LiveWire 68 - LaGuardia Community College - CUNY

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“CABARET” COMES TO LAGUARDIA By Staff The <strong>LiveWire</strong> sat down with some of the cast members of “Cabaret,” to discuss the play and their experiences. They were Veronica Palazzolo, who plays Sally Bowles; Darryl Sorrentino, who plays Clifford Bradshaw; Rashidah Fowler, who plays the MC; and Matthew Trzpis, who plays Ernst Ludwig. Professor Davis Henry Davis, who is directing the play, also sat in on the conversation. PROFESSOR DAVIS: These actors have worked a long time in the theater department, performed in many shows, so this is a culmination of their work here. We have been rehearsing “Cabaret” since September; they have had the opportunity to work intensely on the acting, singing and dancing as well as delve deeply into their characters. How did you prepare for the part? VERONICA: I read The Berlin Stories by Christopher Isherwood, researched online and watched interviews of people who portrayed Sally on Broadway. I also read the script several times: the first as a story to see how she interacts with other people; second, as Veronica to see how I would react to these situations; and then as Sally Bowles. From there I tried to find a midpoint between Veronica and Sally. DARRYL: I also read The Berlin Stories and did a lot of research on Christopher Isherwood, an English novelist who wrote about his travels to Germany. Because I believe the character of Cliff is Christopher, I wanted to learn as much as I could about the author. I also read the play and figured out how he would make those choices. I think I am going to get him. RASHIDAH: My experience has been different from Veronica’s and Darryl’s because when the 8 www.laguardia.edu play was first rehearsed I was cast as a Kit Kat girl so all the research I had done was about cabarets in Berlin. A few months later when I got the role of the MC, I hadn’t read The Berlin Stories, and I hadn’t seen any other productions of “Cabaret” because I didn’t want to hinder how I would portray the character. Do you find it difficult playing a part that was written for a man? RASHIDAH: No. I have played male characters before in other productions. It wasn’t a big stretch. Are you able to relate to your character? VERONICA: She has a dream, a passion. She is very ambitious and driven. She wants to be star, an actress, and so do I. So I can relate to that. And she is very vulnerable. She did not know or care about politics in Berlin, which led to her damnation. I am vulnerable, too, because all I know is about acting. The question of Cliff’s sexuality comes up. PROFESSOR DAVIS: Cliff Bradshaw’s sexuality is an interesting point because as they worked on the musical the nature of his sexuality evolved. In 1966, when they premiered the show on Broadway, he was a heterosexual character. Then in the revival in 1984, he became a homosexual character. DARRYL: I look at him as a homosexual because I based my character on Christopher Isherwood who was a homosexual. PROFESSOR DAVIS: Other characters try to define his sexuality for him. He clearly has had some homosexual encounters but there is no sense that he feels comfortable being a homosexual or that he is committed to being a homosexual. The play touches upon some very sensitive subjects: Nazism, homosexuality. How was it viewed when it came out? PROFESSOR DAVIS: It was considered very bold and it was one of the first concept musicals, meaning a musical with a central idea or theme which is reinforced through direction, the designs, and the music and dialogue, all combining to create a powerful effect on the audience. For example, there is a special relationship between the numbers in “Cabaret” and the scenes. The numbers seem to comment on the scenes and the scenes seem to comment on the numbers. What is the purpose of the cabaret in 1930s Berlin? VERONICA: The Kit Kat Klub is entertainment but also propaganda. It is telling people, ‘don’t look over there, look over here.’ It is blinding them with what the club wants them to see, which are girls dancing around, hiding the truth from people. PROFESSOR DAVIS: One can argue that today’s media outlets, like the cabarets, are distracting us. We think the media is informing us, but it is also diverting us from looking at something closely. And that is really the core of the play. The play asks the question, “If something horrible is happening around you, what are you going to do about it? Are you going to just continue with your life as before or will you actually react and take a stand?” Do the characters take a stand? RASHIDAH: Cliff takes a stand. Sally takes a stand. VERONICA: I do. I decide to stay and die for what I believe in. Continued on next page
Cabaret... Continued from previous page DARRYL: That is not a stand. It is a fall. VERONICA: No it is a stand. She is not going to go to Cliff’s world, to America. She doesn’t believe in that. She went to Berlin to follow her dreams and no matter what the cost she is going to stay there. So what happened to Sally? PROFESSOR DAVIS: We don’t know, although there is a clue in the song “Cabaret,” which is one of the most famous theater songs ever written. In the song, Sally sings about her friend, Elsie. DARRYL VERONICA: Elsie was a former Kit Kat girl who went to Berlin with her and died of a drug overdose. Sally sings that she looked so peaceful in her coffin that she is going to go like her. PROFESSOR DAVIS: I think Christopher Isherwood never knew what happened to the real Sally Bowles. This character just disappeared from history. Matthew Trzpis, who plays the shadowy character of Ernst Ludwig, joins the conversation. What happened to your character? VERONICA MATT: With Ernst, it’s just the opposite! My character succeeds in the end because he gets what he wants, which are the Nazis coming to power. RASHIDAH: Ultimately, Ernst is the only one who gets what he wants. Sally decides to stay, but with everything she knows falling apart in Germany, she will never be that big star. Cliff wants Sally to go back to America with him and he does not get what he wants. And the MC just wants to sleep around and perform and he does not get what he wants. PROFESSOR DAVIS: When Hitler came to power three years later in 1933 the cabarets were all closed down. No one could do satire. No one could make fun of the government. So… RASHIDAH: The MC ends up where everyone else ends up. It is very odd to do this part because it is usually played by Caucasian men and I am a black woman. In 1930s Berlin I am sure I would be shipped away somewhere or imprisoned like many people. By the end of the play, the MC’s spirit is gone. How would you sum it all up? VERONICA: Doing this play was a dream come true. PROFESSOR DAVIS: And I have to live with it. Laughter ◗ RASHIDAH MATT 9
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