The events depicted in the 1966 musical are derived from Anglo-American writer Christopher Isherwood's autobiographical tales of his colorful escapades in the Weimar Republic. In 1929, Isherwood visited Weimar-era Berlin during the final months of the Golden Twenties. He relocated to Berlin to avail himself of boy prostitutes and to enjoy the city's orgiastic Jazz Age cabarets. He socialized with a coterie of gay writers that included Stephen Spender, Paul Bowles, and W.H. Auden. At the time, Isherwood viewed the rise of Nazism in Germany with political indifference and instead focused on writing his first novel.
For the musical adaptation, playwright Joe Masteroff significantly altered Isherwood's original characters. He transformed the English protagonist into an American writer named Clifford Bradshaw; the antisemitic landlady became a tolerant woman with a Jewish beau who owned a fruit store; they cut various supporting characters and added new characters such as the Nazi smuggler Ernst Ludwig for dramatic purposes. The musical ultimately expressed two stories in one: the first, a revue centered on the decadence of the Kit Kat Klub, for which Hal Prince created the Master of Ceremonies (Emcee) character played by Joel Grey; the second, a story set in the society outside the club, thus juxtaposing the lives of the characters based on Isherwood's real-life associates and acquaintances with the seedy club.
In fall 1966, the musical entered rehearsals. After viewing one of the last rehearsals before the company headed to Boston for the pre-Broadway run, Prince's friend Jerome Robbins suggested cutting the songs outside the cabaret, but Prince ignored his advice. In Boston, lead actress Jill Haworth struggled with her characterization of Sally Bowles. Critics thought Sally's blonde hair and white dress suggested a debutante at a senior prom instead of a cabaret singer, so Sally became a brunette before the show opened on Broadway.
Prince staged the show in an unusual way for the time. As the audience entered the theater, they saw the curtain raised, exposing a stage with only a large mirror that reflected the auditorium. Instead of an overture, a drum roll and cymbal crash introduced the opening number. The show mixed dialogue scenes with expository songs and standalone cabaret numbers that provided social commentary. This innovative concept initially surprised audiences. Over time, they discerned the distinction between the two and appreciated the rationale behind them.
The next day at the boarding house, Cliff has just finished giving an English lesson to Ernst when Sally arrives. Max has fired her and thrown her out, and now she has no place to live. Sally asks Cliff if she can live in his room. At first he resists, but she convinces him to take her in ("Perfectly Marvelous"). The Emcee and two female companions sing a song ("Two Ladies") that comments on Cliff and Sally's new living arrangement. Herr Schultz, an elderly Jewish fruit-shop owner who lives in the boarding house, gives a pineapple to Fräulein Schneider as a romantic gesture ("It Couldn't Please Me More"). In the Kit Kat Klub, a young waiter starts to sing a song – a patriotic anthem to the Fatherland that slowly descends into a darker, Nazi-inspired marching song ("Tomorrow Belongs to Me"). He initially sings a cappella, before the customers and the band join in.
Months later, Cliff and Sally are still living together and have grown intimate. Cliff knows that he is in a "dream", but he enjoys living with Sally too much to come to his senses ("Why Should I Wake Up?"). Sally reveals that she is pregnant, but she does not know who the father is and decides to have an abortion. Cliff reminds her that it could be his child and tries to convince her to have the baby ("Maybe This Time"). Ernst enters and offers Cliff a chance to earn easy money – picking up a suitcase in Paris and delivering it to a client in Berlin. The Emcee comments on this with the song "Sitting Pretty" (or, in later versions, "Money").
Meanwhile, Fräulein Schneider has caught one of her boarders, the prostitute Fräulein Kost, bringing sailors into her room. Fräulein Schneider forbids her from doing so again, but Kost threatens to leave. Kost reveals that she has seen Fräulein Schneider with Herr Schultz in her room. Herr Schultz saves Fräulein Schneider's reputation by telling Fräulein Kost that he and Fräulein Schneider are to be married in three weeks. After Fräulein Kost departs, Fräulein Schneider thanks Herr Schultz for lying to Fräulein Kost. Herr Schultz says that he still wishes to marry Fräulein Schneider ("Married").
