Cabaret

Back in June, I was lucky enough to see a fantastic production of Cabaret (the matinee performance right before I saw If/Then a second time) done by the Roundabout Theater Company. I cannot say enough how much I loved not only the performance, but the entire experience of dealing with the Roundabout Theater Company. I only wish I had paid more to sit at one of the tables, to have an even more complete experience. To explain a bit: after purchasing the tickets, I received a pre-show informational email that explained some background stuff about the history of the production, the cast, the theater, the company, etc. They didn't give us programs when we entered the theater, which was a bit of a surprise. Instead, the theater (Studio 54) had been converted into a cabaret of sorts where over half the audience sat at tables, was able to order a meal, and was in a perfect position to be called upon for a few moments of audience participation. Rather than read the program we didn't have, my friend Heather and I looked around. Aside from the beautiful interior of the theater, the stage was totally open: no curtain. Musicians and actors wandered around aimlessly, either warming up or stretching or talking with audience members. Already, the show had begun before it had officially begun.

The first number (the famous "Willkommen") was energetic, raunchy, and extremely charged with a libertine vibe. Here is an abridged version that they performed at the Tony Awards the next day: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ua0U7m9rNc Alan Cumming was marvelous from start to finish—a seeming embodiment of sin and sex, omnipresent, continually watching and using the artifice of the cabaret and its numbers to critique the pre-WWII Berlin outside. The rest of the cast (notably Michelle Williams as Sally Bowles) surrounded him admirably, portraying a cast of profoundly human characters who blindly carry on as though nothing horrific were happen, was energetic, multitalented (several alternate between singing, dancing, and playing instruments), and told this haunting tale in the most visually stunning way possible. Yet, never did the production take itself too seriously, for which I was very glad. As we used to say in creative writing seminars: the hotter the topic, the cooler the prose.

In fact, it is precisely that aspect of Cabaret that I find most unforgettable. This musical thematizes indifference, making it totally and utterly unique as far as I can tell. The second song consists of Frau Schneider compromising on every misfortune that has ever befallen her ("So What") and Sally's reaction to losing her job ("Mein Herr") is equally ambivalent. The first act follows these two love stories—the main tale of Cliff and Sally and the much more endearing tale of Frau Schneider and Herr Schultz—with all the conventions of Broadway theater. But Act II allows indifference to triumph: when Frau Schneider breaks off her engagement with Herr Schultz purely because he is a Jew, she implores the equally passive Cliff (who is about to leave Berlin himself) what he would do ("What Would You Do"). In his omnipresence, the Master of Ceremonies sings his retort ("I Don't Care Much"), a last-minute foreshadowing of the failure of the Cliff/Sally plot. The finale, which reprises the opening number by asking the audience "Where are your troubles now? Forgotten? See, I told you so!" is for all of the indifference, much more tragic than it otherwise might be.

Cabaret is brilliant in that it portrays that dangerous moment when indifference becomes a political act, when cowardice becomes culpability—that fine line where innocence disappears behind collaboration, however passive it may be. While it can sometimes seem impossible to discuss an event such as the Holocaust in a productive way, I feel that Cabaret is an unlikely success story, manipulating the much lighter Broadway musical genre into a profound statement about this atrocious event in our recent history. By portraying the pre-war Berlin in all its contradictory glory (it was, after all, at once a cultural hub, far more socially progressive than other cities at the time, but bore witness to the warning signs of a crime against humanity), it succeeds in making the audience feel, making everyone more conscious of the dangers of indifference. And that effect lasts after the show has ended.

A Q&A followed the performance of the Roundabout Theater Company in which several actors responded to audience reactions. They discussed the history of the production (from the memoirs of Christopher Isherwood entitled "The Berlin Stories" to the 1951 play I Am a Camera, to the original 1966 Broadway production of this Kander and Ebb musical, to its 1972 movie adaptation with Liza Minnelli as Sally and Joel Grey reprising his role as the MC, to the current production which was really just a revival of yet another revival), how it feels to be Jewish and act in such a production, and most importantly, the ending. This production ends with a horrific portrayal of a gas chamber, and before the MC bows, he removes his coat to reveal a uniform of a concentration camp prisoner. Of everything in the production, this point seems to have shocked the audience the most. For me, it seemed slightly heavy handed, but I did appreciate how it continued the contradictory nature of the show. You see, this man who seemed omniscient and omnipresent, who saw everything and recreated it—in short, who was always in complete control—was transformed in the finale into yet another victim. Such an abrupt reversal almost highlights his role as an actor, playing on a stage without any chance to escape.

To wrap this entry up, Cabaret can be difficult to watch. At every moment, it tries to shock and stun, embarrass, and upset. If it doesn't deter those who are unlikely to appreciate the decadent nature of the Cabaret, the sexually charged numbers, and the libertine Sally Bowles, it ultimately catches everyone with the sharp critique of Nazi Germany. Fortunately for current audiences, the Roundabout Theater Company does an excellent job situating such a spectacle and allowing it to be informative as well as entertaining. I would highly recommend it.