Cabaret: A Presentation
1. Introduction
- Overview:Cabaret is a 1966 musical that explores the decadence of 1929-1930 Berlin during the Weimar Republic as the Nazis rise to power.
Key Themes:
The musical delves into themes of sexuality, addiction, political apathy, and the dangers of ignoring the rise of fascism.
2. The Storyline
- Setting:The story unfolds primarily at the seedy Kit Kat Klub, a nightclub where American writer Clifford Bradshaw encounters English cabaret performer Sally Bowles.
Main Characters:
- Sally Bowles: A flamboyant and seductive English cabaret singer at the Kit Kat Klub.
- Clifford Bradshaw: An American writer who becomes entangled with Sally.
- The Emcee: A charismatic and unsettling Master of Ceremonies at the Kit Kat Klub.
- Fraulein Schneider: The landlady of the boarding house where Cliff stays, who falls in love with Herr Schultz.
- Herr Schultz: A Jewish fruit vendor who romances Fraulein Schneider.
- Ernst Ludwig: Nazi smuggler
- Plot Summary:Cliff and Sally begin a passionate but ultimately tumultuous relationship. Meanwhile, the rise of Nazism casts a long shadow over Berlin, impacting the lives of the characters, including a doomed romance between a Jewish fruit vendor and the boarding house owner.
3. Musical Elements
Score and Style:
- Jazz-infused: The score draws heavily from Weimar-era jazz, cabaret music, and popular songs of the 1920s.
- Satirical: The music often mirrors the decadent and satirical atmosphere of the Kit Kat Klub.
- Evocative: The songs effectively capture the mood of the times, from the exuberant energy of "Willkommen" to the chilling foreshadowing of "Tomorrow Belongs to Me."
- Variety: The score features a diverse range of musical styles, from ballads ("Maybe This Time") to up-tempo showstoppers ("Cabaret").
Notable Songs:
- "Willkommen": The iconic opening number, a vibrant and seductive invitation to the Kit Kat Klub.
- "Cabaret": A powerful ballad sung by Sally Bowles, expressing her philosophy of living for the moment.
"If You Could See Her (The Gorilla Song)" performed by the Emcee : it's a darkly satirical number where the Emcee, while seemingly admiring a female gorilla, draws parallels between the gorilla and the Jewish character, Herr Schultz. This song is a disturbing example of the growing antisemitism that permeates Berlin as the Nazis rise to power.
- "Tomorrow Belongs to Me": A chilling and unsettling number sung by Nazi youth, foreshadowing the rise of fascism.
- "Mein Herr": A playful and flirtatious song performed by Sally.
- "Two Ladies": A darkly humorous song performed by the Emcee.
Choreography:
- Bob Fosse Influence: The 1972 film adaptation, directed and choreographed by Bob Fosse, had a profound impact on the show's choreography.
Fosse's signature style, known for its angular movements, isolation, and emphasis on the pelvis, is heavily featured. - Key Features:
- "Willkommen": The opening number showcases the decadence and energy of the Kit Kat Klub with its stylized movements and seductive atmosphere.
- "Cabaret": Sally Bowles's performance is a showstopper, with Fosse-inspired movements highlighting her sexuality and rebellious spirit.
- "Mein Herr": This number features the famous "chair dance," a highly stylized and sensual dance performed by Sally.
- Bob Fosse Influence: The 1972 film adaptation, directed and choreographed by Bob Fosse, had a profound impact on the show's choreography.
- Impact: The choreography effectively conveys the hedonistic and unsettling atmosphere of Berlin in the late 1920s. It also serves to comment on the social and political climate, highlighting the decadence that masks the growing threat of fascism.
