next projects and sad to see the production come to an end.
“You always get a little sad to say goodbye to the family that you create in the short time that you’re together,” Gurwin said. As an assistant professor of musical theatre, Gurwin has directed seven of the Arizona Repertory Theatre productions in his last four years at the UA. His next project is to produce “Rent” for the spring. Despite looking forward to his next project, Gurwin said that the conclusion of “Cabaret” would be bittersweet for everyone involved.
Moser shared in his sentiment and added that she would especially miss playing Sally.
“Because I did love ‘Cabaret’ so much, I think I’ll miss playing that character,” Moser said. “I would play her for as long as I could.”
Tickets for “Cabaret” can be purchased online, over the phone, or in person at the Marroney Theatre Box Office.
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