A Riveting 'Cabaret' On Stage At North Fork Community Theatre

MATTITUCK, NY — There's a performance unfolding at the the North Fork Community Theatre in Mattituck so compelling and brilliant, it's probably the best rendition of this particular show to be seen on any stage.

From the first moments Justin Harris steps out in "Cabaret," the NFCT's latest production, the audience is riveted by his voice, his silken, seductive and, at the the same time, sinister voice, wrapping itself smoothly around hearts and snaring undivided, rapt attention.

"Cabaret", a Broadway classic, features a book by Joe Masteroff, music by John Kander, and lyrics by Fred Ebb, and is based on the play by John Van Druten and stories by Christopher Isherwood.

Harris plays the master of ceremonies, the role carved in history by the legendary Joel Grey, and having seen Grey on Broadway, it's fair to say that Harris follows in those memory-making footsteps with ease, in a show that centers on an American writer coming to Berlin to work on a book and subsequently becoming enraptured with a beautiful, gin-soaked Sally Bowles, played to magnificent perfection in this production by Brianna Kinnier.

As the story evolves, the decadence of the cabaret, with all its bawdy charm and sensual enticement begins to fade as the subversive undertones of the show's central theme take center stage and the evil of the Nazi regime spreads insidiously, tainting the true love found by the show's fiercely talented Linda Aydinian, as Fraulein Schneider and Michael P. Horn, as Herr Schultz.

The pair, both tremendous talents well known on the North Fork theatrical canvas, play a couple who find love later in life, only to have harsh reality shatter illusions and romantic promise.

It's a theatrical piece that's filled with human yearning, the pining for true love, artistic success, financial stability. But in the end, as the Nazis march forward, the fragility of the human spirit is exposed as Sally Bowles stands alone, hopelessly alone, the promise of love and a future shattered, singing perhaps the most show-stopping number of the production, "Cabaret." A rendition so exquisite one is tempted to sit in the theater and ask her to please, sing it again, just one more time.

Nick Motlenski's Cliff Bradshaw, the writer from America horrified and outraged by the Nazi rise to power, is played with a heart-aching innocence and youthful passion that has the audience hoping fervently that once, just this once, dreams can, in fact, come true.

Colin Palmer, as a Nazi who charms Cliff into an apartment and a tutoring job to ensnare him, is the character audiences grow to revile, as the depth of his nefarious intentions is revealed.

The entire cast, including John Hudson as club owner Max, Jennifer Eager, as Fraulein Kost, who brings men into her room for forbidden pleasure in her own harsh struggles for survival, Joseph Podlas, as the young boy whose "Tomorrow Belongs To Me" is hauntingly beautiful, Tom Del Prete as a dancing gorilla and Matt Eager, as the customs official, are a polished group, working in harmony to create a show so gripping and moving that it's hard to leave the theater after the lights have risen.

Director Manning Dandridge, the show's assistant director Laura Pearsall, musical director George Moravek, choreographer Chelsea Chizever, producers Liz Liszanckie and Jennifer Eager, and lighting designers David Scheer and Julia Eager, all deserve a round of applause for a stand-out production.

Set design by Rowland Hautsch and Manning Dandridge also deserves a shout out, in the less-is-more tradition, the set resonates with sparkle and elusive dreams.

The Kit Kat Club, for all its garish beauty and mysterious allure, represents wanton desires and hedonistic pursuits — but in the cruel glare of daylight, the stage is a sad mockery of broken hearts and utter desperation.

The show seems particularly relevant with the current political climate, reflecting a polarized nation and humans forced to confront seemingly impossible choices.

As Dandridge wrote, "Although it is set in Berlin during the rise of Nazism, its theme is as relevant today as it ever was. When faced with any kind of political threat, do we stand up for what is right, or ignore it and party on. As Fraulein Scheider so pointedly asks in Act II, 'What would you do?'"

The answer, perhaps, can be found within this incredible piece of thought-provoking theater. Because, after all, "What good is sitting alone in your room? Come hear the music play. Life is a cabaret, old chum. Life is a cabaret."

Performance dates are Thursdays through Sundays, through June 4. Showtimes are Thursday to Saturday at 8 p.m. and Sunday at 2:30 p.m. Admission costs $25. Click here for tickets or call 631-298-6328.

Patch courtesy photo.