Cabaret

Music by John Kander, Lyrics by Fred Ebb, Book by Joe Masteroff.
Directed by Sam Mendes
Choreography by Rob Marshall

Review by Alan Bird
March 2002

Cabaret is based on the decadent nightclub scene in the 1920�s and 30�s, before the then moral majority, the Nazi Party, cleaned up this licentious liberality. It tells the story of the writer Clifford Bradshaw, a bi-sexual man who is attracted to dancer Sally Bowles, yet remains enticed by the ambiguous sexuality of many of the performers at the Kit Kat Club.

The plot is weak on the ground, and the romance between Clifford and Sally lacks sexual passion. Though this hardly matters as it is the decadence and sexual sleaze that gives this musical its humph. The salacious character Emcee - who relishes in decadence - along with raunchy dance routines, choreographed by Rob Marshall, combine to create a debauched evening of fun. It also has terrific songs from Ebb & Kander with numbers such as �Don�t Tell Mama�, �Mein Herr� and �Cabaret�! All there is left to say is �Willkommen to the Cabaret, old chum�.

(Alan Bird)