Broadway classic ‘Cabaret’ remains a cathartic musical experience
While the next Broadway show coming to Wharton Center is far from new, its director says it still plays as if it came out of today’s headlines.
“Cabaret” by John Kander and Fred Ebb first debuted on Broadway in 1966. It is set in 1931 in Germany as the Nazis are coming to power. It takes place in the Kit Kat Club where American writer Cliff Bradshaw is developing a relationship with 32-year-old English cabaret performer Sally Bowles. They are now performing the 50th anniversary tour.
“There is no better show,” said Director BT McNicholls, who has a long history with the show. “It really delivers everything you want in a musical: great music, laughter, great drama, sexy dancing and a compelling, relevant theme. It resonates with the audience — what you’re watching is from today’s headlines in America.”
McNicholls was an associate director for the 1999 Broadway production and then directed it internationally in Paris and Madrid. He won Australia’s version of the Tony for his direction of Cabaret. He’s now the director for the national tour coming to the Wharton Center Feb. 21-26.
“The issues it addresses in the lives of the characters are things that we’re dealing with right now — racial profiling, inclusiveness, fear of the other,” said McNicholls. “These are the themes that Cabaret talks about. It’s set in a different time, but make no mistake, it is about the lives we are living right now.”
Need a break? Play the USA TODAY Daily Crossword Puzzle.
The musical includes such well-known songs as “Cabaret,” “Wilkommen,” and “Maybe This Time.”
McNicholls says “Cabaret” asserts its relevance through a lot of song and dance. He said that the original creator — and the current cast and crew—never lose sight of keeping these larger themes accessible to audiences by making sure the show is entertaining and delivers on what a musical is supposed to deliver.
“There is no way a show like this survives 50 years and is one of the most performed musicals in the world unless it is entertaining,” said McNicholls. “The scenes are funny and moving and dramatic, the songs are hummable, the music is lively. There is 1930s music with banjos and saxophones and a great deal of fun along the way.”
McNicholls said his job is to make sure each production has immediacy and spontaneity. He wants to deliver to each audience a show that exists only once.
“If you saw the show a year ago, the same production, you would see different cast members and different staging ideas,” said McNicholls. “We keep changing and amending it. Each actor brings something different to the show. It is a living breathing thing. It isn’t a museum piece. It’s not a cookie-cutter show. That’s not what has made it survive this long and keep it exciting.”
He said this 50th anniversary show is the definitive production and that it varies greatly from the 1972 movie directed by Bob Fosse. Half the songs in the musical are not in the movie, there are characters that weren’t in the movie and elements of the story that are different.
McNicholls is often asked if lines have been added to update the show to take today’s happenings and current events into account. They have not added new lines — everything has been there since day one, but it continues to have new meaning. That’s the show’s power.
“It’s a show that responds strangely to whatever is going on in the world,” McNicholls said. “Certain scenes and moments and lines jump out and others recede, depending on what is going on in the world. It’s very fluid that way. It’s very responsive material.”
McNicholls said new actors are told the show will change their lives. While some scoff at this, once they’ve done it, they agree.
“It will do all the things you want a good musical to do,” said McNicholls. “It will entertain you, make you laugh, make you think, make you cry, and give you something to talk about when you leave. You’ll have a full cathartic experience. It does everything a musical can and should do.”
If you go
What: Cabaret: A Roundabout Theatre Production
Where: Cobb Great Hall, Wharton Center, East Lansing
When: 7:30 p.m. Tuesday-Thursday, 8 p.m. Friday, 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. Saturday, 1 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 21-26
Tickets: From $41, whartoncenter.com, 517-432-2000 or 1-800-WHARTON