| Cabaret | |
|---|---|
 Original Broadway promotional poster byTom Morrow | |
| Music | John Kander |
| Lyrics | Fred Ebb |
| Book | Joe Masteroff |
| Basis | |
| Premiere | October 10, 1966:Shubert Theatre,Boston |
| Productions | See list
|
| Awards | |
Cabaret is an Americanmusical with music byJohn Kander, lyrics byFred Ebb, and a book byJoe Masteroff. It is based on the playI Am a Camera byJohn Van Druten, premiered in 1951, which in turn was based on the 1939 novelGoodbye to Berlin byChristopher Isherwood.
Set in 1929–1930Berlin during the twilight of theJazz Age as theNazis rise to power, the musical focuses on the hedonistic nightlife at the seedy Kit Kat Klub and revolves around American writer Clifford Bradshaw's relations with Englishcabaret performerSally Bowles. A subplot involves the doomed romance between German boarding house owner Fräulein Schneider and her elderly suitor Herr Schultz, aJewish fruit vendor. Overseeing the action is theMaster of Ceremonies at the Kit Kat Klub, and the club itself serves as a metaphor for ominous political developments in lateWeimar Germany.
The originalBroadway production opened on November 20, 1966, at theBroadhurst Theatre in New York City and became a box office hit that ran for 1,166 performances. The production won eightTony Awards and inspired numerous subsequent productions around the world as well as the1972 film of the same name.
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The events depicted in the 1966 musical are derived from Anglo-American writer Christopher Isherwood's autobiographical tales of his colorful escapades in theWeimar Republic.[1][2] In 1929, Isherwood visitedWeimar-era Berlin during the final months of theGolden Twenties.[3] He relocated to Berlin to avail himself of boy prostitutes and to enjoy the city's orgiasticJazz Age cabarets.[4][5] He socialized with acoterie of gay writers that includedStephen Spender,Paul Bowles,[a] andW.H. Auden.[8] At the time, Isherwood viewed the rise ofNazism in Germany with political indifference[b] and instead focused on writing a novel.[11][12][13]
In Berlin, Isherwood shared modest lodgings with 19-year-old BritishflapperJean Ross,[c] an aspiring film actress who earned her living as achanteuse inlesbian bars and second-rate cabarets.[15][16] While room-mates atNollendorfstrasse 17 inSchöneberg,[17] a 27-year-old Isherwood settled into a sexual relationship with a 16-year-old German boy,[18][19] and Ross became pregnant after engaging in a series of sexual liaisons.[20] She believed the father of the child to be jazz pianist and later film actorPeter van Eyck.[21]
As a favor to Ross, Isherwood pretended to be her heterosexual impregnator in order to facilitate anabortion. Ross nearly died from the procedure due to the doctor's incompetence.[21][22][23] Visiting Ross during her recovery in a Berlin hospital, Isherwood perceived hostility from the hospital staff who believed that he had forced her to undergo the abortion. These events inspired Isherwood to write his 1937novellaSally Bowles, in which the abortion serves as the narrative climax.[24][25]
While Ross recovered from the botched abortion, the political situationrapidly deteriorated in Weimar Germany as the incipientNazi Party grew stronger day by day.[26] "There was a sensation of doom to be felt in the Berlin streets", Stephen Spender recalled.[26][27] As Berlin's daily scenes increasingly featured "poverty, unemployment, political demonstrations andstreet fighting between the forces of theextreme left and theextreme right",[28] Isherwood, Ross, Spender, and other British nationals realized that they must leave the politically volatile country as soon as possible.[29][30]
Two weeks after theEnabling Act cementedAdolf Hitler's dictatorship, Isherwood fled Germany on May 13, 1933.[31][32] Afterwards, the Nazis shuttered most of Berlin's seedy cabarets,[d] and many of Isherwood's cabaret acquaintances fled abroad or perished inconcentration camps.[34] These events served as the genesis for Isherwood'sBerlin stories. In 1951, playwrightJohn Van Druten adapted Isherwood's 1939 novelGoodbye to Berlin into the Broadway playI Am a Camera which in turn became a1955 film starringLaurence Harvey andJulie Harris.[35]
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In early 1963, producer David Black commissioned English composer and lyricistSandy Wilson to undertake a musical adaptation of Van Druten's 1951 playI Am a Camera.[36] Black hoped that singerJulie Andrews would agree to star in the adaptation, but Andrews' manager refused to allow her to accept the role of Sally Bowles due to the character's immorality.[37] By the time Wilson completed his work, however, Black's option on both the 1951 Van Druten play and its source material by Isherwood had lapsed and been acquired by rival Broadway producerHarold Prince.[38] Prince wished to create a gritty adaptation of Isherwood's stories that drew parallels between the spiritual bankruptcy of Germany in the 1920s and contemporary social problems in the United States at a time "when the struggle for civil rights for black Americans was heating up as a result of nonviolent but bold demonstrations being held in the Deep South."[39]
