Enrikez and the Kit Kat Dancers Photo by Andrew Yount

The Musical Theatre of Los Angeles is a big fish in the small pond of L.A. area intimate theater. Last year, MTLA produced the spectacular musical Ragtime. Before that, the ambitious company put the inglorious celebration that is Chicago on-the-boards - as well as a much praised staging of West Side Story. The season schedules of MTLA often read like a list of modern-day musical classics.

But the awe in MTLA's awesomely creative power exists not only in its production choices, nor in the top-quality production of those shows. Above all else, the singular fact behind MTLA's soaring reputation is this: Musical Theatre of Los Angeles does all of its work in theaters that contain less than 100 seats (know in the trade as the "99-Seat Equity-Waiver Contract").

MTLA is currently carrying on in that proud tradition with its latest performance extravaganza, Cabaret (at the Met Theatre, in Hollywood, through August 9). Joe Masteroff wrote "Cabaret's" book. Fred Ebb penned its lyrics, and John Kander scored the music. But the story is from John Van Druten's 1951 play, I Am a Camera, which in-turn was taken from Christopher Isherwood's novel, Goodbye to Berlin.

The musical Cabaret premiered on Broadway in 1966. It won 8 Tony Awards - including the prize for Best Musical. In an acclaimed revival, Cabaret was awarded the Tony for Best Revival of a Musical. (In that same staging the late Natasha Richardson garnered the trophy for Best Actress in a Musical.)

The key to "Cabaret's" enduring success (for her work in the 1972 film version of Cabaret Liza Minelli won the Best Actress Oscar) is its melancholy mixture of melody and history; music and emotion; pragmatic love with seething hatred - a sure-fire receipt for drama if ever there was one. Cabaret's setting is Berlin, 1931 - the cusp of ascendance for Germany's Nazi Party.

The locale is in and around the ill-reputed Kit Kat Klub - an establishment similar to the one where Hitler's Beer Hall Putsch might have taken place. Sally Bowles is an English 19 year-old barely making it as a cabaret singer at the Klub. Sally becomes involved with the American journalist, Clifford Bradshaw; he's in Deutschland looking for fodder for his writing. Clifford rents a room from Fraulein Schneider. Meanwhile, Fraulein Schneider is sparking a romance with fruit vendor, Herr Shultz. Due to Shultz's Jewish heritage, however, their budding love is put in peril.

Moreover, as the plot's trajectory gains complication and momentum, our constant guide, our eye-to-society, is the Kit Kat's own Emcee; he's a sort of metaphoric embodiment of the Fatherland's descent into totalitarianism. Initially the Emcee figure is carefree and playful. But as he slides from frolicking free-spirit into the dire condition of state prisoner we feel the claustrophobic fear and destructiveness of a country being locked-down under fascism.

Under the skillful direction of Judy Norton the dark sentiment of Cabaret is on full display. It is a wonder to watch this show come to life in the confines of The Met Theatre. As Cabaret's tension builds and our dread mounts; but there's a feeling of excitement and exhilaration to be in the presence of such a consummate production in a space so small.

With Kander and Ebb's moving compositions - "(Come to the) Cabaret" is one obviously affective example, but "Mein Herr," "Money," "Maybe This Time" are as memorable as any tune in the musical theater canon - and with a cast of characters as dimensional as the theater has to offer, Cabaret is a must-see event meant for mature audiences.

Furthermore, the players here connect to their characters as if lives they are portraying are merely unfolding. Remarkably, each song in this marvelous musical moves the action forward in a manner that seems as natural as events occurring in the daily news - no small feat for a tune-laden two and half-hour production.

With Tania Possick's engaging choreography and under the musical direction of Greg Haake - who orchestrates the multi-piece band - Cabaret is a sensory experience that plays on several emotional levels.

Kalinda Gray is an unlikely protagonist as Sally Bowels. Nevertheless, Gray touches a skewed naivety in her characterization that makes her role particularly poignant. What's more, Gray's frail voice is pitched perfectly to convey Sally's vulnerabilities.

Michael Bernardi settles into his portrayal of Clifford Bradshaw as comfortably as he wears the Depression-era wardrobe of fedoras and two-tone neckties (costuming by Ann McMahan). Bernardi's naturalism well suits his performance and this staging.

Annalisa Erickson's turn as Fraulein Schneider is an arrow-through-the-heart. To see this aging and resigned character open herself to, and then close off from love is sadness incarnate. Fraulein Kost's state of mind condemns her to love lost.

Adding muscular support to the cast are Craig Bachman as the newly Nazi-fied Ernst Ludwig; Jayson Kraid as the star-crossed Herr Shultz; and Josie Yount as the hussy-for-hire, Fraulein Kost. Moreover, the mise en scene is enlivened by a chorus of a dozen or so Kit Kat "Boys" and "Girls" - all provocative in dress, demeanor, and dance.

Cabaret is an opportunity for freeway close theatergoers in L.A. and The OC to catch a show that's able to capture both the heart and the mind. It's a distressing story, but audiences still leave the theater humming the tunes and swaying to the unique artistry of MTLA and Cabaret.

Cabaret continues at The Met Theatre - 1089 Oxford Avenue, Hollywood - through August 9. Performances are Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m. Matinees are Sundays at 3 p.m. For reservations, dial (323) 957-1152. For online ticketing, visit www.plays411.com/cabaret.