Charismatic. Hard-hitting. Unforgettable. Beautiful but devastating. These are just a few words used by the cast and crew of “Cabaret” to describe the musical.
The final show of the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse Department of Theatre and Dance’s 2024-25 season begins its performances Friday, April 25, and continues this weekend through next weekend.
“Cabaret” is set in the politically and socially turbulent Berlin, Germany in the late 1920’s/early 1930’s at the Kit Kat Klub – a nightclub filled with jazz and seedy characters.
One such character is “Emcee”, the club’s master of ceremonies. UWL’s cast features Second-year Musical Theatre and Communications Studies Major Sean Peterson in the role.
“[Emcee] is very flamboyant and very open about his passions. He’s sort of someone who stands off to the side and watches, and then goes to the audience and says, ‘What do you think of what you just saw?’” said Peterson.
Another character audiences meet in the club is Sally Bowles, an English jazz singer and the lead performer at the club. Taylor Rammer, a fourth-year musical theatre major, plays Bowles in UWL’s rendition and described Bowles as eccentric, carefree and spontaneous.
“She also has that ‘Ignorance is bliss’ mindset, and you see how that affects her and her relationships throughout the play. She really doesn’t want to let anything affect her, but…she eventually has to deal with reality creeping into that spontaneous, fun nightlife in Berlin,” said Rammer.
At the club, Bowles meets a young American writer named Clifford Bradshaw, the play’s protagonist, who has travelled to Germany to find inspiration for his next novel. Clifford quickly gets caught up in the whirlwind of the club and the new people he meets while living in Berlin.
“He’s a bright-eyed, hopeful individual here for new adventures,” said First-year Student and Musical Theatre Major Jack Augustine, who plays Clifford. “Then slowly, throughout the play, [Clifford] becomes more jaded and cynical.”
While the show centers around Clifford and Sally’s relationship, the characters interact with difficult topics, reminding not only the characters, but also audiences, what is happening in Germany.
Assistant Professor of Theatre and Dance and Director Dr. Nic Barilar reflected on the challenge of portraying difficult and emotional moments on stage, discussing how rehearsals allowed actors to take a break from the weight of the show’s setting.
“From the get-go, making sure they understood that they had agency in the story they are helping to tell was really important,” said Barilar.
Watching the students grow, not only as artists and humans, but as informed citizens who have a responsibility to the past, was something Barilar mentioned as an exciting part of rehearsals.
“This show has really allowed for a lot of growth. There have been so many moments onstage where [the actors] make a new choice in rehearsal, and all of a sudden it begins to crackle and pop,” said Barilar.
Peterson echoed Barilar’s sentiment. “Being able to portray this show genuinely has been a challenge. We know the meaning behind it and what message we’re trying to give the audience,” said Peterson.
Fourth-year Stage Management Major Sage Goetsch is the show’s stage manager and spoke about the technical challenges featured in “Cabaret”.
“The scenery if complicated, there are stunts and a million dance numbers – this has been a monster of a show!” said Goetsch.
Rammer also mentioned the show’s dancing as a challenge she faced during rehearsals. Having begun dancing only three years ago, Rammer mentioned not only learning the choreography (courtesy of Assistant Professor of Theatre and Dance Ashley Dobrogosz) as a challenge, but also her confidence as being something she needed to develop.
“Dancing is a very vulnerable thing and knowing that I’m going to be right there in the front and I have to take on that role well, I have to have that mindset of, ‘Yes, I can do this,’” said Rammer.
While the show deals with mature content and emotional moments, it also features Tony Award-winning music and lyrics by John Kander and Fred Ebb.
“This is one of those musicals where I don’t think there’s a bad number in the whole show. There are catchy tunes, they’re hummable. They’re all bangers in their own right,” said Barilar.
“Cabaret” is recommended for mature audiences. The show contains mature language and content.
Performances are April 25-26 and May 1-3, 2025 at 7:30 p.m. and April 27 and May 4, 2025 at 2:00 p.m. at the Toland Theatre, Lowe Center for the Arts.
Online tickets are $22 for adults; $20 for senior citizens/non UWL students and $8 for UWL students. Online tickets will have a small credit card processing fee added at checkout. Patrons are encouraged to buy their tickets online and download the tickets to their phone/email. Tickets may be purchased online at www.uwlax.edu/theatre-and-dance.
In person and tickets purchased by phone call are $24 for adults, $22 for senior/non UWL students/military and $10 for UWL students (processing/printing fee already included in the price); call (608) 785-6696. The box office opened April 21 for in person/phone ticket sales. Box office hours are Monday through Friday 1:00-3:00 p.m. and one hour prior to each performance.
“Cabaret” is presented in arrangement with Concord Theatricals on behalf of Tams-Witmark LLC (www.concordtheatricals.com).
