“Cabaret”: Stellar Singing & Dancing Send Wake-Up Call—at Los Altos
Brandon Savage and the Kit Kat Klub Dancers. Photo by Evelyn Huynh.
Lee Ann Payne Directs Chilling Look at 1930’s Berlin
by Joanne Engelhardt
Many regular theatergoers have likely seen a production or two of “Cabaret,” Joe Masteroff’s play with music by John Kandor and Fred Ebb. If not, there’s no better time than now to witness Los Altos Stage Company’s exceptional production of the musical at Bus Barn Theater.
One of the key reasons why this production succeeds is the captivating Brandon Savage who plays the pivotal role of the Emcee. Savage has a unique way of moving around the stage exuberantly, staring straight at the audience—making each person feel as if he’s looking directly at them.
Director/choreographer Lee Ann Payne also knows exactly which buttons to push with her cast to make each actor excel. Her choreography of the dance numbers is downright bawdy, exactly as it should be at the equally raunchy Kit Kat Klub.
Brandon Savage. Photo by Justin Brown.
“Cabaret” revolves around American writer Cliff Bradshaw (subdued Jack Brudos) who arrives in Berlin intending to write a novel. Instead, he gets sidetracked at the rowdy boarding house by the seductive Kit Kat Klub cabaret performer, Sally Bowles (delightful Melissa Momboisse), and Nazi smuggler Ernst Ludwig (menacing Brad Bender), his “friend” who sends several thugs to give Cliff a beating.
Many of “Cabaret’s” songs are likely familiar to theatergoers. Standouts are the energetic opening number, “Welkommen,” and the moving ballad “Maybe This Time.”
While Momboisse’s low volume in “Mein Herr” dampens the experience of the defiant number, her rendition of “Cabaret” conjures the Kit Kat Klub’s energy.
Gwenaveire Garlick as Fraulein Kost and Molly Thornton as Frau Schneider sing their musical numbers with such passion that the opening-night audience rewards them with extended applause.
Garlick sings the strident Nazi war anthem “Tomorrow Belongs to Me” with such bone-chilling conviction at the end of Act One, it leaves the audience wanting. In Act Two, Thornton’s “What Would You Do?” heart-wrenchingly evokes tears from the audience.
Melissa Momboisse. Photo by Justin Brown.
Costume Designer Y. Sharon Peng and her crew tackle the difficult job of outfitting the Kit Kat Klub performers with garter belts, corsets, and tiny lacy black underwear, providing a titillating view of the debauchery and sordidness of the club and its dancers.
Band conductor Gus Kambeitz and his seven-piece orchestra are tucked into an alcove on the right side of the stage. Kambeitz, who also plays bass, leads his orchestra with verve, adding electric energy to the overall production.
As the threats of Nazism creep around the edges of the Klub, the characters of “Cabaret” become more flamboyant, more desperate. Some sense their own impending doom, while others live in denial. The brief final scene is a devastating and sobering reminder that even the brightest lights can be swallowed by darkness.
More than a knock-out musical, “Cabaret” is a reminder of who we are and how to avoid repeating the history of 30’s Nazi Germany.
“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 Lee Ann Payne, musical direction by Gus Kambeitz, vocal direction by Juliet Green
Stage managed by Aya Matsutomo, sound by Chris Beer, lighting by Iffy Leyva, costumes by Y. Sharon Peng, production manager Rebecca Voss, at Los Altos Stage Company, Bus Barn Theater, Los Altos, California.
Info: losaltosstage.org - to September 28, 2025.
Cast: Brandon Savage, Melissa Momboisse, Jack Brudos, Molly Thornton, Charles Evans, Gwenaveire Garlick, Brad Bender, Kyle Arrouzet, Christian Barnard, Paige Collazo, Kristin Hill, Corinna Laskin, Patty Reinhart, Lex Rosenberg, William Smyack, Qian Zhang, and Kalyn McKenzie.