Production History
List of Notable Productions
What does this tell us?
Overall, the evolution of Cabaret has been rather stagnant, becoming more associated with its stars than its capacity for political commentary. Starting with the original 1966 Broadway production, the musical was initially successful with critics and audiences. One of the lasting symbols associated with this original production is the large mirror utilized in Boris Aronson’s set design, reflecting the audience back to themselves throughout the show. This was meant to emphasize the political message of the musical, which at the time was meant to draw a parallel between anti-Semitism in Nazi Germany and the racism that inspired the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s.
Moving along to the 1972 film adaptation, the intentions behind the work begin to get muddy. Bob Fosse’s Cabaret featured many cuts to the score of the movie, with a few additions that have stuck around to modern versions of the musical. The movie famously featured Liza Minnelli. This version is known to be extremely influenced by Fosse’s vision, with sometimes distracting camera work. The movie is known to be entertaining above anything else, as it ultimately failed to incorporate the political intentions of the piece into the film effectively. Most notably, this version of Cabaret seems to focus on villainizing sexual deviancy rather than celebrating sexual freedom.
The first Broadway revival in 1987 seemed to be unremarkable and extremely similar to the first Broadway production. Joel Grey continued to star as the Emcee, performing the role almost entirely the same over time Designers returned to the project, sometimes falling flat in their reproductions or their original work. Changes to the script had been made, such as Cliff’s overt bisexuality. But overall this production presented a version of the musical that was not different enough.
The most radical change Cabaret has faced, I’d argue to this day, was in Sam Mendes’s 1998 Broadway revival. This version experienced the most change to the script and this is the version of the script that most modern productions use today. Finally a new actor, Alan Cumming, stepped into the role of the Emcee, making the character entirely his own. Natasha Richardson seemed to offer a refreshing and tragic take on the character of Sally Bowles. Most importantly, this production heavily leaned into the political themes of the musical. An example of this is the reveal of the Emcee in a concentration camp uniform, complete with a pink triangle, at the end of the show. This production helped to push past the flashy, star-vehicle qualities of the show.
The most adventurous take on the musical I could find was in a smaller production at the Ion Theatre in 2017. This production featured two different actors sharing the role of the Emcee. And, of course, being in 2017, this production featured a small reference to Trump with a red baseball cap.
One of the most recent renditions of Cabaret was a West End revival in 2021. This cast featured Eddie Redmayne as the Emcee, who brought a unique quality to the role. Overall this production seems to embrace the darkness of the musical, but in a more eerie and unsettling way than overtly political. Most glaringly, it seems the relationship between Cliff and Sally continues to be cause for question. This relationship does not ever seem to work in the eyes of the critics, despite the overt queerness of the modern Cliff character.
​
It is undeniable that there is something inherently captivating about Cabaret as it has continued to be widely produced for decades. This brief history of some of the most notable productions illuminates some of its downfalls. Past productions have generally tended to shy away from the political message of the musical, highlighting the provocativeness of the productions that do. Cabaret unfortunately has a history of big names distracting from the evolution of the piece, such as Bob Fosse and Joel Grey. Lastly, many renditions of Cabaret have unfortunately found themselves condemning the sexual nature of the characters and story, even fighting Cliff's queerness and leaving his relationship with Sally a remaining stain on the plot. Audiences obviously continue to be interested in Cabaret--perhaps they are ready for a new interpretation.