Cabaret
Directed by Bob Fosse
- music
- romance
- drama
The story
Inside the Kit Kat Club of 1931 Berlin, starry-eyed singer Sally Bowles and an impish emcee sound the clarion call to decadent fun, while outside a certain political party grows into a brutal force.
What it’s like
Smoky, saturated club interiors under hot pink and amber stage light, with the camera pushing in close on sweating faces and glittering costumes, then cutting to flat, grey daylight on the Berlin streets where the mood curdles. Bob Fosse's staging is sharp and angular: mirrored choreography, bowler hats and garters, a grotesque cabaret emcee whose grin never quite reaches his eyes, and an ensemble that dances like it is both celebrating and bracing itself. The score is brassy and jaunty, all tinny pianos and sardonic numbers, while the quieter scenes lean on sparse, hushed dialogue. Its vibe is glittering decadence over slow dread, a bittersweet party you can feel ending. The pacing alternates lively, bawdy musical sequences with long, uneasy stretches of romance and political unease, and the arcs follow a restless singer and a shy writer who drift toward different kinds of self-deception. Intensity is moderate: sexual themes and bisexuality are treated frankly, with some nudity and suggestive numbers, and the Nazi rise brings menace and a few shocking, brief moments of brutality rather than sustained gore. It suits people who want a stylish, melancholy musical for a late night, especially those drawn to theatrical design, sharp wit and history that bites.
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