Award-winning musical to light up State Theatre during national tour
Although “Cabaret’ is a provocative show, actress Amy Downing, who plays Sally Bowles in a production headed for Uniontown, said that audiences respond well to it.”I think they like it because it’s not brainless entertainment,’ Downing said. “Their lives are truly affected by the show.’ “Cabaret,’ which will play the State Theatre Center for the Arts at 8 p.m. today, is an award-winning musical about pre-World War II Germany as the Nazi Party came into power. It concerns a romance between an English woman and an American writer that takes place in a nightclub called the Kit Kat Club.
The Broadway show was later made into a movie starring Liza Minnelli, who won an Oscar for her performance as Bowles. The show was revived on Broadway in 1998, winning four Tony Awards.
A publicist for the show coming to Uniontown explained this is a non-union tour, produced by Networks and directed by B.T. McNicholl, who has recreated the direction of the Broadway show. Sam Mendes and Rob Marshall directed the Broadway show, and McNicholl worked with them on Broadway and on the tour.
The tour started in October 2001, went on hiatus this past summer, was put together with a slightly new cast in September and went out again in October. It will continue through March and is traveling throughout the United States and Canada.
Downing, a Texas native, joined the show in September. She is a May graduate of Ithaca College with a degree in acting and musical theater. Downing lived in Manhattan for three months before joining “Cabaret,’ her first national tour. And she’s enjoying playing Bowles.
“I think it’s one of the greatest, most challenging, complex roles,’ Downing said. “She’s such an incredibly layered character. She’s really a frightened child, wanting to be loved in a world that’s falling apart around her.
“Sometimes people can leave with a bad taste in their mouths,” she added. “They think she’s cold and callous, but she’s really not. She’s scared.’
“‘Cabaret” is known for such songs as ‘Willkommen,’ ‘Tomorrow Belongs to Me,’ ‘Money’ and ‘Cabaret.’
“I love it. It’s such good music,’ Downing said.
For people who might have seen the movie version of “Cabaret,’ Downing said they should expect some differences with the stage version.
“The movie is not as political as the stage version,’ Downing said. “The stage version deals a lot with prejudice. …It’s got such a powerful message. It’s pertinent to what’s going on today in the world. When people get scared, they tend to cling to the safest thing without questioning the measures being taken.’
She said the musical is not shocking just to be shocking.
“It takes place in the night-club scene, which is the lowest class of hierarchy in this society,’ said Downing, explaining this is where the Nazi movement began. “It’s not people wearing underwear because they want to sell tickets, but it’s focusing on this particular class in Nazi Germany because this is where the demise of this class began. It deals with the risqu? and shocking because it’s addressing prejudice.
“It’s not appropriate for children, but it’s a show with a strong message and you should see it with an open mind,” she continued. “I don’t think it’s as shocking as people think it will be. I’m from Texas, and I know people who’ve seen it. It pushes their boundaries, but they’ve come away loving it.’
Downing added, “It’s not meant to make anyone uncomfortable. It pushes the open mind. We’ve taken this to the smallest towns and the biggest towns, and we’ve always had a good response.’
“Cabaret’ is for mature audiences. For ticket information, call the State Theatre Center for the Arts at 724-439-1360.