Originally published June 29, 2008
Last night, Earl and I attended the local community theater production of “Cabaret.” It’s an ambitious musical, calling for a considerable cast and also for the audience to understand the historical context of 1930 Berlin. I’m not sure this production delivered on either count. But it certainly made every effort.
I’m not interested in critiquing the production; rather I’m more interested in analyzing the concept behind many musicals today. Originally, musicals advanced the story line through song and dance, rather than through serious exposition. This still holds true. But the story lines have gotten darker, the song and dance more intense, the staging more theatrical.
Often, the musical is used to explore themes that would otherwise be extremely uncomfortable for the audience. There are countless examples, “Cabaret” being only one. This show really explores the rise of Nazism in pre-World War II Germany under the guise of entertainment in a seedy nightclub. It more than hints at the campaign against Jews that became a hallmark of the Third Reich.
“Rent,” the rock opera musical of the 1990s, which is a re-working of Italian Giacomo Puccini’s “La Boheme,” explores the world of AIDS when the world was reluctant to explore it. And “Spring Awakening,” the 2007 Tony Award winner for best musical, explores morality and sexuality in a rock and roll context. Ironically, the inspiration for a show that reveals sexual intercourse and uses the F-word in a riveting song was written as a novel in the 1890s by a German who was decrying the lack of communication between parents and children regarding sex, teenage self-discovery, and responsibility for one’s actions. The book was banned at the time.
Then there is “Wicked,” the exploration of what happened before Dorothy dropped in. If you’ve seen the musical, you know it’s really about good and evil and how each is presented to us, making good choices difficult.
Usually, musicals are upbeat in the first act and somber in the second. Consider the well-known productions of “West Side Story,” “South Pacific,” or even that treacly favorite “The Sound of Music.” The first is a retelling of the tragedy “Romeo and Juliet”; the second is a polemic against racism well hidden in the boisterous songs; and the third is another hint at what Nazi Germany had in store for many of its citizenry.
In the end, I was disappointed in the local production of “Cabaret,” but it has certainly stimulated my thought processes regarding the value of musical theatre. So I came away inspired after all.
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