Having already been the material for a very well-known film directed by the legendary Bob Fosse and starring the incomparable Liza Minelli with Michael York and Joel Grey, any new stage production of Kander & Ebb's Cabaret necessarily labors under huge expectations from this daunting precedent.

Unfortunately, this production of Cabaret, produced by Two One-Way Tickets to Broadway Productions, and directed and choreographed by Linette Smith, is squeezed into a venue that at times feels small for the director's ambition.

The very volume of the live band drowns out the actors' lines at times. Sometimes more than a dozen actors are trying to dance a number in a short amount of space in and around the already cramped set dressings. This appears to be part of the reason that the chorus line dancers are constantly watching their feet and each other for cues, rather than confidently performing for the audience. The dance numbers aren't sharply executed and often unsynchronized. Ultimately, the dancers don't give us that raw sexuality we'd come to expect from Fosse's interpretation of Weimar Germany.

The main actors appear to be better singers than actors, with the exception of Zoe Hawnt, who stands out as the most doubly talented performer. The actors are often talking with their backs to the audience, which adds to the confusion of the theatre experience. Also, their accents are muddled and inconsistent.

This reviewer tried really hard to find something redeeming in this production, and if pushed I'd have to say there are some small moments when the direction comes together, mostly with Fraulein Schneider. In the end, all of these directorial shortcomings overshadow the brilliant story, music, and themes of Cabaret.

One and a half stars out of five.

Cabaret runs November 11th to 20th at Catalyst Theatre.