Elevator Thoughts (aka Tweet): Cabaret the musical sold out at Cornish College of the Arts. Novel immersive stage. Well-cast Cliff actor. Good ensemble, Emcee, & Sally too. #musical #theatre #Cabaret
Synopsis from the Theatre: In a Berlin nightclub, as the 1920’s draw to a close, a garish Master of Ceremonies welcomes the audience and assures them they will forget all their troubles at the Cabaret. With the Emcee’s bawdy songs as wry commentary, Cabaret explores the dark, heady, and tumultuous life of Berlin’s natives and expatriates as Germany slowly yields to the emerging Third Reich. Cliff, a young American writer newly arrived in Berlin, is immediately taken with English singer Sally Bowles. Meanwhile, Fräulein Schneider, proprietor of Cliff and Sally’s boarding house, tentatively begins a romance with Herr Schultz, a mild-mannered fruit seller who happens to be Jewish. Musical numbers include “Willkommen,” “Cabaret,” “Don’t Tell Mama” and “Two Ladies.”
Type: Musical
World Premiere: No
Live Band/Orchestra: Yes
Recommendation: See it especially if you like to support student actors. Unfortunately, this production already completed its run though. Also, the entire run was sold out at least 2 weeks before opening night. The only possible way to see a performance was through the waitlist.
Would I See It Again 3 Years from Now?: Always. I’ve probably seen 5 separate productions of this show. One of them was the professional tour.
Rating Compared to Other Shows with the Same Production Value:
4.25 Stars (Out of 5 Stars)
Equity Actors: None
Length: 2.5-2.75 hours
Intermission: Yes
Rant(s)
- Cell Phone Check-in: I was completely baffled when they asked the audience to check-in their cell phone before entering the performance space. A theatre has never asked me to do that … and I’ve attended more than 360 shows since 2017. It didn’t help that my cell phone case also incidentally included my pen so I was unable my write down more impressions of the performance for my review.
- Set Movement: The frequent set movement and audience re-seating was a bit distracting.
- Vocal Range: There were 1-2 male performers who couldn’t reach the high notes. Consequently, they sounded a little off-key. Also, there were 1-2 female performers who could barely reach the low notes. Consequently, the audience couldn’t hear them.
- Character Age: Drama schools students tend to be young in their twenties, late teens, or even thirties. So, it’s difficult to appropriately cast someone in middle-aged or senior character roles. I suggest drama schools either 1) choose performance pieces that don’t contain major characters older than 40 years old, 2) invest heavily in makeup/wardrobe, 3) or recruit a non-student actor to perform these roles. I personally like option 3 the best. For example, UW School of Drama recruited alumnus Malcolm West in this year’s production of Father Comes Home from the Wars.
Other Thought(s)
- Audience Participation: The website said “This production is an immersive experience and will include and encourage audience participation” which made me a little nervous they’d want me to get up and dance. When it comes to theatre, I’d rather sit and (at most) clap. Theatre “pillow princess” here. 😛 In actuality, the actors thankfully didn’t goad the audience to participate much more than a traditional non-immersive performance.
- Immersive Theatre: One of the limitations of immersive, 360 degree, or arena theatre is that the audience doesn’t always see everything. There was a scene in the second act where the audience kept looking at a back wall near the entrance where I couldn’t see. Queue the FOMO! Leave me a comment on the social media links below to tell me what I’ve missed.
Theatre Company : Cornish College of the Arts
Venue: Skinner Theatre at Raisbeck Performance Hall
Venue Physical Address: 2015 Boren Ave, Seattle, WA 98121
Price: Cheap
Dates: November 17 to 20, 2022 – I would have prioritized this review earlier if the college gave me a press ticket. But apparently, they don’t encourage reviewers, which baffled me. In my opinion, “there is no such thing as bad publicity!”
Seating: General Admission
Parking: Street parking (sometimes free) usually available within 3 blocks from the theatre. There’s also various paid parking lots in the area. This part of downtown is closer to South Lake Union neighborhood so it’s not that busy.
