Erika Chong Shuch Hip-Hops Beloved Musical into 21st Century

by Jenyth Jo

Oakland Theater Project’s rousing “Cabaret” compels us to pay attention to 1930s German youth as they slip into Nazism.

As non-white immigrants disappear into ICE vans today, will we, like fictional American Clifford Bradshaw, stand up against racial hatred and white nationalism? Or does “Money make the world go around?”

A pulsing beat pulls us into Berlin’s Kit-Kat Club, where performers dance in Doc Martens combat boots, ribbed tights, and leather fetish wear. Everyone wants to join the party, and you might even be invited onstage.

Show tunes become hip-hop and rap rants, as music directors Ray Archie and Werd Pace cleverly remix the rhythms. An angry edge to “Mein Herr” and “Money” reminds us of young American disillusionment and bitterness today.

MC Deanalís Arocho Resto grabs our attention with a rousing version of “Willkommen.” Resto’s voice ranges from stunning to powerful to terrifying, as notes slide from shriek to command. Her comic transformation of “If You Could See Her” makes us roar with laughter.

As Sally Bowles, Sharon Shao’s exquisite voice highlights petulance in “Don’t Tell Mama.” Singing or speaking, Shao captures Sally’s girl-woman vulnerability, as she prances in sexy costumes. After “whipping” Cliff with her long-fringed purse, she transforms it into a vest and skirt. Magic.

James Mercer II’s American writer Clifford is seeking artistic inspiration in Berlin. Whether he’s sharing joyful kisses with both boys and girls or caressing Sally’s belly, Mercer invokes an appealing soft side. Cliff sings, “Don’t Go” to Sally, cementing their superficial bond. But Mercer springs to action for a fight, standing against the creeping Nazis.

In the senior love story, Fraulein Schneider (Beth Wilmurt) croons, “It Couldn’t Please Me More” on her ukulele. Herr Schultz (Joshua Pollock) lovingly sings, “Marriage” back to her. But Hitler’s rise dooms their harmony.

As Nazi spy Ernst Ludwig, Megan Trout’s extraordinary acting and dancing grip our attention. In one number, she holds a contortionist pose, like a spider about to pounce. Her violent nationalism explodes the engagement party, as she warns Frau Schneider against marrying a Jew.

Director Erika Chong Shuch’s unique choreography fills the thrust stage, as lithe dancers twirl and grind seductively. In “Two Ladies,” the ensemble forms several ménage à trois that tumble erotically. When dancers manipulate rectangular mirrors into a swastika, we get a blink of the future. As the cast departs, slipping out of their shoes, they acknowledge the Holocaust to come.

Today, thousands of books are banned, as in Nazi Germany. Thousands sit in deportation camps. 1.2 million people in U.S. prisons. Investors build for-profit prisons, but not hospitals or schools.

“Cabaret” dramatizes our parallels to the rise of Hitler’s Germany. We must make sure fascism loses this time. OTP vividly shows us one possible future.

“Cabaret” –book by Joe Masteroff, based on the play by John Van Druten, and The Berlin Stories by Christopher Isherwood, music by John Kander, lyrics by Fred Ebb, directed & choreographed by Erika Chong Shuch, music directed by Ray Archie & Werd Pace, costumes by Ashley Renee, sound by Matt Stines at Oakland Theater Project, Oakland.

Info: oaklandtheaterproject.org – to Dec. 14, 2025.

Cast: Sharon Shao, James Mercer II, Deanalís Arocho Resto, Beth Wilmurt, Joshua Pollock, Ije Success, Megan Trout, Werd Pace, Mylo Cardona, Jack Grable, Antonella Scogna, and Apollo Javier Sohrabi.