Cabaret

Posted on by Thor

The Orlando Shakespeare Theater (812 E Rollins St, Orlando, FL) is presenting a cutting edge production of Cabaret. This show is more topical than ever in today’s heated political environment. People like to pretend that the worst isn’t happening but ignoring the problem empowers the problem. The parking lot to the Shakes was completely packed, so I exited the parking lot and found street parking nearby.

The opening scene in the show had Clifford Bradshaw played by Easton Curtis on a balcony taking note or sketching as snow fell. The play was based on the writings of Christopher Isherwood who was an American who was in Berlin Germany right before WWII and he considered himself a human camera. I am fond of that concept. On stage, the Emcee, played by Shane Bland was warming up the crowd with a classic flair. In the talk back after the show I learned that Shane was the one Jewish member of the cast which made his role all the more poignant.

The play follows the colorful performers in the Kit Kat club and their crazy and comical numbers stood as a stark contrast to the rising tide of hateful politics in Germany. The fast and furious romance between Clifford and Sally Bowles played by Anastasia Remoundos showed how romantic escape is critical and practical in crazy times. Sally’s flamboyant attitudes were her form of absolute denial to the reality all around her.

During rehearsals a Cultural Coordinator was brought in to be a support system to the cast. The play covers some very disturbing themes and it is hard to wear that cloak and then not take it home. There was a sabbath dinner for the cast early in the rehearsals. The cast felt a responsibility to hold a mirror up to the truth. Some actors playing German soldiers had to wear Nazi Swastikas on their arm bands. The arm bands were sequestered right until the moment before actors got on stage. Once the scene was finished the arms bands wold once again be locked away. The same was true with the patches that marked people as deviant. The one Jewish star had to go to Herr Schultz, played by Mark Gray Miller. The other cast got to choose which patch best suited their character. The show was a polarizing experience for the entire cast. It is unfortunately very relevant. One piece of advice from one of the actors rang true, “Be kind to yourself and others.”

Cabaret performances continue through March 2, 2025. Trust me, this is a show you do not want to miss. Tickets start at $40.

 

Cabaret Final Poster

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This was the final version of the Orlando Shakes Cabaret Poster. The title was moved down covering the dancers. I suspect a decision was made the the poses of the dancers was too suggestive. The Joe Masterhoff credit then took top billing.

This poster probably went through more changes than any other I have done. This is actually quite an interesting solution and not one I would have considered on my own. The title became a form of censors stamp which makes perfect sense considering the political climate post WWII in Germany.

The Orlando Shakes will take you back to Berlin in the late 1920 where, inside the Kit Kat Club, a spotlight shines on the colorful, gritty, and hedonistic lives found inside. Don’t miss this landmark musical that is filled with iconic songs and electrifying dance, including Wilkommen, Don’t Tell Mama, Maybe This Time, Money and the title number Cabaret. It’s an astonishing and eye-popping tale that has renewed resonance in today’s political climate. Tickets are available online.

Cabaret: First Pass

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This was the first pass at the Orlando Shakes, Cabaret poster. Actually the broken bulbs came a bit later when there was a request to distress the title. With this first pass I also had a layer that showed a swastika in the shadow of the spotlight. The adverse reaction to that was so strong that I threw out the layer.

The paint application on this sketch is rather sloppy. I was working fast to get the idea down.

What mattered most was the title which closely followed the example of the title used for the movie.

Orlando Shakes will take you back to Berlin in the late 1920’s where, inside the Kit Kat Club, a spotlight shines on the colorful, gritty, and hedonistic lives found inside. Don’t miss this landmark musical that is filled with iconic songs and electrifying dance, including Wilkommen, Don’t Tell Mama, Maybe This Time, Money and the title number Cabaret. It’s an astonishing and eye-popping tale that has renewed resonance in today’s political climate. Tickets are online.

Cabaret: First Ad Seen

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Cabaret was the most challenging poster designed for the 2025 season. That is because it was too brazenly sensual. The splits leg poses shown in this ad were part of the initial design, but after several passes the Cabaret title came down to try and cover the hips of the dancers.

I am rather sad to see that the chair legs were lifted upwards in this add making it seem like the dancers are floating. That might be an interesting effect if that was my intention. I am sure most people don’t notice that the chair legs to don touch the stage.

The Orlando Shakes will take you back to Berlin in the late 1920’s Kit Kat Club, where a spotlight shines on the colorful, gritty, and hedonistic lives found inside. Don’t miss this landmark musical that is filled with iconic songs and electrifying dance, including Wilkommen, Don’t Tell Mama, Maybe This Time, Money and the title number Cabaret. It’s an astonishing and eye-popping tale that has renewed resonance in today’s political climate.

The show runs between February 5, and March 2, 2025. Tickets online.

Henry VI Part 2: She Wolf of France, Final Poster

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The final painting for Henry VI Part 2: She Wolf of France involved painting actress Roberta Emerson to replace the generalized woman I had painted.Head shots are rather bland so we searched for reference of her looking much more angry.

