DRAMATURG'S NOTE

“We have no troubles here. Here, life is beautiful... the girls are beautiful... even the orchestra is beautiful.”

Cabaret first took to the stage on November 20th, 1966 at the Broadhurst Theatre in New York City, and ran for 1,166 performances. Since this massive first wave of success, Cabaret has seen countless revivals and adaptations, including a movie that released in 1972. Cabaret’s inspiration can be traced back to the 1951 play I Am a Camera by John Van Druten, which itself was based on the novel Goodbye to Berlin, written by Christopher Isherwood in 1939.

Taking place in 1929 and 1930 Berlin, Germany, Cabaret offers us a glimpse into the fantastical era of the Weimar Republic, a time where Germany was in both economic turmoil and artistic renaissance. Spanning from roughly 1918 to 1933, this era saw Berlin become a hub for artists and performers. German cinema, theatre, literature and music entered a phase of incredible creativity which saw jazz bands grow in popularity, traditional gender roles broken down, and of course, the rise of cabaret clubs. The Weimar Republic is an era that retrospectively is marked with sorrow and tragedy, living in the twilight between World Wars I and II. 1933 would see a new system of government come to power, one that was far less tolerable of the progressive artistic and sexual expressions that came with the cultural movements of yesterday.

Cabaret clubs were a staple of Weimar Berlin, nightclubs that provided guests with song and dance, drinks and beautiful performers. Notably, these clubs generally embraced gallows humor as well as taboo topics for the era, such as sex and homosexuality. While these clubs could be seen as progressive and freeing, there was also a dark underbelly to their bright performative exterior.

The economic turmoil taking place in Germany during this time, due in large part to the war reparations imposed on the German government following the end of world war I, meant that much of the German population was suffering. Hyperinflation prevented many from being able to afford food, shelter, clothing and heat. The influx of wealthy tourists and artist was juxtaposed by the citizenry that were simply trying to survive. This was reflected in the cabaret clubs, where performers could be abused, underpaid, and exploited; there were simply no other options for work.

In our modern day, we are in a period of what seems to be great political divide, as well as cultural revolution. As the wealth gap grows, and our society makes these progressive cultural strides, it feels as though this socioeconomic pressure has only divided us politically further. Many people are just looking to get by, and many more are upset with the current state of affairs, on both sides of the political spectrum. With discontent, there will also always be those who offer solutions, those that claim to have all of the answers. They say that history is taught so that we may avoid the mistakes of the past, and Cabaret takes this saying to heart.

It is telling that Cabaret still holds relevance and weight, even 56+ years after its initial performances. Is this because the horrors of the past are impossible to forget? Or, is it more that the topics and issues presented in Cabaret reflect our modern society? Perhaps it is both, and I personally invite you to become engulfed in the exciting, fantastical, and dark world of the Kit Kat Club. Willkommen, and bienvenue, to Cabaret

— Kobi Baker, Dramaturg

For more information on this production of CABARET, please scan the QR code to visit our dramaturgical website at https://cabaret2023.wordpress.com/