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Published Saturday
November 15, 2003
Review: Lead
actress knocks out crowd at 'Cabaret'
BY BOB FISCHBACH
WORLD-HERALD STAFF WRITER
A new face in a classic Broadway musical role is the highlight of
SNAP's "Cabaret," which opened Friday.
Chelsie Hartness,
as nightclub chanteuse Sally Bowles, flashes onto the Omaha scene
in a display of sensuality, stage presence and fresh appeal not
often matched on area stages.
She knocked
out the crowd with her crackerjack rendition of the title song,
which some may even prefer to Liza Minnelli's movie version.
Hartness lets
her character's post-abortion, post-breakup emotions bubble to the
surface as she works "Cabaret" to its climax, transitioning
from tears to steely backbone. And in "Maybe This Time,"
she exquisitely builds from a smoky alto whisper to a triumphant
cry.
Cheeky, brassy
and drop-dead gorgeous, Hartness is a triple threat to other leading
ladies as a singer, dancer and actress.
Happily, the
show's assets don't stop there. Michal Simpson, as emcee at the
Kit Kat Klub, is a campy, trampy, androgynous treat as he works
the audience with his bawdy patter. Simpson does more with a raspy
throat than many leading men can muster on their best night.
He and Wai Yim
teamed on some fine choreography, ranging from a kicking line on
"Wilkommen" to a physically demanding chair dance on "Mein
Herr" and a visually witty opener for "Money" that
features only hands against a black backdrop.
Director Bill
Bohannon works the flashy, oversexed Broadway revival of this story
- set in 1930s Berlin during Hitler's rise to power - to good advantage.
He inventively
and entertainingly moves the hordes on and off the tiny stage with
choreography and humorous bits, keeping the show under 21/2 hours
with intermission. Norm Filbert coached the cast on German dialect,
and it shows, especially on the number "Married."
A talented supporting
cast yields strong acting performances from Kevin Bensley as Sally's
love interest, Echelle Childers as a boarding-house floozy and Jon
Shaw as Nazi supporter Ernst. Seth Fox displays a beautiful tenor
on the chilling "Tomorrow Belongs to Me."
Costumes by
Travis Halsey are exceptional, and so are some of the bodies that
fill them.
Musical director
Mitch Fuller is a multitalent, conducting while switch-hitting on
flute, clarinet and tenor sax. Trombonist Joe Beach, drummer Travis
Kilpatrick and keyboardist Rod Carlson also make a joyful noise.
A well-staged
ending scene was spoiled at a Thursday preview by late spotlight
cues and balky scenery. Timing issues, at least early on, are perhaps
understandable for a show that logged less than five weeks of rehearsal.
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