Book: Joe Masteroff
Music: John Kander
Lyrics: Fred Ebb
Royalties: Tams Witmark
Synopsis:
The scene is the Kit Kat Klub, a night club in Berlin, as the 1920s are drawing to a close. The Master of Ceremonies welcomes the audience to the show and assures them that, whatever their troubles, they will forget them at the Cabaret. The entire orchestra is onstage, and the actors play along with it when they are not part of the dialogue. Cliff, a young American writer, meets Ernst, a German who surprises Cliff by putting his briefcase among Cliff’s luggage at the German border. Musical numbers include Willkommen, Cabaret, Mein Herr, Maybe This Time, The Money Songand Two Ladies. When we revisit the Klub at the end, much is changed, and show ends with a stark foreshadowing of things to come: The Emcee strips off his overcoat to reveal a concentration camp prisoner’s uniform marked with a yellow Star of David and a pink triangle, and the backdrop rises to reveal an electric barbed-wire fence.
Rating: Language- 16+
Adult Content- 16+
Violence- 16+
Pay attention to: The show contains multiple instances of innuendo and references to sexuality. There is a violent fight scene at the end of the second act. Drinking and drug use is portrayed throughout. Costumes in many cases are revealing.
Flexibility: All changes must be approved in advance.
Production notes: Large cast. Requires strong dancers. Requires strong singers who can belt.
Music Notes: Large pit.
Breakdown (link is to Tams Witmark rehearsal materials)