Prince hired playwrightJoe Masteroff to work on the adaptation.[40] Both men believed that Wilson's score failed to capture the carefree hedonism of the Jazz Age in late1920s Berlin.[38] They wanted a score that "evoked the Berlin ofKurt Weill andLotte Lenya."[38] Consequently, Prince invited the songwriting team ofJohn Kander andFred Ebb to join the project.[38] Kander and Ebb envisioned the work as a dramatic play preceded by a prologue of songs describing the Berlin atmosphere from various points of view. As the composers distributed the songs between scenes, they realized the story could be told in the structure of a more traditionalbook musical, and they replaced several songs with tunes more relevant to the plot.[38]
For the musical adaptation, playwright Joe Masteroff significantly altered Isherwood's original characters.[41] He transformed the English protagonist into an American writer named Clifford Bradshaw; theantisemitic landlady became a tolerant woman with a Jewish beau who owned a fruit store; they cut various supporting characters and added new characters such as the Nazismuggler Ernst Ludwig[e] for dramatic purposes.[43][44] The musical ultimately expressed two stories in one: the first, arevue centered on the decadence of the Kit Kat Klub, for which Hal Prince created the Master of Ceremonies (Emcee) character played by Joel Grey; the second, a story set in the society outside the club, thus juxtaposing the lives of the characters based on Isherwood's real-life associates and acquaintances with the seedy club.[45][46]
In fall 1966, the musical entered rehearsals.[47] After viewing one of the last rehearsals before the company headed toBoston for the pre-Broadway run, Prince's friendJerome Robbins suggested cutting the songs outside the cabaret, but Prince ignored his advice.[47] In Boston, lead actressJill Haworth struggled with her characterization of Sally Bowles.[48][49] Critics thought Sally's blonde hair and white dress suggested adebutante at a seniorprom instead of a cabaret singer, so Sally became a brunette before the show opened on Broadway.[48][49]
Prince staged the show in an unusual way for the time.[50] As the audience entered the theater, they saw the curtain raised, exposing a stage with only a large mirror that reflected the auditorium.[51][52] Instead of an overture, a drum roll and cymbal crash introduced the opening number. The show mixed dialogue scenes with expository songs and standalone cabaret numbers that provided social commentary. This innovative concept initially surprised audiences.[53] Over time, they discerned the distinction between the two and appreciated the rationale behind them.[53]
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At the twilight of the Jazz Age in Berlin, the incipientNazi Party is growing stronger. The Kit Kat Klub is a seedy cabaret – a place of decadent celebration. The club'sMaster of Ceremonies (Emcee)[f] together with the cabaret girls and waiters, warm up the audience ("Willkommen"). Meanwhile, a young American writer named Clifford Bradshaw arrives via a railway train in Berlin. He has journeyed to the city to work on a new novel. Cliff encounters Ernst Ludwig,[e] a Germansmuggler who offers himblack market work and recommends a boarding house. At the boarding house, the proprietressFräulein Schneider offers Cliff a room for one hundredreichsmarks, but he can only pay fifty. After a brief debate, she relents and allows Cliff to live there for fifty marks. Fräulein Schneider observes that she has learned to take whatever life offers ("So What?").
When Cliff visits the Kit Kat Klub, the Emcee introduces an Englishchanteuse, Sally Bowles, who performs a flirtatious number ("Don't Tell Mama").[g] Afterward, she asks Cliff to recite poetry for her, and he recitesErnest Thayer's mock-heroic poem "Casey at the Bat". Cliff offers to escort Sally home, but she says that her boyfriend Max, the club's owner, is too jealous.[h] Sally performs her final number at the Kit Kat Klub aided by a female ensemble of jazz babies ("Mein Herr"). The cabaret ensemble performs a song and dance, calling each other oninter-table phones and inviting each other for dances and drinks ("The Telephone Song").[i]
The next day at the boarding house, Cliff has just finished giving an English lesson to Ernst when Sally arrives. Max has fired her and thrown her out, and now she has no place to live. Sally asks Cliff if she can live in his room. At first he resists, but she convinces him to take her in ("Perfectly Marvelous"). The Emcee and two female companions sing a song ("Two Ladies") that comments on Cliff and Sally's new living arrangement. Herr Schultz, an elderly Jewish fruit-shop owner who lives in the boarding house, gives apineapple to Fräulein Schneider as a romantic gesture ("It Couldn't Please Me More"). In the Kit Kat Klub, a young waiter starts to sing a song – a patriotic anthem to theFatherland that slowly descends into a darker,Nazi-inspiredmarching song ("Tomorrow Belongs to Me"). He initially singsa cappella, before the customers and the band join in.[j]
Months later, Cliff and Sally are still living together and have grown intimate.[c] Cliff knows that he is in a "dream", but he enjoys living with Sally too much to come to his senses ("Why Should I Wake Up?"). Sally reveals that she is pregnant, but she does not know who the father is and decides to have an abortion. Cliff reminds her that it could be his child and tries to convince her to have the baby ("Maybe This Time").[k] Ernst enters and offers Cliff a chance to earn easy money – picking up a suitcase in Paris and delivering it to a client in Berlin. The Emcee comments on this with the song "Sitting Pretty" (or, in later versions, "Money").
