The Department of Theatre and Dance will put on a production of “Cabaret” April 14-20 at the Marian Gallaway Theatre.
Cabaret tells the story of Cliff Bradshaw, an American writer, played by Preston Lumpkins, a sophomore majoring in theatre. Bradshaw falls in love with Sally Bowles, a performer at the world-famous Kit-Kat Club, played by Parker Mitchell, a sophomore majoring in theatre.
Set in 1930s Berlin, the musical depicts the rise of the Nazi party and showcases how each character chooses to deal with the unfolding political climate.
“A teacher of mine used to tell me, history doesn’t always repeat itself, but oftentimes rhymes,” Mitchell said. “I think that is so apropos, especially in today, there are just sort of a lot of Sally Bowles in the world that just kind of want to close their eyes and their breath and muscle through it, and I don’t think that that is the way to get through life.”
To prepare for the show, the cast and crew rehearses Monday-Friday from 6-10 p.m.
“It’s a lot of work, but we love it,” Mitchell said. “All of the wonderful people that are collaborating on this project just have such a deep care for it and want to handle it so gently and well, and so you don’t mind being here for 20 hours a week.”
The musical is faculty-directed and costume designed, but it features students in the cast and crew.
Among the team of crew members working is an intimacy coordinator and a fight coordinator to ensure cast members are approaching mature content matter in an “accurate and respectful manner.”
The cast has also attended a lecture on the Weimar Republic, taught by Matthew Feminella, an associate professor of German.
“Keeping ourselves educated is a really good way to mitigate any uncomfortable feeling,” Mitchell said.
The show will run seven performances and tickets are $15 for students and can be purchased on the UA theatre and dance website.
“Come into it prepared to think, don’t just come into it expecting to be entertained,” Lumpkins said. “You will be entertained, but come into it expecting to put some work into how you process what’s going on, and think about how that could apply to your life and the world that we’re living in now.”
