I’ve been to Berlin in Germany this last Saturday night, 1930s Berlin, to be precise, a world of sinful passion and sexy debauchery. From 20 November till 12 February, Christchurch’s Court Theatre is turning into the German nightclub Kit Kat Klub for its latest musical Cabaret, and my visit was truly magnificent.
As soon as we walked through the doors of the sinfully sexy Kit Kat Klub we were greeted by the performers in a hilarious (and spot-on) German accent – Guten Abend! The guys and gals in suspenders, blusher and lace showed everyone to their seats, flirting shamelessly with the audience while getting comfy on one or the other lap, and animated people to cheer extra loud for them as soon as the show started.
And when the actual Kit Kit Klub performance did start it surely went off with a bang. Impressive lighting, songs that saw everyone clapping along right from the start, raunchy costumes (or should I say lack of clothes?) and even naughtier moves – Willkommen, Bienvenue, Welcome! After the MC (Nic Kyle) introduced all the Kit Kat Klub performers and the orchestra, situated under the raised stage (“Here, even the orchestra is beautiful!”), the renowned singer Sally Bowles (Antonia Prebble) made her first appearance, showcasing the classic Don’t Tell Mama. The Outrageous Fortune star owned the stage right from the start, whether she was singing at the top of her voice, drinking prairie oysters (raw egg and Worcester sauce) without flinching, or seducing the aspiring author Cliff Bradshaw (Cameron Douglas), who arrives in Berlin to work on his new novel and watches her perform at the Kit Kat Klub. The naïve, self-proclaimed ‘quite mysterious and fascinating’ singer takes Cliff’s fancy and so a passionate romance evolves. But their affair is by no means the only one. The owner of Cliff’s Gasthaus (guest house), Faeulein Schneider (Rima Te Wiata), falls for Jewish gentlemen Herr Schultz (Steven Ray) who entices her with his delicious gifts of fruit and optimism, while a fellow lodger makes her livelihood by bringing home one sailor after the next, giving them out as her nephews or cousins. However, life isn’t as perfect and worriless as the Kit Kat Klub makes it out to be. The ultra-conservative Nazis are rising in Berlin and they slowly penetrate even the shadowy corners of Berlin. Although Sally Bowles chooses to ignore what is happening around her, reality catches up when Cliff, who realises what is going on, leaves and Faeulein Schneider calls off her engagement with Herr Schultz because he is Jewish.
Although the carefree atmosphere adopts a much more serious tone as the story unfolds, what remained after the MC bid us Auf Wiedersehen, was the up-beat song Cabaret. As Director Sandra Rasmussen puts it: “No other musical has [Cabaret’s] power to entertain, amuse, seduce, inform and influence an audience.” Cabaret is full of hilarious moments and German accents, great music and extraordinary talent.
On opening night, all eyes were on TV star Antonia Prebble. After delighting the country with her role as Lorreta in New Zealand’s most successful drama of all time, Outrageous Fortune, it was up to Antonia to prove herself as an actress in a different medium and she certainly delivered. Antonia portrayed Sally Bowles brilliantly, showing that her talent goes well beyond being involved in an 'outrageous' TV role and that she is capable of entertaining a live audience from start to finish. Even though the musical’s official running time is just over two hours, the show is really much longer as the entertainment starts the minute you walk through the doors of the Kit Kat Club, continues throughout intermission and leaves a smile on your face on your way home.
Cabaret is on at The Court Theatre until 12 February 2011 and I can positively say that no-one should miss out on the chance of a visit to Berlin’s Kit Kat Klub! Tickets are NZ$53 for adults and available online.
Cabaret: 20 November 2010 – 12 February 2011