At Fräulein Schneider and Herr Schultz's engagement party, Cliff arrives and delivers the suitcase of contraband to Ernst. Sally and Cliff gift the couple a crystal fruit bowl. A tipsy Schultz sings "Meeskite" ("meeskite", he explains, is Yiddish for ugly or funny-looking), a song with a moral ("Anyone responsible for loveliness, large or small/Is not a meeskite at all"). Afterward, seeking revenge on Fräulein Schneider, Kost tells Ernst, who now sports a Nazi armband, that Schultz is a Jew. Ernst warns Schneider that marrying a Jew is unwise. Kost and company reprise "Tomorrow Belongs to Me", with more overtly Nazi overtones, as Cliff, Sally, Schneider, Schultz, and the Emcee look on.
Back at the Kit Kat Klub, the Emcee performs a song-and-dance routine with a woman in a gorilla suit, singing that their love has been met with universal disapproval ("If You Could See Her"). Encouraging the audience to be more open-minded, he defends his ape-woman, concluding with, "if you could see her through my eyes... she wouldn't look Jewish at all." Fräulein Schneider goes to Cliff and Sally's room and returns their engagement present, explaining that her marriage has been called off. When Cliff protests and states that she can't just give up this way, she asks him what other choice she has ("What Would You Do?").
Cliff begs Sally to leave Germany with him so that they can raise their child together in America. Sally protests and claims that their life in Berlin is wonderful. Cliff urges her to "wake up" and to notice the growing social upheaval around them. Sally retorts that politics have nothing to do with them and returns to the Kit Kat Klub ("I Don't Care Much"). At the club, after another heated argument with Sally, Cliff is accosted by Ernst, who has another delivery job for him. Cliff tries to brush him off. When Ernst inquires if Cliff's attitude towards him is because of "that Jew at the party", Cliff attacks him – only to be beaten by Ernst's bodyguards and ejected from the club. On stage, the Emcee introduces Sally, who enters to perform again, singing that "life is a cabaret, old chum," cementing her decision to live in carefree ignorance ("Cabaret").
The next morning, a bruised Cliff is packing his clothes in his room when Herr Schultz visits. He informs Cliff that he is moving to another boarding house, but he is confident that these difficult times will soon pass. He understands the German people, he declares, because he is a German too. When Sally returns, she announces that she has had an abortion, and Cliff slaps her. She chides him for his previous insistence on keeping the baby, pointing out it would be a "terrible burden" for a child knowing it was the only reason the parents were together. Cliff still hopes that she will join him in France, but Sally retorts that she has "always hated Paris." She hopes that, when Cliff finally writes his novel, he will dedicate the work to her. Cliff leaves, heartbroken.
On the railway train to Paris, Cliff begins to compose his novel, reflecting on his experiences: "There was a cabaret, and there was a master of ceremonies ... and there was a city called Berlin, in a country called Germany – and it was the end of the world and I was dancing with Sally Bowles – and we were both fast asleep" ("Willkommen" (reprise)). In the Kit Kat Klub, the Emcee welcomes the audience once again as the ensemble reprises "Willkommen" but the song is now harsh and discordant. The Emcee sings, "Auf Wiedersehen... à bientôt..." followed by a drum roll crescendo and a cymbal crash.
Many songs planned for the 1966 production were cut. Three excised songs – "Good Time Charlie", "It'll All Blow Over", and "Roommates" – were recorded by Kander and Ebb, and the sheet music published in a collector's book. Sally sang "Good Time Charlie" to Cliff as they walked to Fräulein Schneider and Herr Schultz's engagement party, mocking Cliff for his gloominess. At the end of the first act, Fräulein Schneider sang "It'll All Blow Over," expressing her concerns about marrying a Jew, while Cliff voiced his worries about Germany's emerging Nazism. In the song, Sally declares that all will turn out well in the end. "Perfectly Marvelous" replaced "Roommates" and serves the same plot function of Sally convincing Cliff to let her move in with him.
