Life is a Cabaret

Arena Stage's production of Cabaret is entertaining, sexy, thought provoking, and for first-timers, maybe even a bit shocking. It's a musical story about love, the rise of Nazis and Nazism in the hearts of Germans, even as the audience gets sexy dance numbers and bizarre characters (the Emcee is particularly well done).

Welcome to Cabaret – a delicious, decadent journey to pre-World War II Berlin featuring unforgettable music and a powerful story. Young American journalist Clifford Bradshaw lands at the notorious Kit Kat Club, home to the social rebels and bohemians of Europe, where he falls madly in love with English entertainer Sally Bowles – but their affair is tested as her wild and reckless lifestyle overwhelms him. All the while, the Kit Kat Emcee taunts and satirizes the locals and visitors to the cabaret with dazzling musical numbers in a score that includes “Money (Makes the World Go Around),” “Maybe This Time” and “Two Ladies.”

With brief but interesting hints of the homosexuality in pre-WWII Germany, men and women both play sexy roles in the cabaret where age, gender, and race matter little, making Cabaret an interesting romp through a gradually darkening time. Playing through the end of October, Cabaret is worth your time and more than worth the low price of the tickets.