No. 5. “Cabaret” (CABARET, 1966)

By John Kander (music), Fred Ebb (lyrics), and Joe Masteroff (book). Based on the play I AM A CAMERA by John Van Druten and stories by Christopher Isherwood

Hal Prince had already established himself as a producer of innovative—and successful—musicals by the time he started directing them as well. His first few outings were somewhat traditional, until he decided to bring about a musical version of Christopher Isherwood’s Goodbye to Berlin. After a trip to Germany, he realized the a show about the decadent night-life scene in 1930s Berlin needed a different sort of theatrical vocabulary than the typical Broadway musical could afford. Cabaret introduced the idea of a “limbo” where a scene could happen more in the idea of a place than a concrete depiction of one. A song could be taken as a night club performance while also served as a commentary and furthering the character development of the more traditional “book scenes.” Set designer Boris Aronson worked closely with Prince to create this ambiguous world, continuing the emerging idea of designers as an integral part of the creative process from the earliest stages. Cabaret translated experimental theatrical techniques for the mainstream Broadway stage and opened the door for non-literal story telling and dark themes. As audiences became more comfortable with these ideas, Cabaret continued to evolve in subsequent revivals with increased theatrical (and sexual and moral) ambiguity.

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