Cabaret Synopsis
Cabaret is a musical set in 1931 Berlin, Germany as the Nazis are rising to power. It is based in nightlife at the seedy Kit Kat Klub, overseen by the strange, omniscient and gender-bending Master of Ceremonies, “the Emcee.” The story revolves around a struggling young American writer, Cliff Bradshaw and his relationship with 32-year-old English, Sally Bowles. Cliff wanders into the Kit Kat Klub looking for inspiration for his next novel, and meets Sally, a vivacious, talented cabaret performer, and lost soul. Sally and Cliff begin a relationship, which blossoms into a romance. A sub-plot involves the doomed romance between German boarding house owner Fräulein Schneider and her elderly suitor Herr Schultz, a Jewish fruit vendor. Overseeing the action is the Emcee, at the Kit Kat Klub. The club serves as a metaphor for ominous political developments in Germany leading up to WW II.
Themes: Romance, love, eroticism, and relationships; post-World War I Europe setting; economic depression, period of social and artistic transition—from underground, avant-garde to ominous and violent; from exciting and vital to ominous and violent; light/dark; hatred/love; illicit cabaret lifestyle vs. settling down; substance abuse, physical abuse; fear, security; truth/lies; appearances and illusion; sickness and health, rich/poor, death/life; and the individual’s freedom of choice.
Synopsis | Vision Statement | Casting | Costume Design | Set/Scenic Design