Meanwhile, Fräulein Schneider has caught one of her boarders, the prostitute Fräulein Kost, bringing sailors into her room. Fräulein Schneider forbids her from doing so again, but Kost threatens to leave. Kost reveals that she has seen Fräulein Schneider with Herr Schultz in her room. Herr Schultz saves Fräulein Schneider's reputation by telling Fräulein Kost that he and Fräulein Schneider are to be married in three weeks. After Fräulein Kost departs, Fräulein Schneider thanks Herr Schultz for lying to Fräulein Kost. Herr Schultz says that he still wishes to marry Fräulein Schneider ("Married").
At Fräulein Schneider and Herr Schultz's engagement party, Cliff arrives and delivers the suitcase ofcontraband to Ernst. Sally and Cliff gift the couple a crystal fruit bowl. A tipsy Schultz sings "Meeskite" (meeskite, he explains, isYiddish for ugly or funny-looking), a song with a moral ("Anyone responsible for loveliness, large or small/Is not ameeskite at all").[l] Afterward, seeking revenge on Fräulein Schneider, Kost tells Ernst, who now sports aNazi armband, that Schultz is a Jew. Ernst warns Schneider that marrying a Jew is unwise. Kost and company reprise "Tomorrow Belongs to Me", with more overtly Nazi overtones, as Cliff, Sally, Schneider, Schultz, and the Emcee look on.
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The cabaret girls – along with the Emcee indrag – perform akickline routine which eventually becomes agoose step. Fräulein Schneider expresses her concerns about her impending nuptials to Herr Schultz, who assures her that everything will be all right ("Married" (reprise)).[m] They are interrupted by the crash of a brick being thrownthrough the glass window of Herr Schultz's fruit shop. Schultz tries to reassure her that it is merely rowdy children making trouble, but Fräulein Schneider is now afraid.
Back at the Kit Kat Klub, the Emcee performs a song-and-dance routine with a woman in agorilla suit, singing that their love has been met with universal disapproval ("If You Could See Her"). Encouraging the audience to be more open-minded, he defends hisape-woman, concluding with, "if you could see her through my eyes... she wouldn't look Jewish at all."[n][46] Fräulein Schneider goes to Cliff and Sally's room and returns their engagement present, explaining that her marriage has been called off. When Cliff protests and states that she can't just give up this way, she asks him what other choice she has ("What Would You Do?").
Cliff begs Sally to leave Germany with him so that they can raise their child together in America. Sally protests and claims that their life in Berlin is wonderful. Cliff urges her to "wake up" and to notice the growing social upheaval around them.[b] Sally retorts that politics have nothing to do with them and returns to the Kit Kat Klub ("I Don't Care Much").[o] At the club, after another heated argument with Sally, Cliff is accosted by Ernst, who has another delivery job for him. Cliff tries to brush him off. When Ernst inquires if Cliff's attitude towards him is because of "that Jew at the party", Cliff attacks him – only to be beaten by Ernst's bodyguards and ejected from the club.[p] On stage, the Emcee introduces Sally, who enters to perform again, singing that "life is a cabaret, old chum," cementing her decision to live in carefree ignorance ("Cabaret").
The next morning, a bruised Cliff is packing his clothes in his room when Herr Schultz visits. He informs Cliff that he is moving to another boarding house, but he is confident that these difficult times will soon pass. He understands the German people, he declares, because he is a German too. When Sally returns, she announces that she has had an abortion, and Cliff slaps her. She chides him for his previous insistence on keeping the baby, pointing out it would be a "terrible burden" for a child knowing it was the only reason the parents were together. Cliff still hopes that she will join him in France, but Sally retorts that she has "always hated Paris." She hopes that, when Cliff finally writes his novel, he will dedicate the work to her. Cliff leaves, heartbroken.
There was a cabaret, and there was a master of ceremonies and there was a city called Berlin, in a country called Germany – and it was the end of the world.
On the railway train to Paris, Cliff begins to compose his novel, reflecting on his experiences: "There was a cabaret, and there was a master of ceremonies ... and there was a city called Berlin, in a country called Germany – and it was the end of the world and I was dancing with Sally Bowles – and we were both fast asleep" ("Willkommen" (reprise)). In the Kit Kat Klub, the Emcee welcomes the audience once again as the ensemble reprises "Willkommen" but the song is now harsh and discordant.[q] The Emcee sings, "Auf Wiedersehen... à bientôt..."[r] followed by a drum roll crescendo and a cymbal crash.[s]
Every production ofCabaret has modified the original score, with songs being changed, cut, or added from the film version. This is a collective list featuring all songs from every major production.