Songs and changes
- Every Songs from every productions
- Willkommen
- So What - Fraulein Schneider
- Telephone Song/Telephone Dance - Cliff
- Don't tell mama - Sally
- Mein Herr - Sally
- Perfectly Marvelous - Sally
- Two Ladies - Emcee
- It couldn't please me more (a pineapple) - Fraulein Schenider and Herr Schultz
- Tomorrow Belongs to me - Emcee and waiters
- Why Should I wake up - Cliff
- Don't go - cliff
- Maybe this time - sally
- Sitting Pretty - Emcee
- Money - Emcee
- Married - F.S and H.S
- Meeskite - H.S and Sally
- Tomorrow belongs to me (reprise) - Fraulein Kost, Ernst Ludwig and guests
- Entr'acte/Kickline - emcee
- Married (reprise) - Herr Schultz
- If you could see her (gorilla song) - emcee
- What would you do - Fraulein Schneider
- I don't care much - Emcee
- Cabaret - sally
- Willkommen (reprise) - emcee, cliff, and company
Changes
4. Production History
Background
- Autiobiographical tales of Christopher Isherwood: he visited Weimar-era Berlin in 1929. He was friend with gay writers such as Stephen Spenedr, Paul Bowles, and W.H. Auden. He viewed the rise of Nazism with political indifference. He shared rooms with Jean Ross, 19yo and British, who aspired to become an actress. Ross became pregnant, but she wasn't sure of the father - maybe Peter van Eyck. Isherwood pretended to be the biological father so Ross could more easily get the abortion - in which she nearly died. This event inspired him to write Sally Bowles in 1937. Isherwood returns to England after the Enabling Act by Hitler, in 1933. Afterwards, many cabarets were closed, and many people from the cabaret perished in concentration camps. Isherwood writes Goodbye to Berlin in 1939
- In 1951, play by John Van Druten called I am a Camera, which becomes a film in 1955
Development:
- In early 1963, David Black asked Sandy Wilson to compose a musical adaptation of the play, hoping Julie Andrews would be the star - her manager refused due to the character's immorality. When Wilson was done, it's Prince who had acquired the rights to produce the musical, and he wanted to make connections with the unsettling situation in the US (Civil rights).
- Joe Masteroff was hired for the playwright.
- Because they felt that Wilson didn't really catch the ambiance of Berlin in the late 20s, they asked John Kander and Fred Ebb to come help.
- Rehearsals started in 1966. Jerome Robbins, who was friend with Prince, suggested "cutting the songs outside the cabaret, but Prince ignored his advice".
- "As the audience entered the theater, they saw the curtain raised, exposing a stage with only a large mirror that reflected the auditorium.[49][50] Instead of an overture, a drum roll and cymbal crash introduced the opening number."
First Productions:
- Broadway, November 20th, 1966 at the Broadhurst Theatre, until 1969.
- Directed: Harold Prince
- Choreography: Ron Field
- Sally: Jill Haworth (then Anita Gillette, and Melissa Hart)
- Cliff: Bert Convy (then Ken Kercheval and Larry Kert)
- Fraulein Schneider: Lotte Lenya
- Herr Schultz: Jack Gilford
- Emcee: Joel Grey (then Martin Ross)
- Ernst: Edward Winter
- Fraulein Kost: Peg Murray
- US national tour 1967-68
- Sally: Melissa Hart
- Fraulein Schneider: Signe Hasso
- Herr Schultz: Leo Fuchs
List of Revivals and others productions
- Original West End production - 1968 - Palace Theatre => original recording (they truncated Sitting Pretty and The Money song)
- Judi Dench: Sally
- Kevin Colson: Cliff
- Barry Dennen: Emcee
- Lila Kedrova: Fraulein Schneider
- Schultz: Peter Sallis
- ""Judi Dench was the finest of all the Sallys that appeared in Hal Prince's original staging, and if she's obviously not much of a singer, her Sally is a perfect example of how one can give a thrilling musical theatre performance without a great singing voice." - Ken Mandelbaum
- 1972 Film
- Directed: Bob Fosse
- Sally: Liza Minnelli
- Emcee: Joel Grey
- Brian (Cliff): Michael York
- Max: Helmut Griem
- Natalia: Marisa Berenson
- Fritz: Wendel
- Fräulein Kost: Helen Vita
- Herr Ludwig: Ralf Wolter
- 1986 West End Revival => recorded
- Sally: Kelly Hunter
- Cliff: Peter Land
- Emcee: Wayne Sleep
- Directed and choreographed by Gillian Lynne
- 1987 Broadway revival
- Emcee: Joel Grey
- Sally: Alyson Reed
- Cliff: Gregg Edelman => They added the song "Don't go"
- Fraulein Schneider: Regina Resnik
- Herr Schultz: Werner Klemperer
- Ernst Ludwig: David Staller
- 1993 London revival => filmed for television
- Sam Mendes directed a new production
- really different depiction of Emcee: more sexualised. At the end, he reveals a uniform from a concentration camp with a yellow badge (jews), a red mark (communists) and a pink triangle (homosexual)
