Cabaret

Who: A theatre-loving girlfriend and I

What: the Cabaret National Tour

When: April 2016 and July 2017

Where: The Hippodrome Theatre, Baltimore, and The Kennedy Center, Washington, DC

Why: Because we have no troubles here!

Thoughts: My friend Katherine was going through the casting process for a community production of Cabaret right around the time the national tour was coming to Baltimore, so of course I took advantage. I was not at all familiar with this show besides a quick skimming of the Wikipedia summary.

There's some serious talent required to be in this show, and I definitely had to spend some time processing what I'd seen and discussing questions with others while deciding whether or not I really liked the show. It was shocking the first time around, but once I had time to let everything sink in, I really enjoyed it.

Naturally, I went to the community production to see my friend perform (as Fraulein Kost), and when I heard the production was coming nearby again to DC, I told her she HAD to join me to see it. The tour was a year old at this point and all but two characters had been recast which leads me to what I think is the most interesting part of Cabaret:

It's a different show every time you see it.

The second time around some things felt faster, some things felt funnier, some tones and nuances had changed....all small choices that manage to change the tone of the story. For instance, Cliff's character made more sense to me in this year's tour, but I strongly prefer Sally's personality as played by Andrea Goss in the first year.

I was able to enjoy it more the second time around as there were fewer surprises and I definitely recommend seeing it at least once. Keep in mind this is a mature show that is recommended for audiences over age 16.

Have a listen to the "new" (1995) cast recording here, then take a look at the other shows I've seen to date here.

Have you seen Cabaret? Share your thoughts about it in the comments below.