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Many songs planned for the 1966 production were cut.[65] Three excised songs – "Good Time Charlie", "It'll All Blow Over", and "Roommates" – were recorded by Kander and Ebb, and the sheet music published in a collector's book.[66] Sally sang "Good Time Charlie" to Cliff as they walked to Fräulein Schneider and Herr Schultz's engagement party, mocking Cliff for his gloominess.[64] At the end of the first act, Fräulein Schneider sang "It'll All Blow Over," expressing her concerns about marrying a Jew, while Cliff voiced his worries about Germany's emerging Nazism.[67][68] In the song, Sally declares that all will turn out well in the end.[67] "Perfectly Marvelous" replaced "Roommates" and serves the same plot function of Sally convincing Cliff to let her move in with him.[64][69]
The 1972 film added several songs, notably "Mein Herr" and "Maybe This Time" which were included in later productions.[65] The latter song had been written by Kander and Ebb for the unproduced musicalGolden Gate.[70] The later 1987 and 1998 Broadway revivals also added new songs such as "I Don't Care Much".[71] In the 1987 revival, Kander and Ebb wrote a new song for Cliff titled "Don't Go".[72] In the 1998 revival, "Mein Herr" replaced "The Telephone Song", and "Maybe This Time" replaced "Why Should I Wake Up?".
Originally, the Emcee sang "Sitting Pretty" accompanied by the cabaret girls in international costumes with their units of currency representingRussian rubles,Japanese yen,French francs,American dollars, andGerman reichsmarks.[72] In the 1972 film, the Emcee and Sally Bowles sang "Money, Money" instead of "Sitting Pretty." The film soundtrack briefly played "Sitting Pretty" as orchestral background music. In the 1987 revival, they presented a special version that combined a medley of both money songs, and they incorporated motifs from the later song into the "international" dance that featured "Sitting Pretty." In the 1998 revival, they used only the later song written for the film. This version included the cabaret girls and carried a darker undertone.
The musical opened on Broadway on November 20, 1966,[49] at theBroadhurst Theatre, transferred to theImperial Theatre and then theBroadway Theatre before closing on September 6, 1969, after 1,166 performances and 21 previews.[73] Directed byHarold Prince and choreographed byRon Field, the cast featuredJill Haworth as Sally,Bert Convy as Cliff,Lotte Lenya as Fräulein Schneider,Jack Gilford as Herr Schultz,Joel Grey as the Emcee,Edward Winter as Ernst, andPeg Murray as Fräulein Kost.[74][75] Replacements later in the run includedAnita Gillette andMelissa Hart as Sally,Ken Kercheval andLarry Kert as Cliff, and Martin Ross as the Emcee.[49][76] In addition,John Serry Sr. performed as the orchestral accordionist.[citation needed]
The original Broadway production was not an instant success according to playwright Joe Masteroff due to its perceived immoral content.[51] "When the show opened in Boston," Masteroff recalled, "there were a lot of walkouts. Once the reviews came out, the public came back."[51] At the time, actor Joel Grey was merely fifth-billed in the show. Nevertheless, audiences were hypnotized by Grey's sinister performance as the Emcee.[77]
In contrast, Jill Haworth's performance as Sally was less well-received and was criticized for its blandness.[78] Emory Lewis, the reviewer forThe Morning Call, wrote that "Jill Haworth, the lovely English actress who played Sally Bowles on opening night, was personable, but she was not sufficiently trained for so pivotal a role. And her voice was small and undramatic. Her performance threw 'Cabaret' out of kilter."[49]
The 1967–68 US national tour featured Melissa Hart as Sally,Signe Hasso as Fräulein Schneider, andLeo Fuchs as Herr Schultz.[79] The tour included theShubert Theatre inNew Haven, Connecticut in December 1967, theAhmanson Theatre in Los Angeles in May 1968, theCurran Theatre in San Francisco in September 1968, and many others.[80]
The musical premiered in theWest End on February 28, 1968, at thePalace Theatre withJudi Dench as Sally,Kevin Colson as Cliff,Barry Dennen as the Emcee,Lila Kedrova as Fräulein Schneider andPeter Sallis as Herr Schultz. It ran for 336 performances.[81][82] Critics such as Ken Mandelbaum have asserted that "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."[83]
In 1986, the show was revived in London at theStrand Theatre starringKelly Hunter as Sally,Peter Land as Cliff andWayne Sleep as the Emcee, directed and choreographed byGillian Lynne.[83]
The first Broadway revival opened on October 22, 1987, with direction and choreography by Prince and Field. The revival opened at theImperial Theatre, and then transferred to theMinskoff Theatre to complete its 261-performance run.[84]Joel Grey received star billing as the Emcee, withAlyson Reed as Sally,Gregg Edelman as Cliff,Regina Resnik as Fräulein Schneider,Werner Klemperer as Herr Schultz, andDavid Staller as Ernst Ludwig.[85] The song "Don't Go" was added for Cliff's character.[citation needed]
