Dark Zeitgeist : A Solvang production of ‘Cabaret’ deals frankly with the underbelly of society in the doom and gloom of pre-Nazi Germany.

Berlin in 1929. It was among the most darkly seductive eras in modern history. As a foundering German society based on rational order confronted its own bankruptcy, long-repressed impulses erupted with feverish intensity.

Social disintegration was everywhere in evidence: in the increasing desperation of an impoverished population, in the rise of Nazi fascism, in the outburst of artistic and intellectual energy casting about for new anchors. But most of all, it was reflected in the night life--that mirror of the collective mind-set, where no appetite was out of bounds.

It’s a world that prompts Clifford Bradshaw, a newly arrived American writer in “Cabaret,” to comment: “If this were a movie, you know what would happen? A volcano would erupt or there’d be a tidal wave.”

This backdrop of hedonistic indulgence ripe for its day of reckoning comes to life with stunning precision in the PCPA Theaterfest version of “Cabaret.” Director Michael Barnard’s staging transforms the thrust stage and intimate amphitheater space into a more credible re-creation of a nightclub setting than traditional stage setups typically allow.

Here a semicircle of tables for club patrons make a fluid transition from the audience to the stage, and the proclivities of the decadent Kit Kat habitues are often as engaging as the onstage antics.

This production makes it easy to see why Clifford is so taken with the scene. Not only is the staging enticing, but actor Joel Goldes brings an impressive sensitivity and strength to Clifford, a role that can easily fade into the background. We believe him as a writer, a keen observer of human nature in all its fantastic variations, so his fascination with the social underbelly of the Kit Kat Club seems inevitable.

For Clifford, the mystique of this strange world is personified in the flamboyant Sally Bowles, she of the green fingernails and gaudy fur coat who becomes his roommate and eventual lover.

Regrettably, Karen Barbour’s portrayal of Sally flits across the surface of the character, giving us little more than a ditsy party girl--effervescent, bawdy, empty. There is no hint of the deeper levels that can make her, in the words of her creator, Christopher Isherwood, “vulnerable but untouchable, stubbornly obedient to the voices of her fantasies--a bohemian Joan of Arc, battling to defend her way of life from the bourgeoisie.”

Without these qualities, it’s hard to believe this Sally could lead Clifford to abandon his cool detachment, or his prior sexual orientation. (This is the 1987 revival version of “Cabaret” that deals frankly with Clifford’s past homosexuality, and more overtly than the original with the rise of Nazism).

The production itself seems designed to downplay Sally’s importance in favor of broader social issues. This is a mistake, for Sally and her relationship with Clifford are the real story here. We don’t have to look further than Oxnard to see how much more involving her story can be.

The pervasive sense of doom as the Nazis come to power is rendered with devastating power through some outstanding supporting performances. The romantic subplot between Clifford’s German landlady (Teresa Thuman) and her Jewish lodger (Charlie Bachmann) never lapses into maudlin sentiment and the sadness cuts deeper as a result. Christopher Wynn’s compelling portrayal of Clifford’s German friend Ernst reveals the sinister side of the charming facade.

That sickness was to have devastating consequences, foreshadowed in the increasingly depraved musical numbers in the Kit Kat Club featuring the eerie master of ceremonies (J. Steven Campanelli). His performance is also competent but somewhat lackluster. The character should gain in demonic intensity as the outside chaos worsens.

From songs of promiscuity and greed to a comic romantic ode with a shocking ethnic punch line, the Kit Kat numbers herald the social undercurrents of pre-Nazi Germany. In much the same way, the arts serve as the intuitive barometers of any era, a point worth considering in a theater season that has brought the Central Coast two revivals of “Cabaret” and “Sweeney Todd,” both dealing with social intolerance and persecution. Pay attention to that recurring theme.

* WHERE AND WHEN

“Cabaret” will be performed at the Solvang Festival Theatre Aug. 6, 10, 11, 14, 19, 25, 27, and Sept. 3, 6, 12 and 21. Also performed at the Allan Hancock College Marian Theatre in Santa Maria Aug. 16, 22, and 31 and Sept. 7, 13 and 19, with matinees Aug. 17, 21, and Sept. 1, 8, 14, 17 and 18. Evening performances at 8:30 p.m. are $17 and $15 Fridays and Saturdays and $16 and $13 Sundays through Thursdays; Matinees at 2 p.m. (Santa Maria only) are $13 and $10. Call (800) 221-9469 for reservations or information.