Thorneloe invites you to the 'Cabaret'

Join Thorneloe University at the Cabaret on Feb. 27.

In a few days, the Thorneloe University Department of Theatre Arts and the Cambrian College Technical Theatre Program will be presenting the acclaimed musical, “Cabaret.”

Performed at Ernie Checkeris Theatre on the Laurentian University campus, this ambitious production – directed by Patricia Tedford, chair of Theatre Arts at Thorneloe –will feature Theatre Arts students, headed by local performer, Pandora Topp.

Moreover, the production includes a live band comprised of local musicians, under the musical direction of David Buley.

“Cabaret” opens Feb. 27 at 8 p.m. and until March 8. Performances are Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays, with an additional Saturday matinee at 2 p.m.

Join in on the excitement as our Emcee — the debauched everyman, played by Pandora Topp — welcomes us into the world of the Berlin Cabaret, where “we have no troubles here.”

As Emcee, Topp guides us through the story of how a young American writer, Cliff Bradshaw, who moves to Berlin during the Great Depression. At the time, the city was recognized as the most permissive of societies and a mecca for sex tourists, and Bradshaw searches for inspiration from the singular atmosphere.

After he arrives, Bradshaw makes friends, namely Ernst Ludwig, a man with political affiliations quite different from his own. Ludwig helps him find a home in Fraulein Schneider's rooming house, and provides him with a very easy way to make money in such difficult and uncertain times.

Settling into his new home, Bradshaw is distracted and captivated by the performers at the nearby Kit Kat Club. And, when the club's star performer, Sally Bowles, walks into his life, Cliff is swept up in an unexpected romance.

Meanwhile, there is a new political party on the rise. What does this new reality mean to Cliff, Sally or any of the folks at the Cabaret?

This production is especially exciting for Thorneloe University, as it is the first musical to be performed there since “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” in 2003.

Moreover, it will be more of an experience than the average theatre production — the theatre itself is being converted into a live cabaret, complete with tables, chairs and liquor Surely, this will be a nice way to spend a cold winter night!

So, as Sally Bowles would say, what good is sitting alone in your room on a lonely, freezing winter night? Come, hear the music play. Come to the cabaret — here, you can leave all of your troubles outside!

Advance tickets are $20 for adults ($25 at the door) and $10 ($15 at the door) for students and seniors. They can be purchased at the Thorneloe main office by calling 705-673-1730), online at eventbrite.ca/e/cabaret-at-the-kit-kat-club-tickets-9787995157, or at the door.

Vanessa Di Feo is in charge of public relations for Thorneloe University's production of the acclaimed musical “Cabaret.”