THEATRE REVIEW:
KPBS
AIRDATE: March 07, 2003
Musical theater comes in all flavors,
the airy, sweet fluff of "I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change," or
the rich, nourishing bite of "Cabaret." Both are very well served on
San Diego stages; it's all a matter of taste. If you savor theater fare of the
frothy and succulent type, you'll relish "Love-Perfect." A series of
songs and vignettes, it looks at relationship from first date to death, with
all the heartthrobs and heartaches in between.
Not much new ground being broken, but the script requires a wildly
versatile cast, and the Starlight performers deliver, in spades; it's an
outstanding ensemble, with endless charm, tremendous talent and exceptional
vocal ability, creating an ever-changing cast of colorful characters. Director
Brian Wells has given it just the right, light touch; not smarmy and
self-satisfied like some productions. This one has no pretensions; it's
high-fructose fare, with a dash of the bittersweet. Chameleon powerhouses Leigh
Scarritt and Joy Yandell are a hoot, trading wonderful wigs and terrific
star-turns, meshing perfectly with comical David Brannen and adorable David
Humphrey. Like Kathy Auckland's riotous costumes, the show, in the new,
state-of-the-art Sycuan Theatre, is a wholesome, high-energy treat.
"Cabaret" is theater for a
very different palate. It's a tart musical about a time and place that was
garish and wanton, and doomed to collapse. A time, in some ways, not unlike our
own. The mirror that faced and reflected the audience in the 1966 original
would be well-placed now. The North Coast Repertory Theatre production is an
amalgam of that version, the film and the subsequent Broadway revivals, the
most recent of which made the ending more harrowing and horrific. That would've
been a nice addition here. But director Sean Murray has chosen instead to
downplay the encroaching Nazi menace in his view of debauched 1930 Berlin. The
Kit Kat Club is suitably seedy, but the fear factor is so subtle it loses
potency. The production is solid, but the acting far overshadows the singing.
Most of the principals would do better to talk through their songs, rather than
straining at them. K.B. Mercer makes a pathetically upbeat, delusional Sally
Bowles, and Jeremiah Lorenz is spectacular as the ominous, androgynous emcee.
The rest of the cast is compelling in this gut-wrenching story with a glorious score,
which should, but doesn't quite, take your breath away.
Now, for another glimpse of life lived in brutal times, don't miss
world-renowned South African playwright Athol Fugard, reading from his new
work, tomorrow night, as a benefit for the Black Ensemble Theatre, in
conjunction with their production of his "Master Harold… and The
Boys."
There's a theater feast around you; dig
in and pig out!
©2003
Patté Productions Inc.