Cabaret was performed on Friday night, March 6 2020, in the Tryon Festival Theatre. Set in the new year of 1930, the audience was met with a risqu'performance in a controversial era of Berlin, Germany.
Written By Zackarya Faci
Cabaret was a musical performance that brought to life some key aspects of history but mainly focused on telling a story of love and lust. It was set in a time period that “could have gone another way”, according to the director. Overall, the performance provided insight into how free and scandalous lives were for some Germans prior to the rise of the Nazi Party.
Since it was a musical, the music throughout the performance obviously played a crucial role in progressing the story. The musicians were setup to the left of stage in plain view and almost seemed to be a part of the cast itself; there were times when they would be referred to by the performers or directly interacted with. Aside from their direct contributions, the musicians also played an important role in setting the time period and mood on stage. In general, the music was reminiscent of what one would expect for a 1930s Germany; but, the music would also change to portray a particular scene better. For instance, the music was more suggestive when the Kit Kat Klub was involved in the scene.
The ever changing sets on stage also did a phenomenal job in cementing the audience’s presence in the scene. From a train car, to a hotel room, to the Kit Kat Klub, it was always apparent where the performers were and how their surroundings were influencing them at the time. One instance being when Cliff had a gay experience at the Kit Kat Klub–this is something the audience can understand due to the atmosphere of the Klub, but not something they would expect from Cliff if he were just in his hotel room instead. The scenes were also consistent and constantly reused throughout the performance. This made it easier for the audience to follow along with the story, build a better picture of the scene in their minds, and allowed the narrative to come around full circle.
Overall, the performance was a perfect balance of silly and lewd comedy with serious overtones. Being able to tell a complicated love story in an almost forgotten period of time was an interesting concept, and they were able to execute it flawlessly. The intricate set design and musical accompaniment help sell the story to the audience–keeping them curious and engaged until the very end.