- "Tomorrow belongs to me" is now played on a record instead of being performed by a male choir
- Sally: Jane Horrocks
- Cliff: Adam Godley
- Emcee: Alan Cumming - Olivier Award
- Fraulein Schneider: Kestelman - won the olivier for best supporting performance in a musical
- 1996 BBC Radio from the Golders Green Hippodrome
- Sally: Clare Burt
- Emcee: Steven Berkoff
- Cliff: Alexander Hanson
- Herr Schultz: Keith Michell
- Fräulein Schneider: Rosemary Leach
- 1998 Second Broadway revival => recorded
- based on the 1993 production
- Rob Marshall: co-director and choreographer
- it became the "third longest-running revival in Broadway musical history"; It won four tony awards for Cumming, Richardson and Rifkin, and a Tony for best revival of a musical
- They staged "Two ladies" with the emcee, a cabaret girl, and a cabaret boy
- "Sitting pretty" was eliminated, like in the film version, because of its "mocking references to deprivation, despair and hunger". They added "Maybe this time"
- Emcee: Cumming (and later Neil Patrick Harris)
- Sally: Natasha Richardson
- Cliff: John Benjamin Hickey
- Herr Schultz: Ron Rifkin
- Ernst Ludwig: Denis O'Hare
- Fräulein Kost: Michele Pawk
- Fräulein Schneider: Mary Louise Wilson
- 2006-2008 West End revival
- Directed: Rufus Norris
- Sally: Anna Maxwell Martin
- Emcee: James Dreyfus
- Fräulein Kost: Harriet Thorpe
- Cliff: Michael Hayden
- Fräulein Schneider: Sheila Hancock - won the Olivier award for best supporting performance
- 2008 Stratford Shakespeare Festival in Canada
- 2012 West End revival
- Emcee: Will Young
- Sally: Michelle Ryan
- 2014-2016 Broadway revival
- Sam Mendes and Rob Marshall reused the 1998 revival
- Emcee: Alan Cumming
- Sally: Michelle Williams (also Emma Stone and Sienna Miller)
- Herr Schultz: Danny Burnstein
- Fräulein Schneider: Linda Emond
- 2021 West End revival => recorded
- Directed by Rebecca Frecknall
- Choreography: Julia Cheng
- Emcee: Eddie Redmayne - Olivier award Best Actor in a musical in 2022
- Sally: Jessie Buckley - Olivier award Best Actress in a musical in 2022
- Cliff: Omari Douglas
- Fraulein Schneider: Liza Sadovy
- Herr Schultz: Elliot Levey
- Ernst: Stewart Clarke
- Fraulein Kost: Anna-Jane Casey
- 2024 Broadway revival
- based on the 2021 West End production
- Emcee: Redmayne (and Adam Lambert)
- Sally: Gayle Rankin (and Auli'i Cravalho)
- Cliff: Ato Blankson-Wood
- Fraulein Schneider: Bebe Neuwirth
- Herr Schultz: Steven Skybell
- Fraulein Kost: Natascia Diaz
- Ernst Ludwig: Henry Gottfried
- Others:
- (2020?)Olney Theatre Center - Cabaret, "Willkommen", with Mason Alexander Park. They won the Helen Hayes Award for Best Lead Performer in a Musical.
- BMA Fairfield's production - 2021 Matthew Skrovan as Emcee
-> I really like this version where the MC seems like they are in a mental hospital, and the audience is seated on stage, on the sides, like at a runaway show
- Olivier Awards 2022 - Cabaret - from West End production - Amy Lennox: Cabaret => most impressive version i have ever seen
- Broadway Backwards 2023 - Corbin Bleu
- The best: Aaron Tveit
Quick review and notation:
Trump
Administration Updates: Federal Workers Told to Inform on Colleagues Trying to
Dodge D.E.I. Crackdown
Published Jan. 22, 2025
-
“A
warning on D.E.I.: The Trump administration on Wednesday threatened
tens of thousands of federal employees with “adverse consequences” if they fail
to report on colleagues who defy orders to purge diversity, equity and
inclusion efforts from their agencies.” // Cabaret ?
Life is a cabaret owns a prediction that Sally is going right to her grave: "and if i'm going, i'm going like Elsie"
https://www.nytimes.com/2024/11/24/opinion/cabaret-trump-joel-grey.html?smid=fb-share&fbclid=IwY2xjawGwdJZleHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHVxYnFQWDjHQAVGItW5q291aGT4daIpT3e9jd6VlfNIRE1N3L_NHUZE09g_aem_99nVThQb4uz8Or9-SESSpg
- first time they performed “If You could see her” in Boston, “audiences gasped and recoiled” ⇒ producers made a change but Joel Gray would still sometimes keep the original version
- Cabaret can still shows today society:
- “Now, in 2024, we find ourselves in a different, far more precarious moment. The recent election of Donald Trump to a second term has left many Americans, particularly those who fought so hard against the forces of authoritarianism and hate, feeling drained and disillusioned. There’s a sense that we have seen this show before, that we know how it ends and that we’re powerless to stop it. Or worse, a sense that even though we are facing dark times, they won’t really affect our own day-to-day lives — echoing the tragically shortsighted assessment of so many European Jews in the 1920s and ’30s.”
