'Here Life Is Beautiful'

"Leave your troubles outside...

"We have no troubles here! Here life is beautiful..."

So says the master of ceremonies as he welcomes guests to the Kit Kat Club in pre-World War II Berlin.

Nothing inside the cabaret is real -- or really beautiful, says Ed McClure, who is directing the production opening tonight at Arkansas Public Theatre. "But the ugliness inside is still prettier than what's outside."

And that's the framework for "Cabaret," which debuted on Broadway in 1966. Outside, the Nazis are gaining power, while -- like the patrons in the cabaret -- the rest of the world hides their heads in the sand.

"Shows like 'Cabaret' remind us of the importance of standing up for what's right and what you perceive to be wrong," McClure says. "That notion is timely."

That's not the only thing that drew the veteran director to choose the musical as the first for Rogers Little Theater under its new name, Arkansas Public Theatre at the Victory.

"It was time because we were able to obtain the Alan Cumming revival version, which is very stripped down, very raw, and I think that helps tell the story in a much more concise, modern sort of way," McClure says. "The story is constructed in such a way that a lot of the fluff and subplot have been edited, and we really understand the dichotomy between life inside the cabaret and what's going on outside.

"The notion of impending doom hangs over the entire production."

At the center of the story are the Emcee; a British singer, Sally Bowles; and an American writer, Cliff Bradshaw. All of them are dream roles for the actors cast in the APT premiere.

"When you see the title 'Cabaret,' anybody obsessed with musical theater is just drawn to it," says Michael Myers, a newcomer to the APT stage as the Emcee. "The role is very demanding."

In addition to learning to walk and dance in heels and wearing a lot less clothing than he's accustomed to wearing, Myers says, "It's been fun and exciting to be able to do a little experimentation on stage and see what works. A lot of roles are very strict. The magic of the Emcee is he can kind of do whatever he wants."

Like Judas in "Jesus Christ Superstar," a comparison McClure draws, the Emcee "is clearly a participant in the action," but he also breaks the "fourth wall" to interact directly with the audience.

"He's kind of like the Grim Reaper in the sense he tends to see what's going to happen," adds McClure.

"His responsibility is to bring the audience into the show and make them feel emotions for the characters and for themselves," Myers says.

"I can relate a lot to Sally," says Sarah Mouritsen, who plays Sally Bowles. "She is divinely ignorant, in a way, by choice. When things get serious, she doesn't want to act like she knows what's going on. It may seem she doesn't know what she's doing, but she definitely does. This show will definitely have you thinking."

During the course of the play, Sally falls in love with Cliff, gets pregnant, refuses to marry Cliff, then returns to the Kit Kat Club. Cliff heads back to America alone, dealing with his own loss and his loss of innocence at the hands of the Third Reich.

"A good show makes people think," agrees Joseph Farmer, who plays Cliff. "A great show makes people talk. There are layers upon layers to this story to talk about."

"When we first started rehearsals, we were pumped," Myers remembers. "The choreography was so much fun. But now that we're adding those layers, with that comes emotion. And that forces you to be part of the story, a piece of history so dark and so tragic. If that doesn't affect you, maybe you should check on that."

"The night we blocked the [nontraditional] curtain call, it was chilling," says McClure. "We're hoping it has the punch we feel like it has."

NAN What's Up on 09/11/2015