'Cabaret' Playing in The Studio

Life is a Cabaret Old Chum, Come to the Cabaret

At the Long Beach Playhouse October 14 - November 18

Long Beach, CA, On October 14, the Long Beach Playhouse Studio Theatre closes its 2017 season with the musical Cabaret. When Cabaret debuted in 1966, it was sexually provocative and edgy for the time. By 1998, the bar had moved up what was considered provocative and edgy. The play was due for an update.

Although the story line of pre-Nazi Germany of the 1920s/30s with rampant decadence is unchanged, the seediness and desperation of the characters and the situation is darker in this telling.

Sean F. Gray, Playhouse Artistic Director is also in the director's chair for this production. "In 1998, British director Sam Mendes reimagined Cabaret. In 1966, Sally Bowles' fishnet stockings signaled a flirtatious sexuality. In Mendes' production, the stockings are ripped. The needle tracks on her arms tell us she isn't just a flirtatious girl; she's a deeply wounded human being."

In the play, the raucous entertainment of the seamy Kit Kat Club reflects the lives of those drifters that frequent and perform on its stage. From the enigmatic Emcee, to the wounded Sally Bowles, to a mature couple dealing with the difficulties of the prevalent antisemitism that flourishes around them, these familiar characters will reignite the sense of despair and danger so commonly found in fascist regimes. 

"One thing that isn't different in this production is the unforgettable songs of Kander and Ebb," said Madison Mooney, Playhouse Executive Director. "The music is beautiful. The harmonies are a counterpoint to the desperate situations the characters find themselves in."

Gray assembled a cast that includes Playhouse veterans and several new faces. The Emcee is played by Noah Wagner. Wagner has transfixed Playhouse audiences for years with his visceral portrayals including the wounded animal in Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo, the conflicted psychiatrist in Equus and the barber-turned-butcher in Sweeney Todd.

Sally Bowles is portrayed by Courtney Riel Owens. This is her fifth production at the Playhouse. Many will remember her for portrayal of the housekeeper-cum-psychic in Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike and Miss Adelaide in Guys and Dolls on the Mainstage.

Other actors who appeared in the recent Playhouse Mainstage production of Guys and Dolls and are returning for Cabaret include Lisa Salas, Jeseka Luna and Cisco Morales. Leigh Hayes, Austin James, and Steve Shane are returning actors audiences will remember from their previous roles.

Making their Playhouse debuts are: Nori Tecosky, Katherine Heflin, Kyra Olschewske, Arystaysha Torres-Salas, Gabrielle Gutierrez, Kyle Kayvaun, and William Ardelean.

"We have such talented people working on this show," said Gray. "The actors are first rate. On the technical side, we have Halley Hardy as choreographer and Stephen Olear as musical director. Both of them are incredibly talented and it shows in the quality of this production."

The show opens October 14 and runs through November 18. 

SPECIAL EVENTS FOR THIS PLAY: 

• Pay what you can Thursday Oct 12- community can see this production for whatever they can afford 
• Two for One Preview Friday Oct 13 - Tickets are $10.00 
• Opening Night Champagne Reception with cast on Oct 14 - Tickets are $27.00 

Ticket Pricing: 

Friday: Adults are $20.00, Seniors $18.00, and Students $14.00

Saturday and Sunday: Adults are $24.00, Seniors $21.00, and Students $14.00.

Tickets are available at www.lbplayhouse.org, or by calling 562-494-1014, option 1. 

To request an interview with the director, cast members or reserve your media tickets to this performance, please send an email to: pr@lbplayhouse.org. 

Long Beach Playhouse is located at 5021 E. Anaheim St., Long Beach, CA, 90804, right across from the Long Beach Recreation golf course. The Playhouse is community-supported theatre with programs and events that cut across age, gender, ethnic, and cultural boundaries.

Performances are 8 p.m. Friday, and Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday. The box office is open Wednesday-Saturday from 3:00-8:00 pm and Sundays from 1:00-2:00 pm on scheduled matinees.

Promotional Design: Daisy Ramirez 

Courtney Riel Owens as Sally Bowles

Photography by Mike Hardy

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