Some brush stroked were cleaned up but otherwise I kept the bold look of the sketches.

The play runs from January 8 -19, 2025. Tickets are $35.

Orlando Shakes continues the exciting saga of Shakespeare’s Henry VI trilogy! A love triangle, a plot to murder, and a rebellion are all part of this thrilling tale – centered on the Wars of the Roses! In this raw, “Bare Bard / Original Practices” production, Orlando Shakes’ actors will perform the play with less than 40 hours of rehearsal, no designers, and no director – just like the acting companies of Shakespeare’s time! Don’t miss this exciting next chapter in Orlando Shakes’ popular Fire & Reign Series.

 

Henry VI Part 2: She Wolf of France 2nd Pass

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This pass at the Henry VI Part 2: She Wolf of France poster was done to rethink the armor and lighting. It is a very rough sketch of the idea and was for my eyes only at the time. It helped me come up with a more cubist and chiseled look to the poster. The painting is very unrefined. This was just my way of searching for a desired look.

The helmet came off to allow more hair to flow. With a bit more work this could have been refined to a final poster. However the actress who would play The She Wolf of France had just been cast.

My new goal became to paint actress, Roberta Emerson, into the poster. From this point forward I would be thinking of pushing the painting to a finish while still keeping some roughness. The show runs between January 8  19, 2025. Tickets are Pay What You Will, between $15 and $50.

Henry VI Part 2: She Wolf of France: First Pass

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The first sketch for Henry VI featured Margaret of Anjou. My depiction had her head largely covered in a metal mesh with her hair disheveled.

Most elements of this design would progress towards the final painting. However The She Wolf of France needed work. I wanted something more angular and cubist to the armor. I sought inspiration in classic sculptures.

Margaret was known as the she wolf of France because of her fierce and determined nature during the Battle of the Roses.

The play involves a love triangle, a plot to murder, and a rebellion which are all part of this thrilling tale – centered on the Wars of the Roses! In this raw, “Bare Bard / Original Practices” production, Orlando Shakes’ actors will perform the play with less than 40 hours of rehearsal, no designers, and no director – just like the acting companies of Shakespeare’s time! Don’t miss this exciting next chapter in Orlando Shakes’ popular Fire & Reign Series. The show runs through January 19, 2025. Tickets are Pay what you will, between $15 and $50.

Henry VI: First Ad seen

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It is always a pleasant surprise to see the first add using my poster art for a new show, in this case Henry V Part 2. I reused the Henry VI hand drawn title for the previous years Henry VI Part 1 since I figured some continuity was needed. I find it funny that the thumbs up symbol for likes fell right on Margaret of Anjou‘s left hand making it look like she were giving a thumbs up rather than clenching her fist.

This is a rare case where we found out who was cast in the part before the poster was complete so I painted the actress for the poster.

I looked at heroic sculptures as inspiration for this scene. Since the play takes place during the war of the roses, it made sense to include a huge red and white rose. The vertical blue background implies a misty forest.

Orlando Shakes continues the exciting saga of Shakespeare’s Henry VI trilogy! A love triangle, a plot to murder, and a rebellion are all part of this thrilling tale – centered on the Wars of the Roses! In this raw, “Bare Bard / Original Practices” production, Orlando Shakes’ actors will perform the play with less than 40 hours of rehearsal, no designers, and no director – just like the acting companies of Shakespeare’s time!

Henry V Part 2: The She Wolf of France ruins January 8 -19, 2025. Tickets are Pay What You Will, between $15 and $50.

A Christmas Carol: Final Poster

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For the final version of A Christmas Carol poster, for the Orlando Shakes,  the title had to be larger. that meant slipping the paint lover thus removing the floor in the scene.

Instead of the detailed room setting I added a shimmering red glow to the background. This was an abstract element to keep visual interest behind the title and credits. The focus of the scene is the torch flame and the background helped make that very clear.

I am surprised the old English cursive credits made it to the final poster. I remember being told at one point that people in this digital age have trouble reading cursive writing. It would be a shame to only use bold block lettering for fear that the digital mind can not comprehend the more flamboyant cursive style. Charles Dickens hand writing was definitely cursive and rather messy. I am a fan of leaving some of the messiness of the creative process. I always feel the need to see the imperfect touch of the human hand.

Merry Christmas one and all.

A Christmas Carol: Poster 2nd Pass

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The second pass at A Christmas Carol poster involved zooming in a bit for a medium close up shot. Two children were removed and I gave Tiny Tim his crutch back. With the crutch raised over his head however it seemed to dominate the scene.

I liked the glowing lights in the background and would have liked adding snow to the street. In general it was working but something was missing. Perhaps it was too dark.

I decided to press on and work on a completely new scene to give options. I could have pushed this forward and resolved anything that was making me uncomfortable. The next rendition however had pure brightness and a sense of glowing celebration. That ultimately is what was needed.