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THEATER Oregon Cabaret Theatre stages gritty 'Cabaret' Comment By Roberta Kent Mail Tribune MailTribune.com By Roberta Kent Mail Tribune Posted May. 27, 2015 at 9:00 AM By Roberta Kent Mail Tribune Posted May. 27, 2015 at 9:00 AM » Social News Ashland’s Oregon Cabaret Theatre becomes pre-war Berlin’s raucous Kit Kat Klub as it presents John Kander's and Fred Ebb’s multiple award-winning musical, “Cabaret.” “We are turning the entire Cabaret Theatre into the Kit Kat Club,” says Artistic Director Valerie Rachelle. “The tables and the floor plan become part of the scenic design. There is no separation between the audience and the show. “We want to erase the distinction between the audience arriving and the show starting,” adds Scenic Designer Craig Hudson. “The show starts as soon as you enter the theater, with the three-piece onstage band playing as soon as the doors open. I want the audience to come in and say, ‘Wow.’ ” “Cabaret” previews Thursday, May 28, opens Friday, May 29, and runs through Aug. 30 at OCT, First and Hargadine streets. Curtain is at 8 p.m. Fridays through Saturdays, Mondays and Wednesdays; 1 p.m. for Sunday matinees. Tickets cost $21, and $39 for all other shows. Bistro seating is available for $25. Tickets cost $21 for the preview; $39 for all other shows. Bistro seating is available or $25. Tickets can be purchased online at oregoncabaret.com , at the box office or by calling 541-488-2902. Dinner seating begins at 6:30 p.m. for evening performances; brunch seating is at 11:30 a.m. for matinees. Reservations are required. Appetizers, beverages and desserts are available without reservations during intermissions. “Cabaret” is set in 1931 in a decadent Berlin nightclub. Everything and anything is acceptable as long as it stays in the city’s uninhibited “underground.” Cliff Bradshaw, a young American writer, falls in love with Sally Bowles, a hedonistic British performer at the Kit Kat Club. He becomes enmeshed in Germany’s increasingly ugly social changes as the Nazis rise to power. “This is a dark story, and we are not pulling any punches in our staging of it,” Rachelle cautions. She co-directs and co-choreographs “Cabaret” with Michael Jenkinson, a colleague from Pacific Conservatory of the Performing Arts. Jenkinson appeared in OCT's productions of “‘Tis the Season” and “Route 66” and directed its production of “The Daly News.” “This production of ‘Cabaret’ is not a copy of the original or any of the various revivals,” Rachelle emphasizes. “We started with Joe Masteroff’s script, the music by John Kander and the lyrics by Fred Ebb and created our own design, characterizations and choreography. Our end will be very different from the final scene in other productions.” Rachelle says that she does not see the Emcee — played by Galloway Stevens — as a victim at the end of the play. “I see him as part of the evil that is happening around him,” Rachelle says. “He is turning a blind eye. He does not speak up. The play sends a clear message to the audience: Look at what happens if you do not pay attention.” “Cabaret” features the largest cast ever assembled at OCT, starring Jillian Van Niel as Sally Bowles and Tamara Marston as Fraulein Schneider. Paul Michael Garcia, who plays Cliff, and Matt Brown, playing Ernst, spent two seasons at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival. New to Ashland is Stevens, John Lambie as Herr Schultz and Leah Kolb as Fraulein Kost. OCT is using the script from “Cabaret’s” 1998 revival. It includes two songs, “Mein Herr” and “Maybe This Time” that were written by Kander and Ebb for the substantially different 1972 film story starring Joel Grey and Liza Minnelli. The two songs were so successful that later revivals of the stage musical integrated them into the original play. “This is the biggest show we’ve ever done at the Cabaret,” says OCT co-founder Hudson. “It is a show that works in the theater’s environment and also has substance. It’s very exciting to see the Cabaret Theatre going in a new direction.” Roberta Kent is a freelance writer living in Ashland. Reach her at [email protected]. By Roberta Kent Mail Tribune MailTribune.com By Roberta Kent Mail Tribune Posted May. 27, 2015 at 9:00 AM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Southern Oregon Directory Featured Businesses Loading... 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