While “Cabaret” hasn’t changed much since it first startled audiences at its 1966 Broadway premiere, the world around it certainly has.
Set in Berlin at the dawn of the 1930s, John Kander and Fred Ebb’s musical seemed at its debut a look backward, a racy, raunchy memoir for the stage about a time and place in which sexual activity, identity and orientation became topics for exploration. Seeing as America was going through something of a sexual awakening when it premiered, the parallels were provocative.
But the Guthrie Theater’s powerful and extraordinarily well-executed new production leans into the musical’s darker elements, reminding audiences that “Cabaret” is a cautionary tale. Whereas the rise of Nazism has always been part of the canvas on which this musical is painted, Guthrie Artistic Director Joseph Haj’s interpretation bears an insistent urgency that implores those in attendance to listen for the resonant echoes that bounce back and forth between 1930 Germany and the United States of 2025.
It’s a production that gradually goes from thrilling to chilling, the tone subtly shifting from an air of gritty liberation to one of intimidation and oppression. Throughout, the cast of 17 exudes an unmistakable enthusiasm for the material, the onstage electricity radiating up the alpine slopes of the Guthrie’s expansive Wurtele Thrust. Deeply absorbing throughout its just-short-of-three hours on stage, it’s the most exciting musical staging this company has offered in several years. And, without question, the most important.
“Cabaret” was inspired by the semi-autobiographical stories of Christopher Isherwood, an English expat who fell in love with the wild and free nightlife of circa-’30 Berlin. In this adaptation, Isherwood becomes Cliff Bradshaw, an itinerant American befriended by a smuggler who introduces him to the world of the Kit Kat Klub. The star of its revues is Sally Bowles, whose complicated relationship with Bradshaw blooms alongside that of his landlady and a neighboring shopkeeper.
It’s an unusual musical in that about half its songs are ballads that tell the story, while half are up-tempo Kit Kat Klub production numbers that comment on the action and employ flavors of what German jazz sounded like in the era, more march-like than swinging.
Propelled by an excellent 11-piece onstage band and aswirl with Casey Sams’ high-energy choreography, the action is framed by Jo Lampert’s fascinating portrayal of the club’s emcee, one absent the creepiness or angry edge some have brought to the role. Lampert embraces the character’s life-of-the-party elements, tapping into a vulnerability that proves valuable as the tone turns.
As cabaret star Sally, Mary Kate Moore may not give us a strong sense of why Jason Forbach’s (solidly delivered) Cliff finds her so fascinating, but she has an exceptionally emotive singing voice that sells the showstoppers well.
Meanwhile, I’ve never experienced a “Cabaret” in which the romance between the landlady and shop owner was so affecting, and for that you can thank the brilliantly natural performances of Michelle Barber and Remy Auberjonois. And Sasha Andreev deserves kudos for making the smuggler, Ernst Ludwig, utterly charming before it becomes clear that he’s not.
This feels like a production we’ll look back upon as a landmark for the Guthrie, one that confronts you with meaty questions to contemplate while humming your way out of the theater.
‘Cabaret’
When: Through Aug. 24
Where: Guthrie Theater, 818 Second St. S., Mpls.
Tickets: $105-$20, available at 612-377-2224 or guthrietheater.org
Capsule: Both exciting and important, it’s a masterful production.
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