Originally, the Emcee sang "Sitting Pretty" accompanied by the cabaret girls in international costumes with their units of currency representing Russian rubles, Japanese yen, French francs, American dollars, and German reichsmarks. In the 1972 film, the Emcee and Sally Bowles sang "Money, Money" instead of "Sitting Pretty." The film soundtrack briefly played "Sitting Pretty" as orchestral background music. In the 1987 revival, they presented a special version that combined a medley of both money songs, and they incorporated motifs from the later song into the "international" dance that featured "Sitting Pretty." In the 1998 revival, they used only the later song written for the film. This version included the cabaret girls and carried a darker undertone.
The original Broadway production was not an instant success according to playwright Joe Masteroff due to its perceived immoral content. "When the show opened in Boston," Masteroff recalled, "there were a lot of walkouts. Once the reviews came out, the public came back." At the time, actor Joel Grey was merely fifth-billed in the show. Nevertheless, audiences were hypnotized by Grey's sinister performance as the Emcee.
In contrast, Jill Haworth's performance as Sally was less well-received and was criticized for its blandness. Emory Lewis, the reviewer for The Morning Call, wrote that "Jill Haworth, the lovely English actress who played Sally Bowles on opening night, was personable, but she was not sufficiently trained for so pivotal a role. And her voice was small and undramatic. Her performance threw 'Cabaret' out of kilter."
The first Broadway revival opened on October 22, 1987, with direction and choreography by Prince and Field. The revival opened at the Imperial Theatre, and then transferred to the Minskoff Theatre to complete its 261-performance run. Joel Grey received star billing as the Emcee, with Alyson Reed as Sally, Gregg Edelman as Cliff, Regina Resnik as Fräulein Schneider, Werner Klemperer as Herr Schultz, and David Staller as Ernst Ludwig. The song "Don't Go" was added for Cliff's character.
There were a number of changes made between the 1993 and 1998 revivals, despite the similarities in creative team. The cabaret number "Two Ladies" was staged with the Emcee, a cabaret girl, and a cabaret boy in drag and included a shadow play simulating various sexual positions. The score was re-orchestrated using synthesizer effects and expanding the stage band, with all the instruments now being played by the cabaret girls and boys. The satiric "Sitting Pretty", with its mocking references to deprivation, despair and hunger, was eliminated, as it had been in the film version, and where in the 1993 revival it had been combined with "Money" (as it had been in 1987 London production), "Money" was now performed on its own. "Maybe This Time", from the film adaptation, was added to the score.
Since 2003, international stagings of the show, many influenced by Mendes' concept, have included productions in Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, France, Portugal, Greece, Israel, Malaysia, Mexico, Peru, Puerto Rico, Serbia, South Africa, Spain and Venezuela. A 2008 production at the Stratford Shakespeare Festival's Avon Theatre in Canada, designed by Douglas Paraschuk and directed by Amanda Dehnert, featured Bruce Dow as the Emcee, Trish Lindström as Sally, Sean Arbuckle as Cliff, Nora McClellan as Fräulein Schneider and Frank Moore as Herr Schultz. The Shaw Festival at Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario, included Cabaret in its 2014 season. The production, which ran from April 10 – October 26, 2014 at the Festival Theatre, was directed by Peter Hinton with choreography by Denise Clarke. It featured Juan Chioran as the Emcee, Deborah Hay as Sally, Gray Powell as Cliff, Benedict Campbell as Herr Schultz, and Corrine Koslo as Fräulein Schneider; it was influenced by Mendes' 1993 revival.
Both the 1986 London and 1998 Broadway revival casts were recorded. A 1993 two-CD studio recording contains nearly the entire score, including songs written for the movie and for later productions and much of the incidental music. This recording features Jonathan Pryce as the Emcee, Maria Friedman as Sally, Gregg Edelman as Cliff, Judi Dench as Fräulein Schneider, and Fred Ebb as Herr Schultz. The cast recording of the 2006 London revival at the Lyric Theatre includes James Dreyfus as the Emcee and Anna Maxwell Martin as Sally.