In 1993,Sam Mendes directed a new production for theDonmar Warehouse in London.[86][87] The revival starredJane Horrocks as Sally,Adam Godley as Cliff,Alan Cumming as the Emcee andSara Kestelman as Fräulein Schneider.[88] Kestelman won theOlivier Award for Best Supporting Performance in a Musical, and Cumming was nominated for an Olivier.[citation needed] Mendes' concept was different from either the original production or the conventional first revival,[86] particularly with respect to the character of the Emcee. The role, as played byJoel Grey in both prior productions, was a sexually aloof, edgy character with rouged cheeks dressed in atuxedo.Alan Cumming's portrayal was highly sexualized, as he wore suspenders around his crotch and red paint on his nipples.[89] Staging details differed as well. Instead of "Tomorrow Belongs to Me" being performed by a male choir of waiting staff, the Emcee plays a recording of aboy soprano singing it. In the final scene, the Emcee removes his outer clothes to reveal a striped uniform of the type worn by the internees inconcentration camps; on it are pinned ayellow badge (identifying Jews), ared star (marking Communists and socialists), and apink triangle (denoting homosexuals). Other changes included added references to Cliff's bisexuality, including a brief scene where he kisses one of the Cabaret boys.[90] "I Don't Care Much," which was added for the 1987 Broadway revival, was maintained for this production, and "Mein Herr" was added from the film.[citation needed]
This production was filmed byChannel Four Film for airing on UK television.[91]
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The second Broadway revival, by theRoundabout Theatre Company, was based on the 1993 Mendes-Donmar Warehouse production. For the Broadway transfer,Rob Marshall was co-director and choreographer.[51][92][46] The production opened after 37 previews on March 19, 1998, at the Kit Kat Klub, housed in what previously had been known asHenry Miller's Theatre.[92] Later that year it transferred toStudio 54,[51] where it remained for the rest of its 2,377-performance run,[84] becoming thethird longest-running revival in Broadway musical history, third only toOh! Calcutta! andChicago. Cumming reprised his role as the Emcee, opposite newcomersNatasha Richardson as Sally,John Benjamin Hickey as Cliff,Ron Rifkin as Herr Schultz,Denis O'Hare as Ernst Ludwig,Michele Pawk as Fräulein Kost, andMary Louise Wilson as Fräulein Schneider.[92][93]
The Broadway production was nominated for tenTony Awards, winning four for Cumming, Richardson and Rifkin, as well as the Tony for Best Revival of a Musical. This production featured a number of notable replacements later in the run:Susan Egan,Joely Fisher,Gina Gershon,Debbie Gibson,Milena Govich,Jennifer Jason Leigh,Melina Kanakaredes,Jane Leeves,Molly Ringwald,Brooke Shields, andLea Thompson as Sally;Michael C. Hall,Raúl Esparza,Neil Patrick Harris,Adam Pascal,Jon Secada, andJohn Stamos as the Emcee;Boyd Gaines,Michael Hayden, andRick Holmes as Cliff;Tom Bosley,Dick Latessa,Hal Linden,Laurence Luckinbill, andTony Roberts as Herr Schultz; andBlair Brown,Carole Shelley,Polly Bergen,Alma Cuervo,Mariette Hartley as Fräulein Schneider, andMartin Moran as Ernst Ludwig.[93]
There were a number of changes made between the 1993 and 1998 revivals, despite the similarities in creative team. The cabaret number "Two Ladies" was staged with the Emcee, a cabaret girl, and a cabaret boy indrag and included ashadow play simulating various sexual positions.[90] The score was re-orchestrated using synthesizer effects and expanding the stage band, with all the instruments now being played by the cabaret girls and boys. The satiric "Sitting Pretty", with its mocking references to deprivation, despair and hunger, was eliminated, as it had been in the film version, and where in the 1993 revival it had been combined with "Money" (as it had been in 1987 London production), "Money" was now performed on its own. "Maybe This Time", from the film adaptation, was added to the score.[90]
In September 2006, a new production presented byBill Kenwright opened at theLyric Theatre, directed by Rufus Norris,[94] and starringAnna Maxwell Martin as Sally,James Dreyfus as the Emcee,Harriet Thorpe as Fräulein Kost,Michael Hayden as Cliff, andSheila Hancock as Fräulein Schneider. Hancock won the Olivier Award for Best Supporting Performance in a Musical.[95] Replacements later in the run includedKim Medcalf andAmy Nuttall as Sally,Honor Blackman andAngela Richards as Fräulein Schneider, andJulian Clary andAlistair McGowan as the Emcee. This production closed in June 2008 and toured the UK for two years opening at theBirmingham Repertory Theatre with a cast that includedWayne Sleep as the Emcee andSamantha Barks as Sally, beforeSiobhan Dillon took over the role.[citation needed]
