Want to see Doogie Howser M.D. bare chested with spider tattoos and glittering red nipples? Surprisingly now you can: Neil Patrick Harris’ days of fresh-faced characters and innocently sweet roles are over and he is making theater all the juicer because of it.
In case you were curious this “new Neil” can be found grinding with Kit Kat Girls and looking heroine chic in the current production of “Cabaret” which is housed appropriately enough at the old Studio 54 building.
It seems ironic that Harris, who has been successfully working in Broadway for the last ten years, is remembered solely as the lead character in a show that only ran four seasons. Audiences’ memory of him is especially frustrating given the impressive stage talent that Harris obviously possesses.
Not to worry though, Harris’ doctor prodigy days will certainly be eclipsed by his new role as “Cabaret’s” Emcee, a transsexual character who bends gender and morality, while at the same time moving the dark plot smoothly along.
What is most surprising about the show though is that Harris’ Doogie-ness does not come through at all. In fact, it was not until the end of the performance when the playbills were handed out that I even realized who the Emcee was. In short, one could say Harris currently owns this role, which is steep praise considering the line of talented actors who have played it before him.
From the opening number “Willkommen” to the chilling Hitler Youth song “Tomorrow Belongs to Me” to “Money”, Harris shows an incredible range of innocence, youth, sexual energy, tawdriness, and great dancing and singing to boot.
Before I continue on my Harris kick though I must mention another pleasant casting surprise, the sudden emergence of Tom Bosley completely caught me off guard. Despite his rather milk and cookie reputation he had the edge needed to play Herr Schultz, the only Jewish character who finds himself caught in the growing web of Nazi hatred.
For those of you now wondering who Tom Bosley is think Nick at Night “Happy Days” reruns (he plays the dad), or for any of you who were forced to watch nightly tv with your grandmother think of “Murder She Wrote” or the “Father Dowling Mysteries.” If these references mean nothing to you don’t worry I just watched a lot of senior citizen programming in my youth. The important thing to note is that Bosley played a great part and can sing despite the fact that he is a television star.
Newcomer Heather Laws played the role of Sally Bowles, an English singer who is a little on the loose side. Although Laws’ performance was not very impressive, this show is her Broadway debut, so there is room for improvement. Plus the darkly powerful Bowles that Gina Gershon played the first time I saw “Cabaret” will be forever fixed in my mind as the way to depict this character.
The finale (which I won’t describe since I don’t want to ruin it) featured the entire company and was so moving that after the lights darkened no one moved for what seemed like minutes, including myself even though I knew the ending.
Despite having already seen “Cabaret”, it was still a show full of surprises, making it all the more unforgettable for me. Of course finally getting to sit at one of the swank tables in the second row didn’t hurt my reevaluation of the show, neither did finding out that the beautifully sculpted abs of the Emcee belonged to none other then the lovable Neil Patrick Harris.
In all honesty and with my own biases aside though “Cabaret” is a musical whose lessons will always be significant- yet painful.
In many ways the questions “Cabaret” asks vividly mirror today’s world as well- thus reinforcing the ever present connection between art and life.
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