ESCAPISM AT THE EDGE OF COLLAPSE

A Kit Kat Club that feels uncomfortably close to home

Since its founding in 2012, Oakland Theater Project has set out to create theater experiences that inspire compassion, embracing radical inclusivity and diversity while reflecting the dynamic communities of Oakland.

Sally Bowles (Sharon Shao)

Since its Broadway debut in 1966, Cabaret has engaged audiences worldwide, continuing to pop up in differently styled production from Broadway to the West End to regionals, community theaters, and schools. Famously adapted for the screen in 1972, Kander and Ebb’s unimprovable songs and Joe Masteroff’s still-shocking book (updated a few times to reflect the sexual permissiveness of Weimar-Era Berlin), the musical is enormously entertaining while carrying a solid message about the encroachment of fascism and those who fight it and those who get swept up in its clutches. Now, Oakland Theater Project transforms the intimate space at FLAX art & design into the infamous Kit Kat Club, and the result has us within reach of sex, power, hatred, desperation, and, yes, those amazing songs.

Ernst Ludwig (Megan Trout)

Set in Berlin in 1929–30, as Adolf Hitler’s authoritarian rise looms ever closer, American writer Clifford Bradshaw (James Mercer II) has arrived and found lodging at a somewhat rundown boarding house operated by Fraulein Schneider (Beth Wilmurt). Clifford receives a room at a reduced rate in exchange for teaching English to the other residents, including Fraulein Kost (Ije Success), a dancer who openly “entertains” sailors in her room. Statuesque Megan Trout creates a confident Ernst Ludwig — the character who introduces Clifford to both questionable money-making opportunities and the infamous Kit Kat Club, where Cliff spends his first night in Berlin.

Bobby (Apollo Javier Sohrabi), the Emcee (Deanalís Arocho Resto), Victor (Jack Grable)

No matter what is happening on the streets of Berlin, the sexually ambiguous and magnetic Emcee (Deanalís Arocho Resto) insists that “life is beautiful.” Resto presides over the club with a commanding presence, striking features, and a fascinating wardrobe by Lynell Aldafari that evolves throughout. While culture flourished during this time, Germany was living with trauma from earlier hyperinflation and a recession. The decadence of the Kit Kat Club isn’t happening instead of economic fear — it’s happening because of it. I mention this because Ms. Aldafari’s costumes reflect this more than any of the many productions I’ve seen. Not only do Aldafari’s muted colors and form-fitting outfits enhance the production’s sultry aesthetic, but there’s a shabby chic element that makes it feel like characters had to dress themselves piecemeal. A brilliant touch.

The Ensemble

With “Willkommen,” we meet the small but talented ensemble of dancers and singers. Their svelte figures, bold makeup, and androgynous looks make it immediately clear that this is no ordinary club — and these are no ordinary performers. In the intimate performance space, the dancers strut, slink, and provoke with carefully choreographed movement by Erika Chong Shuch, who also directs. The effect is alluring, erotic, and deliberately unsettling.

Clifford reacts wide-eyed to this entirely new world. He is immediately smitten with Sally Bowles (Sharon Shao), the club’s lead singer, whose Kit Kat performance balances innocence and sensuality with striking ease — a wonder given Shao later underscores Sally as deeply insecure, resilient, self-centered, and flighty. Shuch’s direction encourages the entire cast to give it their all, and the ensemble rarely lets up. OTP Fellows Mylo Cardona, Jack Garble, Antonella Scogna, and AJ Sohrabi bring sultry gender ambiguity to the Kit Kat Club performers.

Herr Schultz (Joshua Pollock), Fraulein Schneider (Beth Wilmurt)

Wilmurt delivers a strong, sympathetic Fraulein Schneider: a weary, aging woman struggling to stay afloat as the threat of Nazis creeps ever closer. Her scenes carry a quiet dread that never fully lifts.

The music is skillfully delivered under the direction of Werd Pace, serving as DJ and keyboardist. Joshua Pollock, who also plays Herr Schultz, the Jewish-German fruit seller engaged to Fraulein Schneider, contributes on guitar, while Wilmurt plays the uke! The result is a tight, effective musical backbone that keeps the show moving.

Sally Bowles (Sharon Shao) and Ensemble

Shuch’s choreography is a joy to watch, whether the dancers are moving sinuously across the stage or locking into sharp unison. Sarah Phykitt’s minimal set design smartly maximizes the small space, which serves as both the Kit Kat Club and the boarding house.

This intimate production keeps the audience fully engaged, creating the sensation of sitting directly inside the Kit Kat Club itself. One of the reasons Cabaret continues to be produced with alarming frequency across the country is that, beyond being a marvel of a show, its themes remain painfully relevant. The musical’s depiction of escapism amid political fear and creeping fascism resonates strongly in 2025, as threats to democracy and cuts to arts and culture feel all too familiar. Yet in Oakland Theater Project’s hands, the club still beckons — and for a few charged hours, life is beautiful.

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photos by Ben Krantz Studio

Cabaret
Oakland Theater Project
FLAX art & design, 1501 Martin Luther King Jr Way
Thu-Sun at 7; Sun at 2
ends on December 14, 2025
for tickets ($10–$60), call 510.646.1126 or visit Oakland Theater Project

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