Fragile Freedom (JCC CenterStage)
Cabaret
Book by Joe Masteroff
Based on the play by John Van Druten and
Stories by Christopher Isherwood
Music by John Kander
Lyrics by Fred Ebb Directed by Erin Silliman
Review by Regina Harris
Entire contents are copyright @ 2026 by Regina Harris. All rights reserved.
Cabaret opened Thursday night at Centerstage to a sold-out house and a deeply invested audience. Given the emotional upheaval of the midterm elections just two days prior, this production resonated powerfully. Its central theme - the erosion of freedom and the rise of Nazism - felt uncomfortably close to home.
Set in pre-World War II Berlin, Cabaret takes us into the Kit Kat Klub where a spirited and energetic group of performers and patrons cling to their optimism and individuality in a world hell-bent on taking those things away. Beneath the glitter, the music, and the inhibition is a much darker story: one of ordinary people being forced to make daily choices that slowly compromise their freedoms, their values, and ultimately, their humanity in effort to protect their own comfort and safety. The Kit Kat Klub, a presumed sanctuary for uninhibited, sexual and artistic expression, ultimately reveals itself to be one of the most vulnerable places of all.
The production was remarkably polished. Every note was on point, every dance step precise, and every line convincing, but it offered something beyond technical excellence. Director Erin Silliman and Assistant Director Jordan Price clearly invested their hearts and souls in the material bringing a thoughtful understanding of the story and its characters while drawing the very best from their performers.
Choreographer Zach Boone delivered precise energetic movement, while Music Director Adam Thomas soared with the impressive array of vocalists. Mandi Kramer created a wonderfully colorful and sexy collection of costumes that captured the spirit of the Kit Kat Klub. Lighting and sound were equally well matched, supporting the atmosphere and emotional weight of the production. The entire production was raw, honest, unflinching, and unabashed. It entertained, certainly, but it also challenged its audience to look beyond the spectacle and considered every real the very real cost of looking the other way.
Carmen Napier as Sally Bowles popped like a firecracker, trying to convince herself that the illusion of her life is reality; Andrew Schaftlein as the Emcee dramatically and poignantly revealed the story. Teddy Stevens was on point as earnest novelist Clifford Bradshaw. Pete Lay’s Hans/Max was as chilling as the Kit Kat Klub dancers (Jessica Adamson, Jillian Cain, Louise Hopson, Shelby Shenkman, Lexi Stites and Zoe Wexler) were sizzling. Jennifer Polski and James Russell Cooper broke hearts as doomed lovers, Fraulein Schneider and Herr Schultz; and Mary Kate Venegas as morally ambiguous Fraulein Kost brought the perfect shade of gray. Fleshing out the accomplished cast were Jason Button (Bobby); Chris Gatterdam (Victor/Guard); Cooper Turk-Gagel (Herman/Rudy). Owen Page’s angelic soprano elevated - and devastated - with "Tomorrow Belongs to Me."
Cabaret is a thoroughly captivating evening of theater. It’s a celebration of the power of performance and the freedom to be ourselves, even as it reminds us how precious and fragile that freedom can be. Don’t miss this one.
Cabaret
November 5, 7, 9, 12, 14 @ 7:30 pm
November 8, 15 @ 2:00 pm
Centerstage at the Trager Family JCC
3600 Dutchmans Lane
Louisville, KY 40205
502-238-2796
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