Written by orange• March 30, 2025• 1:04 am• fullerton, Fullerton Community College, Review, Theater, Uncategorized

Cabaret @ Fullerton Community Theatre – Review

Photo credit: Sarah Mino Naccartato

Written by Patrick Chavis

Cabaret is playing now at Fullerton Community College from March 20 – 29, 2025.

Controversial, explosive, and still relevant since premiering on Broadway during the late 1960s, Fullerton Community College’s production of the Broadway 1998 version of Cabaret is a faithful rendition with show-stopping moments that cannot be ignored. Pass the Lipitor, my heart may have skipped a beat.

Story:

Cabaret is a musical about two ex-pats, Novelist Clifford Bradshaw (Nicholas Martinez) from the United States and Sally Bowles (October Stradwick), a British second-rate club performer, who meet at a Nightclub and develop a tumultuous relationship in 1929 Berlin as the Nazis rise to power.

Dancing:

Is it a powerful story? Yes, there are plenty of memorable tunes also. Visually, the dancing is so memorable when it comes to this particular show. You have to get that right. It’s so iconic. Choreographer Arthur L. Ross, with assistance from Assistant Choreographer Olivia Oakley and Dance Captains Kelvin Co and Sarah Moyers, was up to the challenge. They gave us what we love about dancing in this show and a little more. The ballerina-type dancing and movement from Olga (Koda Frey) were graceful and pronounced. With some exceptions, there was some cohesive and well-thought-out dancing throughout from this crew. This is not a PG show. They could’ve gone a little further, but it’s a college show. I get it.

Lighting/Acting:

Primarily, I found the lighting from Justin Ekowibowo on point, and nowhere stronger then one of the final numbers, Cabaret, with blindingly intense red light cascading onto the stage, covering October Stradwick (Sally Bowles) in a performance of Cabaret that builds so beautifully into a final note that sliced through the room like a knife.

They could have ended the show right there. I know there’s more, but it would have been perfect.

There’s nothing like live theater. You can’t capture it. Not with the best cameras.

Set Design:

Less effective moments, particularly at a nightclub where the lighting was so bright at times—the brightest nightclub in Berlin, which didn’t fit the mood of the scene. Other times, you get beautiful moments of purple and magenta, like in the scene below. The color palette of purples and Magentas are seen throughout this design from Scenic Designer Chuck Ketter all the way down to the color of the brick.

Utilizing large and movable backdrops that came in from the sky and the side of the building, often sliding into place in seconds. There was barely a moment of wasted time between transitions. While sound issues did occur, they were very slight and didn’t stop or interfere with the performances; the show must go on. One of the most stunning set pieces was of Herr Schultz’s (Max Feingold) store, intact with rows of fruits and clear windows that expose the colorful frills of the outside world.

More Acting:

Let’s talk about Herr Schultz (Max Feingold) and Fraulein Schneider(Raquel DePorto). What a chameleon Raquel DePorto is, from her scene-stealing performance in The Bog of Cats (2023) as Cat Woman to this riveting performance as Fraulein Schneider. The question is, what can Deporto not do? Look out for her performance, which features nice accompaniment from Max Feingold in the tune Married and in one of the sadder but more meaningful tunes in the musical, What Would You Do.

Hannah Hughes’s (Fraulein Kost) bubbly and flirtatious performance comes second only to her powerful vocals.

And, of course, there is no cabaret without the master of ceremonies, the Emcee himself, Seth Diaz (Emcee), playing one of the more difficult roles and leading the way with gusto.