Key Takeaway
Cabaret is characterized by distinct endings as the mood of the musical changes sharply at the end, from a happy upbeat Kit Kat Klub to a shocking twist of an ending. It reflects culture, as all Broadway musicals do, and differences in directing yields different audience responses to the ending reveal. Productions differ both musically and visually due to actor’s choices, even if it’s in one show. Between different revivals of Cabaret, there are also clear differences in choices for characters (Joel Grey’s vs. Alan Cumming’s vs. Eddie Redmayne’s Emcees) and endings (Nazi allies vs. victims vs. complicit bystanders). And lastly, there are clear differences between studio albums and stage productions as well, even just from audio, which affects viewer experience. All in all, how we enjoy a musical is different each time we watch it due to the many shifting cogs of the musical. Despite this, musicals are a mirror into our culture and life, and it is critical to remember this and reflect upon ourselves and our thoughts and decisions.
Further Research
Further research (if there were more time) would be nice to continue to deep dive into Cabaret and compare auditory differences between albums of different productions. It is difficult, however, to do so, as it is difficult to find free .mp3 access to such albums; while they’re accessible on Spotify, they cannot be downloaded.
An alternative to continuing to explore differences between productions of Cabaret would be to look closely at other musicals that have really close ties to culture. For example, Natasha, Pierre, and the Great Comet of 1812 can be analyzed for historical accuracy and cultural inspiration; RENT can be dissected to see how it covers the AIDS Epidemic and revival changes; West Side Story, based off of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet and set in Upper West Side of Manhattan, or Show Boat, one of the first ever musicals taken seriously, can be dissected regarding revival differences as some of the musicals with the most revivals; and Wicked can be analyzed for acting differences between casts, as many Broadway actors and actresses have performed in the fourth-longest running Broadway show.
