Riverside Studios in Hammersmith, West London, is one of my favorite places to see unorthodox shows. Their choices are often a bit off-the-wall, and I’ve never seen something I didn’t like at this space. I saw an ad for this show in Time Out London. They had scary painted faces. The ad looked cool. So I went.

Good to know you can sometimes tell if you’ll like a show based on its picture ad in a Time Out.

The Corn Exchange is a Dublin-based theatre company who have been touring this show around the UK for a while now. And if you’re ever near one of their performances, I highly recommend it. It is like nothing I’ve ever seen before. Performing essentially a melodrama, this excellent ensemble cast uses all kinds of tools at their disposal to tell a story.

The story itself is almost irrelevant, compared with how it’s presented, but I’ll run through it anyway. It’s the story of a theatre — and the people that work in it — at the turn of the century. Actors don’t make it to the stage because they are thrown in jail, so the seamstress plays the leading role… and chaos ensues.

Each of the excellent members of the 6 person ensemble play at least 3 characters each — and most of the time the transition from one character to another is so seamless you don’t even realize it’s the same person. Each character is so well crafted, using voice, body, gesture, and slight costume adjustments. Each actor wears commedia-del-arte painted faces, lending an other-worldy, gothy, ghostly feel to the stage — yet somehow this doesn’t compromise all the comedy, of which there is a ton. Mime and funny voices and uncomfortable situations create some of the best comedy moments I’ve seen lately.

Even the construct of the show is bizarre and new. Each character, while speaking to other characters normally, also will frequently turn to the audience and dictate, in the 3rd person, what their character has just done, or is about to do; basically everyone gets a constant, verbal inner monologue to deliver alongside their regular dialogue.

And, as with all good melodrama, it ends tragically. It’s amazing how much darkness and how much comedy have been crammed into this little gem of a show. Once you accept the universe of the show — it’s a bit jarring at first, but you adjust quickly — it is effortless. Almost impossible to describe, as it sort of exists only within it’s own world. Would see it again and again. Come to the USA, Corn Exchange! We’ll welcome you with open arms. Well, I will at the very least.

Hopped across the pond this May of ‘07 to see some old friends and some new theatre. As my better half had never seen a production of Cabaret (!) we decided to take in the new West End revival.

I honestly feel like Cabaret is so well written, it’s hard to screw up. Kind of like pizza - even when it’s bad, it’s still pretty good. This production is very, very good, but didn’t knock my socks off. Perhaps because the material is so familiar, or because no one will ever top Liza Minelli as Sally, or any other variety of reasons. But overall, it is excellently done and entertaining. And much of it is surprising, even for a jaded viewer like me.

Most surprising is the portrayal of the Emcee. James Dreyfus has big shoes to fill with this flamboyant, iconic role, and he does just fine. Channeling none of either Joel Grey or Alan Cumming, he really makes the role his own. Kind of like a gay, goth, bitter, twisted version of Robin Williams, if that makes any sense. Serious and silly and powerful and sad and entertaining, he grabs this oft-imitated character and gives him a glorious rebirth.

Kim Medcalf as Sally, while never topping the jaw-dropping performance of Liza, really holds her own with the part. Her vulnerability is key here - the whole little-girl-lost thing works very well for her. It’s like a little girl playing dress up, and dealing with things she can’t handle, but she puts on a big act like it’s all nothing to her. Nice re-design of the character. Excellent during her 11th hour, final Cabaret performance - I was moved to tears. Powerful actress for someone so young and tiny.

Also special mention of Honor Blackman as Fraulein Shneider. She has the most mind-numbingly boring songs in the show, but manages to act-sing her way through them and make them interesting. Well done.

What is most interesting about the production is the directing. Cabaret is obviously a deeply political play, but this production goes out of it’s way to stress that. Directed by Rufus Norris, he makes sure we really see what a depraved place Berlin was at that time, and how such outlandish lifestyles became the breeding ground and focus of attack of Nazi extremism.

The director’s use of nudity in several key moments is most effective. During “Tomorrow Belongs to Me,” the entire cast disrobes and marches into the sunlight - representing the dawn of a new (Nazi) era and a rebirth of sorts. Poignant and beautiful. Conversely, nudity is also used for comedic effect in scenes, and then most disturbingly at the end. The entirety of the Kit-Kat Klub disrobes for the final time - and all huddle together - and die together in the gas chamber. Certainly the first time I’ve seen this show use this particularly gruesome and literal ending. Found it a big over-the-top, but still very effective.

Props to the entire cast - as many of them are members of the pit orchestra, as well as acting, dancing, and singing. There are definitely people who are featured in every single scene.

I also enjoyed the literalism of the bouncing on the bed, cocaine-sniffing choreography. Again with the very literal depictions of their lifestyle - but it works.

The production is tight, entertaining, moving, and new. I recommend, although there’s also new theatre being made these days that we should be watching.