A revival opened in the West End at theSavoy Theatre on October 3, 2012, following a four-week tour of the UK, including Bromley, Southampton, Nottingham, Norwich and Salford,[96] withWill Young as the Emcee andMichelle Ryan asSally Bowles.[97]Siân Phillips,Harriet Thorpe andMatt Rawle also joined the cast. The production was made by the creative team behind the 2006 London revival, but with new sets, lighting, costumes, choreography and direction.[citation needed]
In August 2013 the show went on tour in the UK, again with Young as the Emcee,Siobhan Dillon reprising her role of Sally andLyn Paul joining the cast as Fräulein Schneider.[98] The same production toured the UK again in autumn 2017 with Young as the Emcee andLouise Redknapp as Sally.[99] Another UK tour began in autumn 2019 starringJohn Partridge as the Emcee, Kara Lily Hayworth as Sally Bowles andAnita Harris as Fräulein Schneider.[100]
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In September 2013Roundabout Theatre Company announced plans to return the company's acclaimed 1998 production toStudio 54 in New York.[101][51] For this, the show's third Broadway revival,Sam Mendes andRob Marshall reprised their respective roles as director and co-director/choreographer to recreate their work from the earlier production.Alan Cumming starred again as the Emcee whileAcademy Award-nomineeMichelle Williams made her Broadway debut asSally Bowles.[102] On October 7, 2013,Tony Award nomineesDanny Burstein andLinda Emond joined the cast as Herr Schultz and Fräulein Schneider.[103] The production began a 24-week limited engagement with previews from March 21, 2014, with opening night on April 24, 2014, but the engagement was extended.[104]Emma Stone replaced Michelle Williams as Sally from November 2014 to February 2015.[105] Critics praised Stone's performance for her interpretation of the hard-drinkingsybarite Sally Bowles "as a flamingflapper, the kind hymned byF. Scott Fitzgerald and embodied by the youngJoan Crawford insilent movies."[106]Sienna Miller took over the role on March 29, 2015, remaining through to the show's closing.[107][108]Alan Cumming continued in the role of the Emcee until the show's final curtain.[109][110]
The production toured the US from January 2016 withRandy Harrison as the Emcee and Andrea Goss (who played Frenchie in the Broadway production). They were later replaced by Jon Peterson andLeigh Ann Larkin.[111]
Eddie Redmayne andJessie Buckley starred as the Emcee and Sally Bowles in a West End production directed byRebecca Frecknall, designed by Tom Scutt, choreographed byJulia Cheng, with lighting design byIsabella Byrd and sound design by Nick Lidster.[112] The production also featuredOmari Douglas as Cliff,Liza Sadovy as Fräulein Schneider,Elliot Levey as Herr Schultz, Stewart Clarke as Ernst andAnna-Jane Casey as Fräulein Kost.[113][114] Produced byUnderbelly andAmbassador Theatre Group,[115] and billed asCabaret at the Kit Kat Club, the production began previews November 15, 2021 atPlayhouse Theatre, which was reduced to a 550-seat capacity with an intimate in-the-round stage and table seating for some audience members, in effect transforming the theater into a Weimar-era nightclub.[116][46] The production led the 2022 Olivier Award nominations with 11 nods,[117] includingBest Musical Revival,Best Actor in a Musical for Redmayne andBest Actress in a Musical for Buckley.[117] The production won seven awards and set a record as the most award-winning revival in Olivier history and the first production to receive awards in all four eligible acting categories.[citation needed]
Following the departure of Redmayne and Buckley, notable players as the Emcee and Sally Bowles have beenFra Fee andAmy Lennox;[118]Callum Scott Howells andMadeline Brewer;John McCrea andAimee Lou Wood;Mason Alexander Park andMaude Apatow;Jake Shears andRebecca Lucy Taylor (aka Self Esteem);[119]Luke Treadaway andCara Delevingne;[120][121]Layton Williams andRhea Norwood;[122]Adam Gillen andKatherine Langford;[123]Billy Porter andMarisha Wallace;[124]Rob Madge andHannah Dodd;[125] andReeve Carney andEva Noblezada;[126]Matt Willis andKatie Hall.[127]
The 2021 West End production transferred to theAugust Wilson Theatre on Broadway, with previews from April 1, 2024, and the opening on April 21.[128] As in the West End production, the August Wilson Theatre was refurbished as the "Kit Kat Club" with an intimate in-the-round staging.[129] Redmayne reprised his role as the Emcee withGayle Rankin and Ato Blankson-Wood co-starring as Sally and Cliff.[130]Bebe Neuwirth,Steven Skybell, Natascia Diaz, and Henry Gottfried played Fräulein Schneider, Herr Schultz, Fräulein Kost, and Ernst Ludwig, respectively.[131][132][133] The production was nominated for 9 Tony Awards,[134] winning one forscenic design.[135] Replacements in this revival includedAdam Lambert,Orville Peck, andBilly Porter as the Emcee andAuliʻi Cravalho,Eva Noblezada, andMarisha Wallace as Sally Bowles.[136][137] The production closed on September 21, 2025, having played 18 previews and 592 performances.[138]
