Cabaret
Scene: Berlin, Germany
Time: 1929-1930 Before the rise of the
Third Reich
Go back 30 years. Imagine sitting in
a swank Berlin nightclub—flashing
lights, flappers, little tables with direct
telephone communication to any other
table in the house, color, blaring music,
gaiety, the glittering night-life of
Roaring 20’s Berlin. Don’t stop now!
C A B A . . R. . K T!!
WELCOME TO CABARET! Sit back
Schneider (Carolyn Martino) presents
our poverty-stricken hero with a
shabby room. Enter the floozy.
Fraulein Kost (Nancy Moyer) is a
young lady of questionable repute, who
adds yet another screw to the works.
Switch. Huuush up, don
tellmamma. Shuuush up don
tellmamma. The heroine of our story
happens to be a headliner in the cabaret
who sings, prances, and generally adds
to the provocation of the male members
of the nightclub audience. She fixes her
attention on the handsome American,
now taking in some of the sights of
Berlin with his new found friend Ernst.
In the time it takes to tango, Sally
Bowles (Cathleen Caven) has Cliff
wrapped around her feather boa.
and enjoy yourself! There’s lots of
songs, lots to drink, lots of fun, lots of
girls, and its all for you!
Switch. An unsuccessful American
novelist, Clifford Bradshaw (John
Flaherty) on his way to Berlin by train
for a change of scene, quite innocently
(or so it seems) meets up with Ernst
Ludwig (John Zagone) a native Ger
man on his way back from Paris. The
two exchange courtesies with Ernst
supplying Cliff with the name of a local
boarding house and talk of the good
times to be had in the city.
Switch. The boarding house where
a delightful landlady, Fraulein
Switch, Switch, Switch. It keeps
you moving. For one instant you, as the
audience are part of the nightclub
entourage, whooping, singing, dan
cing—and then you’re an observer of
some intimate scenes revealing the
blossoming of two separate love stories.
The musical revolves around the
emergence of Nazi power in Germany
and its effects on the lives of the four
main characters.
There are loads of chuckles and an
evening of entertaining songs and
dance. But at the same time, it’s dif
ficult not to become personally involved
in the struggles of the characters—their
confusion, their misunderstandings,
their happiness, their sorrow. The plot
may surfacely appear commonplace,
but the situations and the methods by
which these situations are presented
places Cabaret among one of the most
sophisticated musicals of our time.
The actors and actresses who
provide extremely competent per
formances perhaps deserve an ap
preciable amount of credit. Michael C.
Wren as the cabaret’s Master of
Ceremonies exhibits the remarkable
quality of a man able to set the mood of
the audience on any level at any time.
Fraulein Schneider (Carolyn Martino)
is perhaps one of the more entertaining
characters and her portrayal is indeed
an accomplishment.
Special note is due to the clever
staging of this production. The versatile
and imaginative portable stages and
scenery lend the necessary professional
air; a sense of mature artistic en
deavor. Extra attention spent on
realistic visual detail adds but another
notable dimension to the musical.
Make-up and costumes were ef
fective tools in relaying impressions of
the social and moral decay that marked
the rise of the Third Reich.
Cabaret. Switch.
Brett Andersen
Music
The University Flock Ensemble will
present two concerts in the coming
week, one tonight at about 9:15 (con
clusion of the Weekend of Winds) and
also on Wednesday, May 26 at 8:00 p.m.
The group was formed to provide an
outlet for student composers and
performers in the rock field and most of
the eleven members have performed
professionally. They will do a group of
works ranging from satire on early
rock to progressive jazz-rock. In
strumentation includes a horn section
and two pianos. All works performed at
both concerts are original and have
been selected from those submitted to
the group. Both informal concerts are
open to the public and are free.
Today’s concerts at the school of
music conclude the Weekend of Winds,
a conference devoted to the exploration
of potentials of that medium. Karel
Husa, Pulitzer Prize-winning composer
will conclude his week-long stay at the
University as guest conductor this
evening at 8:00 p.m.
Dean Robert Trotter of the school
of music will present a lecture recital
on African music Saturday, May 22 at
8:00 p.m., and is his second lecture
exploring rhythmic and feeling
qualities of world music this term.
Interaction between audience and
examples usually take the form of
audience participation after short
explanations of specific musical
characteristics. The recital is free and
will be held at the music recital hall.
Linda Benford
Concert
Calendar
Friday, May 21, 12:30 p.m.:
Community College Stage Bands, UO
Concert Band
Friday, May 21, 8:00 p.m.: Com
munity College Wind Ensemble (Karel
Husa, guest conductor) UO Brass Choir
Friday, May 21, 9:15 p.m.: UO
Rock Chamber Ensemble
Saturday, May 22, 8:00 p.m.:
African Music: Dean Robert Trotter,
school of music.
Saturday, May 22, 8:00 p.m.:
James Sperry, harpsichord, organ;
Central Lutheran Church, 18th and
Potter
Sunday, May 123, 4:00 p.m.: Judy
John piano, and Terry Gilliam, tenor
Sunday, May 23, 8:00 p.m. George
Skipworth, bass, DMA degree recital
Monday, May 24,12:30 p.m. Robert
Huffman, piano, student recital.
Monday, May 24 , 8:00 p.m. UO
Chamber Choir
Tuesday, May 25, 8:00 p.m.: Cathy
Aitken, piano, MM degree recital
Wednesday, May 26, 12:30 p.m.:
Michael Watkins, baritone
Wednesday, May 26, 8:00 p.m.:
University Rock Ensemble concert
Thursday, May 27, 12:30 p.m.:
Dave Becker, bassoon, Tom Kranovich,
trumpet; student recital
Thursday, May 27, 8:00 p.m.:
University Symphony Orchestra
All concerts are held in the school
of music recital hall unless otherwise
noted. All are free and open to the
public.
Untitled Poem
I am a living creature;
My home was in the sea;
I crawled on to the land
So my body would be free,
To roam the unknown world
Among ice and sun and wind,
To stand erect, with voice and limbs
A god, and perfect specimen.
To nature’s hand I owe my grace,
My beauty long adored,
In idols of their arts and crafts,
Their gods that strike me
To the floor.
So far away I feel
From my home within the sea ;
So many miles I’ve come
Looking upward to the sky.
With eyes upon the golden world,
Upon the beauty that is me.
To find instead
Myself in chains.
My limbs dissolved to keys.
My lungs but faintly gasping.
My heart beats not at all.
No butterflies to lite,
And chase me in the Spring;
No kitty cats to nestle,
No warmth of fire;light;
No sun and smell to tell
That I have come to paint
A summer’s tale;
No fish to wish upon,
So silvern in the pool.
No water now.
No oats to feed the horses;
No grass to feed the cows;
No trees to feed me crystal breath
And I spread death,
Upon the sea.
Flo Conway-Baker
Los Angeles, California
January, 1971