In addition to these recordings, cast albums for French, Spanish, Greek, Hebrew, Italian, Austrian, Dutch, Mexican, and German productions have been released.
Garebian 2011, p. 3; Gray 2016. - Garebian, Keith (2011). The Making of Cabaret. Oxford: Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-973250-0 – via Google Books. https://books.google.com/books?id=PuD3p2IGW5oC
Bloom & Vlastnik 2004, p. 46. - Bloom, Ken; Vlastnik, Frank (October 2004). Broadway Musicals – The 101 Greatest Shows of All Time. New York City: Black Dog & Leventhal Publishers. pp. 46–49. ISBN 1-57912-390-2 – via Google Books. https://books.google.com/books?id=R-MAnn-PrxIC
Isherwood 1976, pp. 3–8: In March 1929, Isherwood joined W. H. Auden in Berlin. Impressed by the city, Isherwood returned again soon after and stayed for several years until the rise of the Nazis. - Isherwood, Christopher (1976). Christopher and His Kind: A Memoir, 1929–1939. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux. ISBN 978-0374-53522-3 – via Google Books. https://books.google.com/books?id=n0IOAQAAMAAJ
Moss 1979: Isherwood frequented "the boy-bars in Berlin in the late years of the Weimar Republic.... [He] discovered a world utterly different from the repressive English one he disliked, and with it, the excitements of sex and new subject matter." - Moss, Howard (June 3, 1979). "Christopher Isherwood: Man and Work". The New York Times. New York City. Retrieved January 30, 2021. https://www.nytimes.com/1979/06/03/archives/christopher-isherwood-man-and-work-isherwood.html
Isherwood 1976, Chapter 1: "To Christopher, Berlin meant Boys... Christopher was suffering from an inhibition, then not unusual among upper-class homosexuals; he couldn't relax sexually with a member of his own class or nation. He needed a working-class foreigner. He had become clearly aware of this when he went to Germany in May 1928." - Isherwood, Christopher (1976). Christopher and His Kind: A Memoir, 1929–1939. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux. ISBN 978-0374-53522-3 – via Google Books. https://books.google.com/books?id=n0IOAQAAMAAJ
Paul Bowles was an American writer who wrote the novel The Sheltering Sky.[6] After meeting the author in Berlin, Isherwood appropriated his surname for the character of Sally Bowles.[7] /wiki/Paul_Bowles
Garebian 2011, pp. 6–7; Spender 1977; Spender 1966, pp. 125–130. - Garebian, Keith (2011). The Making of Cabaret. Oxford: Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-973250-0 – via Google Books. https://books.google.com/books?id=PuD3p2IGW5oC
Jean Ross later claimed the political indifference of the Sally Bowles character more closely resembled Isherwood and his hedonistic friends,[9] many of whom "fluttered around town exclaiming how sexy the storm troopers looked in their uniforms."[10] /wiki/Jean_Ross
Allen 2004: "The real Isherwood... [was] the least political of the so-called Auden group, [and] Isherwood was always guided by his personal motivations rather than by abstract ideas." - Allen, Brooke (December 19, 2004). "Isherwood: The Uses of Narcissism". The New York Times. New York City. Retrieved February 1, 2021. https://www.nytimes.com/2004/12/19/books/review/isherwood-the-uses-of-narcissism.html
Stansky 1976: Isherwood was a "self-indulgent upper middle-class foreign tourist" who was "a good deal less dedicated to political passion than the legend has had it." - Stansky, Peter (November 28, 1976). "Christopher and His Kind". The New York Times. New York City. p. 260. Retrieved February 6, 2021. https://www.nytimes.com/1976/11/28/archives/christopher-and-his-kind.html
Isherwood claimed he and Ross "had a relationship which was asexual but more truly intimate than the relationships between Sally and her various partners in the novel, the plays and the films."[13] /wiki/Asexuality
