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www.oakvillebeaver.com The Oakville Beaver, Wednesday June 14, 2006 - 37 Cabaret is rewarding departure for Stage West By Rod Jerred OAKVILLE BEAVER STAFF Cabaret is a serious change of pace for Stage West Mississauga. While Stage West Mississauga has branched out in recent years to staging musicals most of these have been musical revues or comedies. Cabaret's dark story line about the rise of the Nazi Party in Berlin in the 1930s is a stark departure from the usual lineup at the dinner theatre. Although the play is a departure for Stage West, it is also a rewarding one. The play is packed with 22 musical numbers from the team of John Kander (music) and Fred Ebb (lyrics) and a compelling story line about ordinary people swept up in the political turmoil that surrounds them. While the play takes place in many settings, the focal point is the infamous Kit Kat Klub where customers can retreat from their foreboding reality into the comfort of the fantasy-like nightclub. Cabaret essentially tells the story of Clifford Bradshaw, an American writer suffering from eternal writer's block, who visits Berlin in the early 1930s and quickly becomes engulfed by the allure of the Kit Kat Klub and its main attraction, expatriate British singer Sally Bowles. Michelle Doyle has a powerful voice and commands the stage as Sally Bowles. Michael Lomenda, as Clifford excels more as an actor than a singer in the production. Besides Sally Bowles, a key character in Cabaret is the Emcee of the Kit Kat Club. His role is to tie the various scenes together and reinforce the dark, foreboding madness of the rise of Nazi Germany. Steven Gallagher throws himself into the role of the emcee and provides the uncomfortable edginess necessary for the play. Countering the lusty romance of Sally Bowles and Clifford Bradshaw is the bittersweet romance between Clifford's landlady, Fraulein Schneider (Gabrielle Jones), and fruit market vendor Herr Schultz (Murray Furrow). Perhaps it is a credit to the actors, or the director, Kat Girls. Dressed mostly in underwear, the Kit Kat Girls provide some memorable dance scenes in the confines of the small Stage West stage, thanks largely to the direction and choreography of Anne Allan, who recently was a guest director at Sheridan College for No, No, Nanette. Cabaret at Stage West runs until July 9. Performances run nightly Tuesday to Sunday with matinees on Wednesday and Sunday. Tickets range from $51 per person plus tax for a Wednesday matinee to $92.11 per person plus tax for a Saturday evening. For tickets call 905-238-0042 or email boxoffice@stagewest.com. -- Rod Jerred can be reached at rjerred@haltonsearch.com. Michelle Doyle as Sally Bowles but this story line was more interesting than that of the two lead characters. In the end the relationship between Clifford and Sally falls apart because it was built on a weak foundation of lust. The failure of the relationship between Fraulein Schneider and Herr Schultz is much more touching because it arose out of loneliness, developed through love, and was ended by the harsh reality of politics, which neither accepted, but were seemingly powerless to oppose Fraulein Schneider chooses the security of keeping her livelihood, her rooming house, rather than marrying a Jew in the face of rising anti-Semitism in Nazi Germany. The audience sympathizes with her dilemma because we know what fate awaits her if she chose to marry Herr Schultz. Perhaps, this is why the romance between the elder couple is more interesting. In the end, we can imagine Clifford Bradshaw went home and signed up for the armed forces. Sally Bowles may or may not have retreated home in time to England. We don't really care. But we know Herr Schultz likely died in a concentration camp and Fraulein Schneider probably saw her boarding house destroyed in the Fall of Berlin at the end of the Second World War. Their fates are more trag- ic than the younger characters. Two other memorable side characters in the play are Nazi bagman Ernst Ludwig (Jonathan Purdon) and Fraulein Kost (Marianne McCord) two seedy characters who aligned themselves with the rise of the Nazis. Last, but not least, we have the Kit Peace of Mind ... ... the most Valuable Service we Provide Are you happy with your bank? There is more whining about the banks in Canada than there is 905.330.7448 anton@tridelta.ca Anton Tucker about the weather, but is it justified? www.tridelta.ca CFP, FMA, FCSI OAKVILLE NORTH YORK MISSISSAUGA THORNHILL The best answer depends on whether you're a shareholder or client. Shareholders love the juicy profits and the stream of dividends. Clients are however more cynical and have seen deteriorating service levels, lineups having simply shifted from the counters to the ATM machines with no reduction in service charges. 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