Social Media Posts About this Performance from Shows I’ve Seen: Instagram | TikTok | Facebook | Twitter | YouTube
Buy a Ticket or Learn More:
Cast and Production Team: See under the multimedia below.
Other Video +/- Pictures:
@showsiveseen #Cabaret the #Musical sold out at #Cornish College of the Arts. Novel #immersive stage. Well-cast Cliff (Elias Capestany). Good ensemble, Emcee (@anteiadelaney), & Sally (Adia Beaulieu) too. Review: showsiveseen.com/2201 #theatre ♬ Perfectly Marvelous – Natasha Richardson & John Benjamin Hickey
| Role | Name |
| Sally Bowles | Adia Beaulieu |
| Helga/Fight Captain | Allison Renee Heath (u/s Schneider) |
| Emcee | Anteia DeLaney |
| Max/Hans/Sailor | Carolyn Scherbinske |
| Fraulein Fritze Kost | Coco Justino |
| Cliff Bradshaw | Elias Capestany |
| Victor/Dance Captain | Elizabeth Blackmun |
| Herr Schultz | Fisher |
| Rosie | Genna Dow (u/s Sally) |
| Frenchie | Gennavieve Smith |
| Customs Officer/Herman/Sailor | Grace Andresen (u/s Ernst) |
| Fraulein Schneider | Hayley Martin |
| Lulu | Madison Neal (u/s Kost) |
| Texas | Maggie Reichgott (u/s Schultz) |
| Ensemble | Oliver Munguia (u/s Will, Theo, Carolyn, Gray) Olivia Sheaffer (u/s Genna, Madison, Gennavieve, Allie, Maggie) |
| Ernst | Tagen Mathews |
| Sailor | Tony Caraveo (u/s Emcee) |
| Bobby | Will Ehrlich (u/s Cliff) |
| — | — |
| Upright Bass | Jon Butler |
| Drummer | Enzo Periera |
| Alto Sax | David Volpini |
| Pianist | Rich Gray |
| — | — |
| Book Author | Joe Masterof (Based on the lay by John Van Druten & stories by Christopher Isherwood) |
| Composer | John Kander |
| Lyricist | Fred Ebb |
| Director | Kathryn Van Meter |
| Stage Manager | Emily Grierson |
| Music Directors | Rich Gray & Danny Kam |
| Choreographer | Nicole Beerman |
| Sound Designer | Sandra Menjivar |
| Lighting Designer | Gwen Cubbage |
| Scenic Designer | Christopher Mumaw |
| Costume Designer | Isabella L. Price |
| Assistant Director | Tony Caraveo |
| Props Manager | Jessica Christensen |
| Technical Director | Matthew McCarren |
| Assistant Music Director | David Volpini |
| Fight Choreographer | Geof Alm |
| Intimacy Director | Sarah Harlett |
| Assistant Choreographer | Gennavieve Smith |
| Dialect/Vocal Coach | Kate Myre |
| Scenic Designer | Christopher Mumaw |
| Assistant Stage Manager | Sema Serifsoy-DiFalco |
| Costume Assistant | Ella Swenson |
| Assistant Dialect Coach | Elizabeth Blackmun Carolyn Scherbinske |
| Dramaturg | Maggie Reichgott |
| Deck Crew | Sam Ingram Olivia Freeman |
| Followspot Operator | Ella Accacia |
| Deck Crew | Charlotte Seaver |
| Visual & Performing Arts Production Manager | Gavin Yehle |
| Scene Shop Supervisor | Matthew McCarren |
| Theater Dept. Faculty Chair | Sheila Daniels |
| Props & Paint Supervisor | Jessica Christensen |
| Cabaret Faculty Liaison | Robin Lynn Smith |
| TH 147 Instructor | Amy LaZerte |
| Costume Shop Supervisor & Practicum Costume Advisor | Carl Bronsdon |
| Director of CSES | Pinky Estell |
| TH/PP Department Coordinator | Rachel Brinn |
| CSES Technical Supervisor | Marc Mixon |