Cabaret comes to Alma

KYLE SCHECK
PHOTOGRAPHER

CARTER HELMER
STAFF WRITER

11/20/2023

Cabaret has been one of the most popular musicals since first coming to Broadway in 1966, winning 10 Tony Awards and having more than 1000 Broadway performances since. After 30 years, Alma College Theatre has brought the famous musical for 5 showings between Nov. 15-19. 

Based on the 1951 play by John Van Druten entitled I Am a Camera which was inspired by Christopher Isherwood’s 1939 novel called Goodbye to Berlin, many of the events that transpire throughout Cabaret can be traced back to Isherwood’s life with Isherwood himself being portrayed by Cliff. 

Set in 1929-1930 Berlin, Germany during the rise of the Nazi regime. A young American writer named Clifford Bradshaw takes a visit to Berlin where he ends up at the Kit Kat Klub. This staunchy club is where Cliff meets Sally Bowles. Time passes and the two of them begin a relationship of sorts which promptly ends after Cliff becomes enraged over Sally having an abortion.

It is no secret that the plot heavily revolves around antisemitism, fascism and the Holocaust in general. This shines through in many aspects, such as Ernst’s Nazi armband and the many reworking of songs to make them appear more ominous and fitting Ernst’s perspective and others share his views. Along with this, the Kit Kat Klub and the happenings within serve as a metaphor for the political unrest in Germany pre-WWII.

Like everything, you have to prepare to be part of a play and this looks different for everyone. Preparing for a play is a lot of grunt work, making and putting together the set, all the tech work, the light, etc. Then the actors come in and they quite literally stomp all over it. They have to learn lines, learn songs, dances, cues and arguably, the most important: their character.

“Cliff is a really complex role, he’s a very honest guy, you can fall into a trap of just playing honest and that’s not how a person works. I think the most challenging part has just been going out there and really trying to portray a person instead of an idea,”  said George Hageage IV (‘26).

However, theater isn’t always so analytical, theater is, more often than not, fun.

“My favorite memory so far has been opening night. The energy from the audience boosting all the hard work we’ve put into the show was exhilarating. The best part about being in a play is seeing the results of all the hard work that is put into it,” Aaron Scolaro (‘27). 

Scolaro is a first year Alma student and thus, this is his first play he has participated in while being in the Alma Theater. The lead up to the first production of the year is theater major Ella Bright’s (‘23) favorite time of year.

“The first production of the year is always the most exciting part for me because we get freshmen who have never seen anything before and they’re all really talented, all the freshmen in this production. There’s just this buzz that happens around this time of year, especially with a musical. Everyone loves a musical,” said Ella Bright (‘24).