UT to stage CABARET April 4-19
"Life is a Cabaret, old chum! Come to the Cabaret!"
UT Department of Theatre & Film presentation of the musical CABARET, April 4-19, to be an exciting, creative production involving the audience in the performance.
The University of Toledo Department of Theatre and Film will transform its Center Theatre in the Center for Performing Arts to become the Kit Kat Klub, the tawdry 1930’s hot spot that is the setting for the musical CABARET, to make audience members feel as though they are experiencing it for themselves. The UT production of CABARET is unique, however, because it references both the past and the present, by blending the styles and looks of the 1930s with video projection and references to current issues.
The story of CABARET centers on the employees and patrons of the Kit Kat Klub, a cabaret-style nightclub in Berlin. The characters in CABARET are searching for fame, love and sexual freedom, as the lurking shadow of Nazi Germany begins its ascent.
Directed by Theatre Lecturer, Irene Alby, and choreographed by Michael Lang, a resident Choreographer/Artistic Director for the Toledo Ballet, the University production presents the popular 1998 Broadway version of the musical. The 1998 version was based on the book by Joe Masteroff, the play by John Van Druten and stories by Christopher Isherwood, with music by John Kander and lyrics by Fred Ebb. It was co-directed and choreographed by Rob Marshall and directed by Sam Mendes. UT’s CABARelET willalso be accompanied by a live chamber orchestra and features favorite musical numbers including It Couldn't Please Me More, Willkommen, Cabaret, Don't Tell Mama, Two Ladies and more.
The UT production of CABARET will involve audience members before, during and sometimes after the show. The Department of Theatre and Film is collaborating with the Department of Art, to create an art installation just outside the theatre. Alby is working with Associate Professor of 2D & 3D Studies, Barbara Miner, and her students to create an immersive experience in which audience members get a sense of what it was really like to live in the era which gave rise to the Nazis. Miner says, “In subtle ways, people can be co-opted into behavior that they might otherwise be surprised by. Our part of this project is designed to highlight just how insidiously unacceptable behaviors can work their way into our society.”
The immersive experience continues in the theatre in another way as well—through digital cinema. UT Associate Professor and Head of Film, Holly Hey and her students are creating moving image content that will become part of the performance itself.
Alby adds, “What interests me about CABARET is that it shows how complacency and denial can lead to intolerance, dictatorship, and ultimately even human disasters as horrible as genocide. Complacency exists in the US today. Consider public response (or lack of response) to the action of the NSA, the surveillance of online companies, face recognition software, the shrinking of the middle class, infighting among political parties, and from the creation of extremist, fringe parties.”
In CABARET, the characters all respond to the Nazi experience in different ways. Some use the cabaret to drink and have fun and escape the truth; others realize what is going on but feel powerless to stop it. The character Cliff eventually wakes up. This is what we hope the audience will experience – a kind of awakening to the truth.”
The middle of the Center Theatre will have tables that are actually part of the CABARET set and are available to members of the audience, making them “extras” during the performance. Food and beverages will also be available for purchase, which patrons can take into the theatre.
After the opening night performance, April 4, the director, cast and designers of the show will come back out onstage to meet with the audience for a Talkback, where the audience can ask questions about the show. The Talkback is open to all and free refreshments will be served. “It’s a fun and engaging opportunity for the audience to connect with the people who made the show and find out the reasoning behind certain aspects of the performance,” says Dr. Edmund Lingan, Chair of the UT Department of Theatre & Film. “It’s also a great way for the audience to share how well those ideas reached them.”
Performance Dates/Times
April 4, 5, 11, 12, 18, 19 (Fridays & Saturdays) 7:30 p.m.
April 6 & 13 (Sundays) 4 p.m.
Tickets (based on seating preference)
Table Seats in the Kit Kat Klub: $15 each
Theatre Floor Seats: (regular seats on the main level) $12
Balcony Seats: (2nd floor, regular seats) $10
Discounts
Full Table in the Kit Kat Klub: 6 seats for the price of 5
Group Discount: 15% off tickets, any time 8 or more tickets are purchased in a single order.
How to Order Tickets
Online: www.utoledo.edu/BoxOffice
Phone: 419.530.2375
Center for Performing Arts Box Office:
Towerview W & W Rocket Blvd, UT Main Campus
All major credit cards are accepted (AMEX, DISC, MC, VISA), UT Rocket Cards are accepted at the CPA Box Office ticket window only. Processing fees apply on Internet and credit card orders.
Press Release Contact Name: Angela Riddel
Press Release Contact Email: [email protected]
Press Release Contact Phone: 4195302452
Organization Name: UT Department of Theatre & Film
Website or Link: https://www.facebook.com/events/747868598570239/
Organization Address: 2801 W Bancroft St, Toledo, 4195302452