Spring 1986: Cabaret

 

Book by Neil Simon
Lyrics by Dorothy Fields

Cabaret was, and still remains, one of the most daringly modern of Broadway musicals; with its overall style and the seediness of the Berlin night-club in which it is set. The goings on at the Kit Kat Klub appear typical of Berlin nightlife in the late 1930's, but they also serve as a metaphor for the chaotic world outside, and the rise of Nazism. Cabaret's director wanted to "present a challenge to audiences conditioned to the jolly predictability of musical theatre". The musical is set in pre-Second World War Berlin. Based on the diaries of Christopher Isherwood, it tells the story of Cliff, a writer, and his acquaintance with a cabaret performer, Sally Bowles, whom he meets in the sordid 'Kit Kat Klub'. It has a sub-plot of a Jewish couple Fraulein Schneider, and Herr Schultz, who have to come to terms with the uncertainty of their future together. The story is emphasized throughout by the eccentric and sometimes camp 'Emcee', played superbly in the film version by Joel Gray.