Cabaret – Musical – Cornish College of the Arts

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
RoleName
Sally BowlesAdia Beaulieu
Helga/Fight CaptainAllison Renee Heath
(u/s Schneider)
EmceeAnteia DeLaney
Max/Hans/SailorCarolyn Scherbinske
Fraulein Fritze KostCoco Justino
Cliff BradshawElias Capestany
Victor/Dance CaptainElizabeth Blackmun
Herr SchultzFisher
RosieGenna Dow
(u/s Sally)
FrenchieGennavieve Smith
Customs Officer/Herman/Sailor Grace Andresen
(u/s Ernst)
Fraulein SchneiderHayley Martin
LuluMadison Neal
(u/s Kost)
TexasMaggie Reichgott
(u/s Schultz)
Ensemble Oliver Munguia
(u/s Will, Theo, Carolyn, Gray)

Olivia Sheaffer
(u/s Genna, Madison, Gennavieve, Allie, Maggie)
ErnstTagen Mathews
SailorTony Caraveo
(u/s Emcee)
Bobby Will Ehrlich
(u/s Cliff)
Upright BassJon Butler
DrummerEnzo Periera
Alto SaxDavid Volpini
PianistRich Gray
Book AuthorJoe Masterof

(Based on the lay by John Van Druten
& stories by Christopher Isherwood)
ComposerJohn Kander
LyricistFred Ebb
DirectorKathryn Van Meter
Stage ManagerEmily Grierson
Music DirectorsRich Gray & Danny Kam
ChoreographerNicole Beerman
Sound DesignerSandra Menjivar
Lighting DesignerGwen Cubbage
Scenic DesignerChristopher Mumaw
Costume DesignerIsabella L. Price
Assistant DirectorTony Caraveo
Props ManagerJessica Christensen
Technical DirectorMatthew McCarren
Assistant Music DirectorDavid Volpini
Fight ChoreographerGeof Alm
Intimacy DirectorSarah Harlett
Assistant ChoreographerGennavieve Smith
Dialect/Vocal CoachKate Myre
Scenic DesignerChristopher Mumaw
Assistant Stage ManagerSema Serifsoy-DiFalco
Costume AssistantElla Swenson
Assistant Dialect CoachElizabeth Blackmun
Carolyn Scherbinske
DramaturgMaggie Reichgott
Deck CrewSam Ingram
Olivia Freeman
Followspot OperatorElla Accacia
Deck CrewCharlotte Seaver
Visual & Performing Arts Production ManagerGavin Yehle
Scene Shop SupervisorMatthew McCarren
Theater Dept. Faculty ChairSheila Daniels
Props & Paint SupervisorJessica Christensen
Cabaret Faculty LiaisonRobin Lynn Smith
TH 147 InstructorAmy LaZerte
Costume Shop Supervisor & Practicum Costume AdvisorCarl Bronsdon
Director of CSESPinky Estell
TH/PP Department CoordinatorRachel Brinn
CSES Technical SupervisorMarc Mixon

Spring Awakening – Musical – Cornish College of the Arts

Free waitlist tickets to the sold-out performance of Spring Awakening with Paul. Talented promising actors. Novel economical staging elements. But too dark, emo, and angsty. Teenagers! Was I ever this dramatic?