Extended! Olney's 'Cabaret,' a sensational feast, now thru Oct. 13

Mason Alexander Park is the Emcee and Alexandra Silber is Sally Bowles in CABARET at Olney Theatre Center/Photo credit: Stan Barouh
 
What good is sitting alone in your home when you can come to the play? Life is a Cabaret, old chum. Come to the Cabaret.

It's a holiday in September! 

It's raunchy, robust, and it rocks Olney Theatre Center's 82nd season start.

It's the music which brings us to the show.

The timing is post-World War I in Weimar Germany, in Berlin, then the third largest city in the world where citizens sought joy amidst dire economic circumstances, and here they came!  To the "cabaret."

If Joel Grey is the actor who immediately pops into your mind when you think of Cabaret, Olney Theatre Center's newest show has got his double starring on stage. (Joel Grey is still kickin' at age 87.)

Mason Alexander Park, the master of ceremonies, is magnificent. He's the centerfold with a personality and voice who directs the pizazz and revelry which increase alongside spreading Nazi weeds in this garden of tawdry delights.

Besides Mr. Park, the marvelous music is the star here.  Forget the growing gloom and sit back (or sit up right on stage, if you like) and enjoy "Money, Money," "Two Ladies," "Tomorrow Belongs to Me," and "If You Could See Her," among many tunes.

Mason Alexander Park (center), the Emcee,  with the Kit Kat Girls in CABARET at Olney Theatre Center/Photo: Stan Barouh

The Kit Kat Klub, the place to be for ribaldry, is every bit as raucous as the name sounds with a stage at a nightclub and a glittering backdrop of rich, velvety floor-to-ceiling drapes which cascade behind an 11-member orchestra (led by Christopher Youstra) who are decked in tails.  

Overshadowing the fun on the backdrop is a ghastly face in a cracked mirror which reflects the hot dancing girls in spectacular ooh-la-Las Vegas costumes whose kicks almost reach the chandeliers.
    

Gregory Maheu is Clifford Bradshaw, an American who arrives in Berlin to write a novel.  He woos a cabaret star, Sally (Alexandra Silber) and tries to convince her to eventually return with him to America and save herself.  Director Alan Paul successfully changes Mr. Bradshaw from a timid weakling into a confident man who can say no.

It's not all debauchery. Some balance is presented by the sweet relationship which develops between Herr Schultz
 (Mitchell Hébert) and Mr. Bradshaw's landlady, Fraulein Schneider (Donna Migliaccio) until.... The credibility of both actors swept up the audience which hoped for the best.

That Cabaret was chosen for staging now was not by chance, but planned to coincide with events as a reminder that this, too, can happen again in a world of persistent evil.

The powerful ending is a shocker and leaves you dazed. Artistic Director Jayson Loewith writes In program notes that it's a bit different from Olney's usual climax, but as anyone will tell you who's seen the show, Cabaret is another huge hit in Olney's expanding and renowned musical portfolio.

Lights out!  

The Cabaret is closed.

Other cast members are Jessica Laurel Ball, Jessica Bennett, Patrick Ford, Ben Gunderson,  Andre Hinds, Lina Lee, Connor James Reilly, Bridget Riley, Tyler Quentin Smallwood, Tom Story, Katy Tabb, Louisa Tringali, and Rick Westerkamp.

More members of the creative team, Wilson Chin, scenics; Kendra Rai, costumes; Colin K. Bills, lighting;
Matt Rowe, sound;   Ali Pohanka, wigs;  Zach Campion, dialects; Madison Bahr, assistant stage manager; John Keith Hall, production stage manager; Josiane  M. Jones, director of production; Katie Spelman, choreographer; and
Katie Ciszek, dramaturg.

What: Cabaret by Joe Masteroff, John van Druten, Christopher Isherwood with music by John Kander and lyrics, Fred Ebb

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Where: Olney Theatre Center, 2001 Olney-Sandy Spring Road, Olney, MD 20832.

When: Through Oct. 6, 2019, Wednesday through Saturday at 8 p.m.; matinees on Saturday, Sunday and some Wednesdays (Sept. 11, 18, Oct. 2) at 2 p.m. An audio-described performance for the blind and visually impaired Wednesday, Sept. 11, at 8 p.m. and a sign-interpreted performance Thursday, Sept. 19 at 8 p.m. 

Tickets: Begin at $42 with discounts for groups, seniors, military, and students

Ages: Olney rates this as "PG-13" but I rate it an "R" although most of the sex and debauchery are not pronounced.  One "F-bomb."

"Afterwords": Post-show discussions after most Saturday matinees with the cast and crew
  
Duration: About 2.5 hours with one 15 minute intermission. You'll wish the show would go on.

Refreshments: Available and may be taken to seats

Parking: Free, lighted and plentiful on-site

For more information: 301-924-3400 for the box office or 301-924-4485.

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