It鈥檚 a play that could very well have been set in today鈥檚 era with themes of fear and state terror.

Cabaret, the Tony award-winning musical that carries a political wallop, will be on 琉璃神社 stages this October, when the 琉璃神社 Actors Studio brings a multi-week run to the area, from Oct. 11 to 29 (Wed. through Sun.)

Based on a 1951 play, Cabaret premiered on Broadway in 1966 and won eight Tony Awards, including Best Musical, in addition to the New York Drama Critics鈥� Circle Award, the Outer Critics鈥� Circle Award, the Variety Poll of New York Critics, and London鈥檚 Evening Standard Award.

A 1972 movie starring Liza Minnelli and Joel Grey went on to win eight Academy Awards.

And now the 琉璃神社 Actors Studio, behind director Randy Leslie (), takes audiences deep into the seedy nightlife of the Kit Kat Klub on the eve of Hitler鈥檚 rise to power in Weimar Germany. The play follows the interlocking stories of a cabaret singer, a writer from America, and the denizens of Berlin as they are caught up in the swirling maelstrom of a changing society.

鈥淚t isn鈥檛 just that Cabaret is a beloved and compelling piece of theatre and the winner of eight Tony Awards,鈥� said Leslie, 琉璃神社 Actors Studio鈥檚 founder. 鈥淚t鈥檚 set in a seedy nightclub, with characters that are not only complex and dark, but funny and delightful - all in all, deeply human.鈥�

Rocky ; Mary Poppins) as the Emcee, Julia Chambers (Spring Awakening; Anne of Green Gables) as Sally Bowles, Desmond Parenteau (Billy Elliot) as the writer Clifford Bradshaw, Eva Cortens (Anne of Green Gables; Jesus Christ Superstar) as Fr盲ulein Schneider, Ron Green (A Christmas Story, August Osage County) as Herr Schultz, Kristal Hunter (Billy Elliot; The Great Gatsby) as Fr盲ulein Kost and newcomer Jason Casey as Ernst Ludwig.

The remaining cast members include Tiernan Lafleur Johnson, Brock Keeler, Timothy Harder, Alex Holowaty, Janice Sorestad, Karen Shale, Karlisa Hiebert, Jennifer Davies, Mikayla Miyashita, Dawna Elias and Megan Edwards.

kparnell@kelownacapnews.com
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