The Kit Kat Club awaits: Step into the amazing world of 'Cabaret' at ASF

Sometimes the best pieces of art are equally entertaining and challenging.

"That's a beautiful, joyful night at the theater," said Pierre Marais, who plays the master of ceremonies Emcee for the Kit Kat Club in Alabama Shakespeare Festival's production of "Cabaret."

"I think it's a really important play to see. I couldn't recommend it higher," Marais said. "My character, I sort of break the fourth wall a lot. I get to face the audience, look them in the eyes and speak to them."

Set in 1929 Berlin, Germany, "Cabaret" opens Thursday 7 p.m. at ASF, and runs through Aug. 6.

Max Wolkowitz plays Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, writer Cliff Bradshaw, who has been traveling across Europe in search of inspiration.

"He arrives in Berlin to try to write his next novel, and discovers that the entertainment scene is far more enticing than sitting in his room with his typewriter," Wolkowitz said.

The role of singer Sally Bowles is played by Crystal Kelloff.

"It is truly a gift to be able to play scenes with her," Wolkowitz said. "She brings such commitment and authenticity and humor to this part... She's really got her own take on this woman, this performer surviving on her own in Berlin."

Wolkowitz also praised the show's live band. "We have a really great horn section that has that sort of jazz influence, with this different kind of German and European inflection to it," he said.

Along with his role as a writer exploring lands and climates he's unfamiliar with, Wolkowitz said he sees Bradshaw as a bisexual character in a time and place where that carried great risks.

"He has relationships with two people on stage, Sally Bowles and another character (obby Gender) who he has a history with from his time in London," Wolkowitz said. He said the relationship with Bowles is impulsive and full of joy and frustration.

Crafting 'Cabaret'

Marais said this stage production of "Cabaret" is a collage of different works. It started with the 1939 book of short stories, "Goodbye to Berlin," by Christopher Isherwood, which was adapted into the play, "I Am a Camera," in 1951. From there, it was transformed into the Broadway musical, "Cabaret," in 1966, with music by John Kander, lyrics by Fred Ebb, and book by Joe Masteroff. In 1972, "Cabaret" was adapted into a film, starring Liza Minnelli.

"The movie is really its own version that really exists by itself," Marais said.

"Cabaret" has been performed in different versions on Broadway — 1966, 1987, and 1998 — and was revived again in 2014.

"Our version follows that version in terms of scriptwork more similarly than the film," said Marais.

Marais praised the production's sets and the many beautiful costumes he'll be wearing in each show.

"I believe I have close to 10 or 11 costumes, all custom designed for me," Marais said.

Except for a change of vest, Wolkowitz doesn't have to go through other outfits.

"I'm the character kind of keeping the audiences grounded through the show," Wolkowitz said. "Everybody else gets to do wild costume changes."

The not-so-beautiful side of 'Cabaret'

Wolkowitz said that "Cabaret" an incredibly entertaining show with a talented cast, but that it has another side. It's set in 1929-1930 Germany as the Nazis are rising into power — bringing with them new levels of violence and discrimination.

Wolkowitz said it's a world that Bradshaw walked into blindly, and a place where he would develop a political moral spine.

"This play gives us a lens into how people responded to it in the past and how we might respond to it now," Wolkowitz said.

VIPs can take a seat in the Kit Kat Club

Along with regular orchestra level seating that runs from $25 to $64, for the first time there is a special VIP level of seating that takes audience participation to a new level for ASF. At the front of the Festival Stage, space has been made for VIP ticket holder tables for two set up as the Kit Kat Club. These tickets are $75 each.

"Half the show really takes place in the Kit Kat Club," Marais said.

"It's an exciting opportunity for intimacy with the audience," said Wolkowitz. "There's a moment in the show where I get to be at one of those tables and be an audience member with them for a moment."

Tables come with a chilled bottle of sparkling wine.

While it's recommended that VIPs come in pairs, single tickets are also available for guests to meet a new acquaintance.

Get tickets online at asf.net or by calling the box office at 334-271-5353.

Free ASF Insights into 'Cabaret'

Join Dr. Dan J. Puckett, a professor of history at Troy University and the Chair of the Alabama Holocaust Commission, at ASF for a free discussion about the historical setting of "Cabaret." This presentation of ASF Insights takes place at 12:30 p.m. on July 8.

Montgomery Advertiser reporter Shannon Heupel covers things to do in the River Region. Contact him at sheupel@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Montgomery Advertiser: Step into the amazing world of 'Cabaret' at ASF