ABBC Radio 2 radio broadcast in 1996 from theGolders Green Hippodrome starredClare Burt as Sally Bowles,Steven Berkoff as the Emcee,Alexander Hanson as Clifford Bradshaw,Keith Michell as Herr Schultz, andRosemary Leach as Fräulein Schneider.[citation needed]
Since 2003, international stagings of the show, many influenced by Mendes' concept, have included productions in Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, France, Portugal, Greece, Israel, Malaysia, Mexico, Peru, Puerto Rico, Serbia, South Africa, Spain and Venezuela.[citation needed] A 2008 production at theStratford Shakespeare Festival's Avon Theatre in Canada, designed by Douglas Paraschuk and directed byAmanda Dehnert, featuredBruce Dow as the Emcee, Trish Lindström as Sally, Sean Arbuckle as Cliff, Nora McClellan as Fräulein Schneider andFrank Moore as Herr Schultz.[139] TheShaw Festival atNiagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario, includedCabaret in its 2014 season.[140] The production, which ran from April 10 – October 26, 2014 at the Festival Theatre, was directed byPeter Hinton-Davis with choreography by Denise Clarke. It featuredJuan Chioran as the Emcee, Deborah Hay as Sally, Gray Powell as Cliff,Benedict Campbell as Herr Schultz, andCorrine Koslo as Fräulein Schneider.[citation needed]
A 2017 revival played inSydney andMelbourne, Australia, starredPaul Capsis as the Emcee and Chelsea Gibb as Sally. The production mixed elements of the Mendes production, such as its version of "Two Ladies" and its portrayal of a gay Cliff, with the colorful art design of the original (the Emcee is in full makeup and clothed) and most of the additional songs from the 1972 film (with the exception of "Mein Herr").[141]
The first recording ofCabaret was the original Broadwaycast album with a number of the songs either truncated (e.g., "Sitting Pretty"/"The Money Song") or outright cut to conserve disk space.[83] When this album was released on compact disc, Kander and Ebb's voice-and-piano recordings of songs cut from the musical were added as bonus material.[83] According to Mandelbaum, the 1968 London cast recording features "a more accurate rendering of the score" and includes the Act One finale "Tomorrow Belongs to Me" reprise, the second-act finale as performed in the theatre, and a number of other previously unrecorded bits and pieces."[83] It was released in the UK and reissued on theCBS Embassy label in 1973.
The 1972 movie soundtrack withLiza Minnelli is much re-written and eliminates all but six of the original songs from the stage production.[83]
Both the 1986 London and 1998 Broadway revival casts were recorded.[83] A 1993 two-CD studio recording contains nearly the entire score, including songs written for the movie and for later productions and much of the incidental music. This recording featuresJonathan Pryce as the Emcee,Maria Friedman as Sally,Gregg Edelman as Cliff,Judi Dench as Fräulein Schneider, andFred Ebb as Herr Schultz.[citation needed] The cast recording of the 2006 London revival at the Lyric Theatre includes James Dreyfus as the Emcee and Anna Maxwell Martin as Sally.[citation needed]
The 2021 London cast recording featuringEddie Redmayne andJessie Buckley was recorded live at thePlayhouse Theatre, London, and released in January 2023.[citation needed]Cabaret: The Maida Vale Session is anEP that was released in March 2024 with four songs from the revival at the Playhouse Theatre, including "Willkommen", "Don't Tell Mama", "I Don't Care Much" and the title song. It was recorded for aBBC Radio 2 show withJo Whiley at theBBC'sMaida Vale Studios withJake Shears as Emcee,Rebecca Lucy Taylor as Sally and the 2023 London cast and orchestra.[citation needed]
In addition to these recordings, cast albums for French, Spanish, Greek, Hebrew, Italian, Austrian, Dutch, Mexican, and German productions have been released.[83]
| Year | Award | Category | Nominee | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1967 | Tony Award | Best Musical | Won | |
| Best Original Score | John Kander andFred Ebb | Won | ||
| Best Actor in a Musical | Jack Gilford | Nominated | ||
| Best Actress in a Musical | Lotte Lenya | Nominated | ||
| Best Featured Actor in a Musical | Joel Grey | Won | ||
| Edward Winter | Nominated | |||
| Best Featured Actress in a Musical | Peg Murray | Won | ||
| Best Direction of a Musical | Harold Prince | Won | ||
| Best Choreography | Ron Field | Won | ||
| Best Scenic Design | Boris Aronson | Won | ||
| Best Costume Design | Patricia Zipprodt | Won | ||
| New York Drama Critics' Circle Award[146] | Best Musical | Won | ||
| Outer Critics Circle Award | Best Musical | Won | ||
| Year | Award | Category | Nominee | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1987 | Tony Award | Best Revival of a Musical | Nominated | |
| Best Featured Actor in a Musical | Werner Klemperer | Nominated | ||