Parker 2004; Parker 2005, p. 205. - Parker, Peter (September 2004). "Ross, Jean Iris (1911–1973)". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford: Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/74425. Retrieved June 18, 2017. https://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/74425
Lehmann 1987, p. 18: "Jean Ross, whom [Isherwood] had met in Berlin as one of his fellow-lodgers in the Nollendorfstrasse for a time, when she was earning her living as a (not very remarkable) singer in a second-rate cabaret." - Lehmann, John (1987). Christopher Isherwood: A Personal Memoir. New York City: Henry Holt and Company. ISBN 0-8050-1029-7 – via Internet Archive. https://archive.org/details/christopherisher00lehm_0
Isherwood 1976, p. 63: "Jean moved into a room in the Nollendorfstrasse flat after she met Christopher, early in 1931." - Isherwood, Christopher (1976). Christopher and His Kind: A Memoir, 1929–1939. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux. ISBN 978-0374-53522-3 – via Google Books. https://books.google.com/books?id=n0IOAQAAMAAJ
Parker 2005, pp. 205–206: "...a sixteen-year-old Berliner named Heinz Neddermeyer... Isherwood realized that he 'had found someone emotionally innocent, entirely vulnerable and uncritical, whom he could protect and cherish as his very own.' In other words, he had found the person for whom he had been looking in all his relationships with adolescents." - Parker, Peter (2005) [2004]. Isherwood: A Life Revealed. London: Picador. ISBN 978-0-330-32826-5 – via Google Books.Spender, Stephen (1966) [1951]. World Within World: The Autobiography of Stephen Spender. Berkeley, California: University of California Press. ISBN 978-0-679-64045-5 – via Google Books. https://books.google.com/books?id=CdF2UXFgcFcC
Izzo 2005, p. 6; Vidal 1976. - Izzo, David Garrett (2005). Christopher Isherwood Encyclopedia. London: McFarland & Company. pp. 97, 144. ISBN 0-7864-1519-3 – via Google Books. https://books.google.com/books?id=vhAkCQAAQBAJ
Isherwood 1976, pp. 244–245; Parker 2005, p. 205. - Isherwood, Christopher (1976). Christopher and His Kind: A Memoir, 1929–1939. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux. ISBN 978-0374-53522-3 – via Google Books. https://books.google.com/books?id=n0IOAQAAMAAJ
Parker 2004: "An affair with a Jewish musician called Götz von Eick, who subsequently became an actor in Hollywood under the name Peter van Eyck, led to her becoming pregnant, and she nearly died after an abortion." - Parker, Peter (September 2004). "Ross, Jean Iris (1911–1973)". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford: Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/74425. Retrieved June 18, 2017. https://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/74425
Parker 2004: "An affair with a Jewish musician called Götz von Eick, who subsequently became an actor in Hollywood under the name Peter van Eyck, led to her becoming pregnant, and she nearly died after an abortion." - Parker, Peter (September 2004). "Ross, Jean Iris (1911–1973)". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford: Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/74425. Retrieved June 18, 2017. https://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/74425
Parker 2004: "An affair with a Jewish musician called Götz von Eick, who subsequently became an actor in Hollywood under the name Peter van Eyck, led to her becoming pregnant, and she nearly died after an abortion." - Parker, Peter (September 2004). "Ross, Jean Iris (1911–1973)". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford: Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/74425. Retrieved June 18, 2017. https://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/74425
Parker 2005, p. 220. - Parker, Peter (2005) [2004]. Isherwood: A Life Revealed. London: Picador. ISBN 978-0-330-32826-5 – via Google Books.Spender, Stephen (1966) [1951]. World Within World: The Autobiography of Stephen Spender. Berkeley, California: University of California Press. ISBN 978-0-679-64045-5 – via Google Books. https://books.google.com/books?id=CdF2UXFgcFcC
