Directing · Musical · 2026
Music by John Kander · Lyrics by Fred Ebb
Book by Joe Masteroff · Based on Christopher Isherwood's Berlin Stories
Critical Response
Tim Hedgepeth
Theatre artist · Director · 12 ATAC Globe Awards
Associate Professor of Drama, Northwest Vista College
Facebook · Opening Night · May 2026
Hedgepeth praised "Hamman's surprising character twists for the Emcee" and singled out Grace Lynn and Jackson Gable as embodying their roles with "all the confidence, grit, and raw nerve required." He called Alonzo Corona's choreography "the best to date — gymnastically degenerate and delightful."
He situated the production alongside Hal Prince's original 1966 vision — a Cabaret that "puts us on notice and condemns political apathy."
Byrd Bonner
Theatre artist & critic
2025 ATAC Jasmina Wellinghoff Award
Facebook · Opening Night · May 2026
Bonner — who has seen a dozen or more productions of Cabaret — praised the staging of "Money" as "the best in memory, superb and hitting every mark," and noted that "Hamman incorporates anthropomorphic luggage racks, book stands and desks to brilliant effect." He called Katy Sisco's "What Would You Do?" the highlight of the show.
On the fight choreography: "gasp-inducing." On the ensemble: "every chorus boy and girl, as well as every randy sailor, have clearly defined characters."
The Story
Weimar Germany. The Kit Kat Klub glitters with music, spectacle, and willful forgetting. American writer Cliff Bradshaw arrives in Berlin and falls into its orbit — the nightclub, the boarding house, the performer Sally Bowles, who lives entirely in the present tense. The Emcee watches it all, narrating the descent.
As the political temperature rises outside, the Klub's lights burn brighter. Fräulein Schneider and Herr Schultz find love against an increasingly hostile backdrop. Sally chooses the show. Cliff chooses to leave. The Emcee remains.
The landmark 1966 musical — with its songs, its mirror, and its refusal to comfort — has never been more urgent. This production does not look away.
Audience Response
"One of the most polished, overall well-produced plays I've seen in San Antonio in a very long time. Across the board excellent cast, design, execution, direction and theatrical transformation of a space. It's just a delicious coupe of champagne!"
"Probably the BEST production of Cabaret I've ever seen! The band was perfect! The choreography — amazing! If you live in San Antonio, don't miss this."
"Best show I've ever seen in that space. Please direct more shows! And one day I will hopefully get to work with you."
"Best production of Cabaret I've ever seen."
"This was truly the best performance I've ever seen in theater. The acting, singing, and dancing were amazing. I was utterly transported."
"So good. Seeing the band on stage makes it so much better."
Production Photography
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Director's Statement
"Cabaret is a play about choice. Not the dramatic, history-book kind, but the small choices made every day — the compromises we justify, the truths we ignore, the moments we decide it is safer not to look too closely."
Set in the final days of Weimar Berlin, this production explores how ordinary people can be seduced by comfort, belonging, fear, and survival. Here, the unthinkable does not arrive all at once. It arrives slowly, politely, one choice at a time.
The danger in Cabaret is not that evil appears monstrous. It is that it appears reasonable. In this production, you may see beloved characters make choices you never thought possible.
This Kit Kat Club promises escape. What it delivers is a mirror. By the end of the evening, the question will not be, "How did they let this happen?" In the words of Fräulein Schneider, the question will be: "What would you do?"
— Blake Hamman, Director
Company
The Emcee
Jackson Gable
Sally Bowles
Grace Lynn
Cliff Bradshaw
Davis Hayes
Fräulein Schneider
Katy Sisco
Herr Schultz
DuWayne Greene
Herr Ernst Ludwig
Kurt Robbins
Fräulein Kost
Kayla Hernandez Friend
Rosie
Andrea Porras
Lulu
Maddison Peterson
Frenchie
Caris Patrick
Texas
Randee Nelson
Fritzie
Dani Andrade
Helga
AnaLisa Hernandez
Bobby
Joshua Wayne Galbreath
Victor / Officer
Noah Edwards
Hans / Sailor / Gorilla
Guy Martin
Hermann / Max
Alonzo Corona
Kit Kat Girl Swing
Phoebe Arocho
Kit Kat Boy Swing
Ian Ortiz
Creative Team
Direction
Blake Hamman
Choreography
Alonzo Corona
Music Direction
Andrew Hendley
Set Design
Benjamin Grabill
Costume Design
Chris Munoz
Wig & Hair Design
Sabrina Marie Rodriguez
Lighting Design
Nathan Thurman
Sound & Projection
Benjamin Farrar
Fight Choreography
& Intimacy
Morgan Clyde
Prop Design
Taylor James
Scenic Artist
Chris Rutz
Stage Manager
Olivia Perry
Assistant Director
Grantham Woods
Production Photography
Jessica Mewborne
Mewborne Photography
Produced By
Wonder Theatre