| Best Featured Actress in a Musical | Alyson Reed | Nominated | ||
| Regina Resnik | Nominated | |||
| Drama Desk Award | Outstanding Revival of a Musical | Nominated | ||
| Outstanding Actor in a Musical | Joel Grey | Nominated | ||
| Outstanding Director of a Musical | Harold Prince | Nominated | ||
| Year | Award | Category | Nominee | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1994 | Laurence Olivier Award | Best Musical Revival | Nominated | |
| Best Actor in a Musical | Alan Cumming | Nominated | ||
| Best Performance in a Supporting Role in a Musical | Sara Kestelman | Won | ||
| Best Director of a Musical | Sam Mendes | Nominated | ||
| Year | Award | Category | Nominee | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | Laurence Olivier Award | Best Musical Revival | Nominated | |
| Best Performance in a Supporting Role in a Musical | Sheila Hancock | Won | ||
| Best Theatre Choreographer | Javier de Frutos | Won | ||
| Year | Award | Category | Nominee | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | Laurence Olivier Award | Best Musical Revival | Nominated | |
| Best Actor in a Musical | Will Young | Nominated | ||
| Best Performance in a Supporting Role in a Musical | Siân Phillips | Nominated | ||
| Year | Award | Category | Nominee | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | Tony Award | |||
| Best Featured Actor in a Musical | Danny Burstein | Nominated | ||
| Best Featured Actress in a Musical | Linda Emond | Nominated | ||
| Drama Desk Award | Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical | Danny Burstein | Nominated | |
| Outer Critics Circle Award | Outstanding Revival of a Musical | Nominated | ||
| Outstanding Actress in a Musical | Michelle Williams | Nominated | ||
| Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical | Danny Burstein | Nominated | ||
| Fred and Adele Astaire Award | Outstanding Choreographer in a Broadway Show | Rob Marshall | Nominated | |
| Outstanding Female Dancer in a Broadway Show | Gayle Rankin | Nominated | ||
| Year | Award | Category | Nominee | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Laurence Olivier Award | Best Musical Revival | Won | |
| Best Actor in a Musical | Eddie Redmayne | Won | ||
| Best Actress in a Musical | Jessie Buckley | Won | ||
| Best Actress in a Supporting Role in a Musical | Liza Sadovy | Won | ||
| Best Actor in a Supporting Role in a Musical | Elliot Levey | Won | ||
| Best Director | Rebecca Frecknall | Won | ||
| Best Costume Design | Tom Scutt | Nominated | ||
| Best Set Design | Nominated | |||
| Best Sound Design | Nick Lidster | Won | ||
| Best Theatre Choreographer | Julia Cheng | Nominated | ||
| Best Lighting Design | Isabella Byrd | Nominated | ||
| Critics' Circle Theatre Award | Best Actress | Jessie Buckley | Won | |
| Best Director | Rebecca Frecknall | Won | ||
| Best Designer | Tom Scutt | Won | ||
| Year | Award | Category | Nominee | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Tony Awards | Best Revival of a Musical | Nominated | |
| Best Actor in a Musical | Eddie Redmayne | Nominated | ||
| Best Actress in a Musical | Gayle Rankin | Nominated | ||
| Best Featured Actor in a Musical | Steven Skybell | Nominated | ||
| Best Featured Actress in a Musical | Bebe Neuwirth | Nominated | ||
| Best Scenic Design in a Musical | Tom Scutt | Won | ||
| Best Costume Design in a Musical | Nominated | |||
| Best Lighting Design in a Musical | Isabella Byrd | Nominated | ||
| Best Sound Design in a Musical | Nick Lidster for Autograph | Nominated | ||
| Drama Desk Award | Outstanding Revival of a Musical | Nominated | ||
| Outstanding Lead Performance in a Musical | Gayle Rankin | Nominated | ||
| Outstanding Featured Performance in a Musical | Bebe Neuwirth | Won | ||
| Outstanding Direction of a Musical | Rebecca Frecknall | Nominated | ||
| Outstanding Sound Design of a Musical | Nick Lidster for Autograph | Won | ||
| Outer Critics Circle Award | Outstanding Revival of a Musical | Nominated | ||
| Outstanding Featured Performer in a Broadway Musical | Bebe Neuwirth | Nominated | ||
| Chita Rivera Awards | Outstanding Choreography in a Broadway Show | Julia Cheng | Nominated | |
| Outstanding Ensemble in a Broadway Show | Nominated | |||
| Drama League Awards | Outstanding Revival of a Musical | Nominated | ||
| Distinguished Performance Award | Eddie Redmayne | Nominated | ||
| Gayle Rankin | Nominated | |||
| Outstanding Direction of a Musical | Rebecca Frecknall | Nominated | ||
| Dorian Theater Awards | Outstanding Broadway Musical Revival | Nominated | ||
| Outstanding Lead Performance in a Broadway Musical | Eddie Redmayne | Nominated | ||
| Outstanding Featured Performance in a Broadway Musical | Bebe Neuwirth | Nominated | ||
| Outstanding LGBTQ Broadway Production | Nominated | |||
Will Young is set to reprise his role of Emcee in a UK tour of Rufus Norris's production ofCabaret, which will open at the New Wimbledon Theatre on 28 August 2013.
