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Cabaret, set in the tumultuous city of Berlin just
before Hitler's rise to power, is based on Christopher Isherwood's
Berlin Stories and John Van Druten's I Am a Camera.
The main action of the play revolves around a cabaret performer,
Sally Bowles, and the brief affair she has with an American writer
who takes her in after she is kicked out of the Kit Kat Club
where she performs. Although Sally and Clifford soon find themselves
deeply in love, there is too much chaos in the world around them.
Soon they find their relationship is being jeopardized by outside
forces which threaten to tear them apart. Also figuring prominently
is the tragic relationship between Fräulein Schneider, a
German woman, and her Jewish suitor Herr Schultz.
Cabaret opened at the Broadhurst Theatre on November
20, 1966 and ran for 1,165 performances. The original cast featured
Joel Grey (Emcee), Jill Haworth (Sally), Bert Convy (Clifford),
Jack Gifford (Herr Schultz), and Lotte Lenya (Fräulein Schneider).
The show was revived at the Imperial Theatre on October 22, 1987,
with Grey reprising his original role. The 1972 film version
featured Liza Minnelli (Sally), Joel Grey (Emcee), Michael York
(Clifford).
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