Date:
2/20/2002
Contact: Wendel Sloan at 505.562.2253
PORTALES – The original version of the smash Broadway hit "Cabaret" will be playing in the Eastern New Mexico University Ballroom from Feb. 28 through March 3, with a Sunday afternoon matinee.
The show is set in Berlin between the two World Wars, and depicts the lives of several characters and how they are affected by the rise of the Nazism. Sally Bowles is the star of the Kit Kat Klub, a Berlin nightclub. She meets--and inserts herself into the life of--Clifford Bradshaw, a young American writer traveling Europe in search of inspiration for his first novel. Clifford rents a room from Fraulein Schneider, a German woman who was born into a wealthy family but lost her wealth and love. Another of her tenants is Herr Schultz, a Jewish fruit shop owner who falls hard for his landlady. The cast includes a cynically amusing Master of Ceremonies, a group of beautiful Kit Kat Girls, Fraulein Kost, a woman with a lust for life, and the sinister Ernst Ludwig, a Nazi sympathizer.
Dr. Jean Ornellas, director and professor of voice, has chosen to present the less risqué original version of the play, which is quite different from the revival currently playing on Broadway. The revival shifted much of the focus from the impact of politics on the lives of the characters, and centered more on the sex life of mid-war Berlin. According to Dr. Ornellas, "The original really depicts how the insidious rise of Nazism affected the characters' lives. The play emphasizes the way people tried to play and party and ignore what was happening around them. There are a lot of fun dance numbers, but it's rather disturbing at the same time."
Although Dr. Ornellas is the director, she said, "It's really the students' show. There is a student choreographer and student costume designers. The students also came up with many of the directing ideas. They build the sets, many of the costumes, designed programs and did promotions." According to Dr. Ornellas, there is a wide spectrum of student performers: from freshmen to seniors, in majors ranging from music and theatre to psychology, communications and other diverse majors.
All performances will be held in the Campus Union Ballroom, set up to resemble a Berlin Nightclub. Evening performances begin at 7 p.m., and the Sunday matinee begins at 2 p.m. Tickets are available in the Music Building, Room 110. Prices are $7 for adults, $6 for senior citizens, $5 for students, and $4 for students with an ENMU ID.
In keeping with the nightclub atmosphere, dessert and coffee or sparkling cider will be available at intermission. Tickets for intermission dessert are $2.50, and advance reservations are requested. For additional information or ticket reservations, please call 505-562-2787.
02-20-02