The Sandspur

Issue date: 11/20/09 Section: Arts & Entertainment

Media Credit: Rollins.edu COME TO THE CABARET: The Kit Kat Girls and company perform a musical number from "Cabaret," now showing at the Annie Russell Theatre.

This year's second performance at the Annie Russell Theater is Cabaret, a musical set in Berlin, Germany in the early 1930s. I had never seen the show Cabaret before, but I had heard some of the musical numbers from the show. I have to say, I was expecting an upbeat musical comedy, which was what I got until the end of the first act, when the show suddenly took a hugely dark turn with the emergence of the Nazi Party in Germany.

The show begins with the song "Willkommen," performed by the company, and of course, the Emcee, played by Peter Travis (Class of 2012). This fabulously flamboyant character, played so well by Travis, stole the entire show. Whenever he came on stage, my eyes went straight to him, and I could not help hanging on to every single word he spoke. Everything about him was spot on, from costume, to acting, to singing, to his German accent. Without a doubt, he was my favorite character of the entire show.

The company of the girls who worked at the Kit Kat Club also did a great job with the singing as well as dancing. The choreography was nicely done, and encompassed all of the girls' talents. There were even some technically trained dancers in the show, including sophmores Mallory Gladman and Kelsey Glennon (who played Elsa and Ilsa, respectively), as well as senior Jill Lockhart, who played Texas, and is president of the dance troupe on campus, Rollins Dancers. My only concern with the dancing was the number "Kickline," which immediately followed the intermission. The choreography was good, but the number seemed to be a bit under rehearsed and sloppy.

Emily Killian (Class of 2010), who played Kit Kat Club star Sally Bowles, did a great job not only in the acting department, but also with her singing. Her part included many numbers that needed a singer with a large range, and Killian delivered. I did feel, though, that the love connection between the characters of Sally and Cliff Bradshaw (played by Dustin Schwab, Class of 2010) was a bit stark, and not as strong as it should have been. The acting by Schwab was stiff, and although the character Bradshaw is a hard part to play, he should strive to make the character more believable.

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