Cabaret (Revised 1987)
- Full Length Musical, Drama, 1930s
- 4M, 3F
- ISBN: TW-9330
Daring, provocative and exuberantly entertaining, Cabaret explores the dark and heady life of Bohemian Berlin as Germany slowly yields to the emerging Third Reich.
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Description
- Full Length Musical
- Drama
- 120 minutes
- Time Period: 1930s
- Target Audience: Teen (Age 14 - 18), Adult
- Set Requirements: Unit Set/Multiple Settings
- Cautions: Alcohol, Mild Adult Themes, Smoking
- Orchestra Size: Medium
- Performance Group:
- Dinner Theatre, Community Theatre, Professional Theatre, Blackbox / Second Stage /Fringe Groups, College Theatre / Student
In a Berlin nightclub, as the 1920's draw to a close, a garish Master of Ceremonies welcomes the audience and assures them they will forget all their troubles at the Cabaret. With the Emcee's bawdy songs as wry commentary, Cabaret explores the dark, heady, and tumultuous life of Berlin's natives and expatriates as Germany slowly yields to the emerging Third Reich. Cliff, a young American writer newly arrived in Berlin, is immediately taken with English singer Sally Bowles. Meanwhile, Fräulein Schneider, proprietor of Cliff and Sally's boarding house, tentatively begins a romance with Herr Schultz, a mild-mannered fruit seller who happens to be Jewish.
NOTE: Three Broadway versions of this show (1966, 1987, and 1998) are available for licensing. Though all three follow the same story and share most songs, there are some differences in the script and score for each:
- Only the Original 1966 version includes “Why Should I Wake Up?” and “Meeskite.”
- Only this Revised 1987 version includes “Don’t Go.”
- Only the 1998 version includes “Mein Herr” and “Maybe This Time.”
- The 1966 and 1987 versions include “The Telephone Song” and “Sitting Pretty.” The 1998 version does not.
- The 1987 and 1998 versions include “The Money Song” and “I Don’t Care Much.” The Original 1966 version does not.
- The three versions differ in their treatment of the character of Cliff: In the Original 1966 version, there is no suggestion that he may be gay or bisexual. In this Revised 1987 version, his bisexuality is implied, and in the 1998 version, he is clearly gay or bisexual.
All three versions include “Willkommen,” “So What,” “Don’t Tell Mama,” “Perfectly Marvelous,” “Two Ladies,” “It Couldn’t Please Me More (The Pineapple Song),” “Tomorrow Belongs to Me,” “Married,” “If You Could See Her” and “Cabaret.”
Premiere Production:
Cabaret opened on Broadway on November 20, 1966, and played for 1,165 performances at the Broadhurst, Imperial, and Broadway Theatres. The London production ran for 336 performances at the Palace Theatre. The show was revised for Broadway, first in 1987, when it played for 261 performances at the Imperial and Minskoff Theatres, and again in 1998 at Studio 54, where it played for 2,377 performances. In 2014, Cabaret returned to Broadway at Studio 54, playing an additional 388 performances.
Characters
- Casting: 4M, 3F
- Casting Attributes: Role(s) for Non-Binary Actor(s), Drag Performance, Expandable casting, Strong Role for Leading Woman (Star Vehicle), Strong Role for Leading Man (Star Vehicle), Role(s) for Trans Actor(s)
- Chorus Size: No Chorus
MASTER OF CEREMONIES (EMCEE) - The host at the Kit Kat Klub
CLIFFORD BRADSHAW - An American novelist
FRAULEIN SCHNEIDER - A landlady who rents rooms in her large flat
HERR SCHULTZ - One of Frl. Schneider's roomers and the proprietor of a fruit shop
FRAULEIN KOST - Another of Frl. Schneider's roomers. Earns a living by offering favors to sailors
SALLY BOWLES - A British cabaret singer at the Kit Kat Klub
Ensemble:
ERNST LUDWIG - A friendly and likeable German
TELEPHONE GIRL - Also Lady #1 in No. 8 "Two Ladies" and Klub Girl #1 in No. 6 "Telephone Dance"
CUSTOMS OFFICER - Also Maitre D' at the Kit Kat Klub
TWO LADIES - #1 also Telephone Girl in No. 4 "Telephone Song"; #2 also Klub Girl #4 in No. 6 "Telephone Dance"
MAÎTRE D' - Also Customs Officer
MAX - Sally's jealous Klub acquaintance. Non-speaking ensemble dancer.
KISSING COUPLE - He: also Second Sailor. She: also Lady #2 in "Two Ladies"
3 GERMAN SAILORS - Ensemble dancers. Second and Third Sailors are non-speaking, Second Sailor is also Kissing Man in No. 6 "Telephone Dance"
5 KIT KAT KLUB GIRLS - Ensemble singers. Girl #4 is also Lady #2 in "Two Ladies"
5 KLUB WAITERS - Ensemble singers
BOBBY - Ensemble dancer
VICTOR - Ensemble dancer
ASSISTANT CUSTOMS OFFICER - Non-speaking
TAXI MAN - Non-speaking
GORILLA - Non-speaking
2 NAZI GUARDS - Non-speaking
GIRL ORCHESTRA (STAGE BAND) - Tenor Saxophone, Trombone, Drums and Piano/Accordion
Ensemble:
COMPANY SATB SINGERS AND DANCERS, KLUB PATRONS and FRUIT SHOP GUESTS.