- “We have indeed seen this show before, and I fear we do know how it ends. It’s understandable to want to retreat, to find solace where we can, but we cannot afford to look away.”
Book: Jack Viertel’s The Secret Life of the American Musical
- “Written by Joe Masteroff (book) and John Kander and Fred Ebb (music and lyrics), it was the first of the producer-director Hal Prince’s departures from the classic Golden Age style he had spent a decade producing.” (138)
- “Cabaret was something of an in-betweener, a transitional piece neither completely free from old conventions nor a slave to them. But one of its conventional paradigms that worked particularly well was the second couple.” (138)
Class from Duke University:
Cabaret is from 1966:
- show written by John Kander and Fred Ebb: was their second Broadway show after Flora the red menace
- Harold Prince: producer . Director ?of She loves me ⇒ can watch a revival through the library : follows two couples the lead romantic and the comedy couple
- Joe Masteroff: wrote the book. Also worked on She loves me.
- The most famous person in the original company was Lotte Lenya. She was a German theatre star from the 20s who lived in exhile in the US. She was married to the compouser Vile? She was in her 50s or 60s.
- The show made a star of Joel Grey, who kept the role in the film of Fosse.
In the movie, Fosse took a lot of liberties and cut out all the non diegetic scenes. He’s cut a lot of songs between Fraulein etc; different version of the money song etc. Maybe this time came in the movie. It was a trunk song: it existed before but not used.
Christopher Isherwood was an English writer who lived in Berlin at the end of the 20s as Hitler is being elected to power. He realises he has to get out, and he leaves and moves to the US. His novel was the motivation for the musical Cabaret - which he hated btw. He lived in Berlin because it was at a time great for different sexualities at that time. After he leaves he publishes the “Berlin story” which inspired part of Cabaret. These stories were inspired by his life but they were fictionalised. Years later he wrote a memoir. In 1951 his stories are adapted into a play called I am a Camera, made into a movie in 19?
Then the musical opens on Broadway in 1966 and it’s immediately a hit. One of the things that happened is that it has been revived and therefore revised many times. After 1968 the show changed. In 1969, important thing in America and over the course of the 70s it becomes increasingly acceptable to talk about being gay and being gay. The writers could then include things that they couldn’t have included in 1966. The MC has always been a little bit queer and Joel Gray didn’t come out as gay until his 80s. (Jennifer Gray his daughter!!!!!!). Joel Gray became a great star, he won an oscar for his role in the film. In 1987 they revived the show with Joel Gray and become he had become the most important person he got a lot more importance in the show. After the revival in West End by Sam Mendy?, they made it almost immersive: audience is seated at cabaret tables around the stage. Almost every major productions since then have used this since then. The MC becomes this omniscient character that we see a lot coming back on stage.
Back to the original production:
The first thing the audience see when they walk in is a mirror reflecting themselves. In 1966, end of WWII in 1945 and since then the world is finding out more and more about what happened in Germany, Poland etc where the holocaust happened etc. The mirror is tilted towards you to implicate you in the show. It is often say that the show is brechtian (alienation/distancing effect: Verfrumdungseffekt).
The first version of the show was really more promising comedy and entertainment. (cf Tony Awards 1966). By opening this way you don’t know about the darkness to come yet. Every musical is always speaking to its cultural context: remember it’s 1966 - The civil rights mouvement and Klux Klux Clan // Kit Kat Club. The initial production had easter eggs and subtil messages. They couldn’t be explicit in the narrative but they could in the staging. In the original production the opening number is really populated by the staff, the patrons etc. Then some guys come in the background and hug eachother (clearly queer). So a lot of things hidden while still working to get it to Broadway. In this version, the intermission comes after the engagement party where he reveals himself to be a nazi and starts to sing the nazi song. There are no concentration camps references at all in the first version. The MC just sings A bientôt etc and then the stage is empty except for the cabaret signs.
What is the music telling us? In Gypsy, the music is the same at the end than at the beginning so even though we could think the power has shifted between Louise and Rose, music is telling us something different. Same at the beginning and the end of Cabaret, he says “Willkomen”.
What is cabaret’s concept: the cabaret itself - it is in a way the main character of the musical // “Life is a cabaret”. In organising the show whether it is with the mirror or with the audience being seated as the audience in cabaret ⇒ makes of cabaret the concept in itself.
Telephone song was set in the cabaret → they sat at the cabaret table with the telephone → in this song there was a famous dance où ils font la croix symbole nazi dans leurs chorégraphies
I Want song cannot be diegetic? → so not “Maybe this time” → Cabaret doesn’t have a I Want song, also because it is hard to find out who’s the main character and it’s a concept musical. The structure is really unusual.
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