by April Helms
Special Products Editor
David Vosburgh's history with the Kander and Ebb musical "Cabaret" started in 1966, when he was given the chance to see it.
"I saw it originally in 1966, on New Year's Eve," Vosburgh said.
Friends had tickets to go see it in New York, but a heavy snowstorm prevented them from making the journey, he said. So Vosburgh's friends offered the tickets to him. At the time, he only lived a short distance from the theater.
Since that time, Vosburgh, who will be directing "Cabaret" at Aurora Community Theatre, has been involved with the musical on several occasions, including as an actor in the 1986 revival with Hal Prince and Joel Grey.
"Twenty years later, in a revival, I was performing on New Year's Eve at that same theater, staring at those same two seats," Vosburgh said.
Aurora Community Theatre will present "Cabaret" at 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays April 25 through May 17. Vosburgh will share his insider stories about the play with ACT audiences during a special pre-show talk at 7 p.m. April 26. The talk is free for those with tickets for that evening's show.
Set in 1930s Berlin, the main plot revolves around Sally Bowles, a singer at the decadent Kit Kat Klub (Chanda Porter) and American writer Cliff Bradshaw (Marc Finney). The sub-plot story of mature love under the cloud of Nazism features the boarding house owner Fraulein Schneider (Hester Lewellen) and Jewish fruit vendor Herr Schultz (Frank Mularo).
"Every time I've done this, it's a different configuration, of the theater and of course the cast," Vosburgh said. "The show has evolved. It started out as a novel, then became a stage show, 'I Am a Camera.' Then Kander and Ebb made it into a musical."
There also was a 1972 movie starring Liza Minnelli, Michael York and Grey.
Vosburgh said an interesting note is that in the musical, the story line involving Schneider and Schultz received more prominence than in the other incarnations.
"In fact, when this first came out, the older couple got top billing," he said.
Since the movie, there have been two revivals of the musical, Vosburgh said.
"The musical as a genre has matured," he said. "There are things you can do onstage now that you couldn't do in 1966. There were several songs that were added, some songs were dropped. But the message itself just does not change. As we move further from World War II and that generation, we have to introduce these themes to a younger generation. This can happen anywhere, and if you aren't careful, it can happen to you. It's a history lesson, and we need to be constantly reminded of it."
Vosburgh called the musical "a very complicated piece."
"It's like directing a play and a musical at the same time," he said.
Porter, who lives in Stow, said her character is "a star in her own mind."
"It some ways, she is innocent," Porter said of Sally Bowles. "She wants the best out of life, and wants everyone to act that way, too. Any sticky situation, she runs away. She wants everything to be pretty."
Greta Rothman of Twinsburg said there was a bit of an irony of her playing Fraulein Kost.
"I'm Jewish, and I'm playing an anti-Semitic German," Rohman said. "I'm also playing the gorilla in one number, who represents the anti-Semitic nature."
Rothman said Kost was "a woman who is looking to make a buck." However, she called the role pivotal because Kost helps introduce the dark shadow of looming Nazism in the story at the end of Act I.
Scott Zolowski of Aurora plays the EmCee, the master of ceremonies at the Kit Kat Club and the often unseen commentator about the events unfolding in Berlin.
"The EmCee has two sides to him," Zolowski said. "There's the performance side, which he does very well. But the other side is someone who doesn't care about the politics. He's is the commentator."
"He's not just the presenter at the club, he's the presenter of the show," Porter added.
Ticket and show information
Tickets at $15 each are available by calling 330-562-1818 or ordering online, including seat selection at www.auroracommunitytheatre.com.
Aurora Community Theatre is at 115 E. Pioneer Trail, near the intersection of routes 43 and 306, near the gazebo in the center of Aurora.
Girls Night Out
Aurora Community Theatre will host a Girls Night Out event before the May 2 performance of "Cabaret." Tickets are $15 for the pre-show party and the performance. The reception will include wine and hors d'oeuvres, along with several boutique vendors.
Call 330-562-1818 for details or tickets, or visit www.auroracommunitytheatre.com for information.