"Come To The 'Cabaret'........" At The Gallery Players, In Park Slope!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                              There is only one more week to go, so I urge all to see this beautifully nuanced production.

                                Having seen this, and their production of "A Chorus Line," I am convinced The Gallery Players excel at "concept musicals."  And there is a whole gaggle of them I hope they do, and explore.

                                   But let's talk about "Cabaret."  The movie, which most know, and the stage version, are two different things.  The stage version is better, because, good as the film is, it is still "The Liza and Joel Show," whereas the stage version is about heartbreak and ruin.  Which the movie soft pedaled.

                                    Credit is due to director David Thomas Cronin, who does not let his cast copy, or channel, anyone previously associated with this show.

                                      When the show opens, and Brian Edward Levario appeared as the Emcee, the audience was at once in good hands.  He brings his own sense of sleaziness, and menace to the role, while being splendidly entertaining.  He manipulates the audience into the cabaret, and then manipulates them back out into a reality some may be afraid to face, after having witnessed what goes on here.

                                        Mr. Levario and Erica Lustig, as Sally Bowles, do splendid work.  Not for a second does Lustig copy LIZA, even when she gets to "Maybe This Time."  She sings strongly, but her Sally is still a second rate ingenue, though not a virgin, who will clearly go no further than this club, however she deludes herself.  And Lustig plays Sally exactly this way--and all the better  for her performance!

                                          Those who moved me the most were Liz Gurland as Fraulein Schneider,
Lorinne  Lambert, as Fraulein Kost, Paul Page, as Herr Schultz, and Kevin McAuley, as Ernst Ludwig.

                                          The heart of the tragedy of this musical is the doomed love affair of Herr Schultz and Fraulein Schneider, who love each other genuinely, but are torn apart by the social changes happening in the world.  This pair's rendition of "Married" is moving in its plea for a happiness both long for, but the world around them will not have.  But it is Miss Gurland who conveys the tragedy of her situation, with her survivor song, "So What?," and the heart rending, "What Would You Do."  Gurland's rendition of this tune was so genuine, I could not stop crying for her performance, for the character, and all caught in this horrid situation.

                                              It is chilling, and fascinating, to see how Lambert's and McAuley's performances evolve from likable characters, into monsters.  It begins with the chilling "Tomorrow Belongs To Me," which not only ruins the engagement party of Schultz and Schneider, but breaks off the relationship.  This chilling song closes the first act, with Cliff and Sally, Schultz and Schneider watching in disbelief.  It is one of two of the show's most heartbreaking moments.

                                                 Each and every actor carefully nuances their role, not going over the top, or being too understated.  David Thomas Cronin's direction is this way, to make sure the actors elicit the proper audience response at the moment required.  And each actor does this superbly.

                                                  Jonas Baranca is a cipher as Clifford Bradshaw, but, then, he is supposed to be.  He is the audience's alter ego, who observe, through him, what is going on.  He is also wonderful on "Perfectly Marvelous," a song I am glad was not cut.  My only criticism was, at the end, when Cliff delivers his monologue, "There was a cabaret...," the actors do not emerge as textual images to reprise portions of their songs, as in the original production.

                                                   But I am nit picking. This "Cabaret" ends on a somber note, but not over the top, like the 1998 production.  I won't go any further, darlings!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                                     You must see this remarkable production, for yourselves!!!!!!!!!!!!!