Isherwood 1976, pp. 244–245; Spender 1966, p. 127; Spender 1974, pp. 138–139; Thomson 2005. - Isherwood, Christopher (1976). Christopher and His Kind: A Memoir, 1929–1939. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux. ISBN 978-0374-53522-3 – via Google Books. https://books.google.com/books?id=n0IOAQAAMAAJ
Lehmann 1987, pp. 28–9; Gallagher 2014; Spender 1974, pp. 138–139; Thomson 2005. - Lehmann, John (1987). Christopher Isherwood: A Personal Memoir. New York City: Henry Holt and Company. ISBN 0-8050-1029-7 – via Internet Archive. https://archive.org/details/christopherisher00lehm_0
Izzo 2005, p. 144: "The abortion is a turning point in the narrator's relationship with Sally and also in his relationship to Berlin and to his writing". - Izzo, David Garrett (2005). Christopher Isherwood Encyclopedia. London: McFarland & Company. pp. 97, 144. ISBN 0-7864-1519-3 – via Google Books. https://books.google.com/books?id=vhAkCQAAQBAJ
Spender 1966, p. 129. - Parker, Peter (2005) [2004]. Isherwood: A Life Revealed. London: Picador. ISBN 978-0-330-32826-5 – via Google Books.Spender, Stephen (1966) [1951]. World Within World: The Autobiography of Stephen Spender. Berkeley, California: University of California Press. ISBN 978-0-679-64045-5 – via Google Books. https://books.google.com/books?id=CdF2UXFgcFcC
Spender 1966, p. 129. - Parker, Peter (2005) [2004]. Isherwood: A Life Revealed. London: Picador. ISBN 978-0-330-32826-5 – via Google Books.Spender, Stephen (1966) [1951]. World Within World: The Autobiography of Stephen Spender. Berkeley, California: University of California Press. ISBN 978-0-679-64045-5 – via Google Books. https://books.google.com/books?id=CdF2UXFgcFcC
Parker 2005, p. 219: In contrast to Stephen Spender's prescient realization of impending doom, Isherwood near the end of January 1933 "was complaining somewhat unpresciently to Spender that situation in Germany seemed 'very dull.'" - Parker, Peter (2005) [2004]. Isherwood: A Life Revealed. London: Picador. ISBN 978-0-330-32826-5 – via Google Books.Spender, Stephen (1966) [1951]. World Within World: The Autobiography of Stephen Spender. Berkeley, California: University of California Press. ISBN 978-0-679-64045-5 – via Google Books. https://books.google.com/books?id=CdF2UXFgcFcC
Spender 1977. - Spender, Stephen (October 30, 1977). "Life Wasn't a Cabaret". The New York Times. New York City. p. 198. Retrieved February 2, 2021. https://www.nytimes.com/1977/10/30/archives/life-wasnt-a-cabaret-on-a-visit-to-the-berlin-festival-stephen.html
Spender 1966, p. 129; Parker 2005, p. 254. - Parker, Peter (2005) [2004]. Isherwood: A Life Revealed. London: Picador. ISBN 978-0-330-32826-5 – via Google Books.Spender, Stephen (1966) [1951]. World Within World: The Autobiography of Stephen Spender. Berkeley, California: University of California Press. ISBN 978-0-679-64045-5 – via Google Books. https://books.google.com/books?id=CdF2UXFgcFcC
Parker 2005, p. 221: "Isherwood recognized that he could not remain in Berlin much longer and on April 5, the day measures were brought in to ban Jews from the teaching professions and the Civil Service, he arrived back in London, bringing with him many of his possessions." - Parker, Peter (2005) [2004]. Isherwood: A Life Revealed. London: Picador. ISBN 978-0-330-32826-5 – via Google Books.Spender, Stephen (1966) [1951]. World Within World: The Autobiography of Stephen Spender. Berkeley, California: University of California Press. ISBN 978-0-679-64045-5 – via Google Books. https://books.google.com/books?id=CdF2UXFgcFcC
Parker 2005, p. 220: Commenting on these dramatic change of events in Germany, Isherwood wrote to a friend that roving Nazi gangs could now murder anyone with impunity, and "it is illegal to offer any resistance". - Parker, Peter (2005) [2004]. Isherwood: A Life Revealed. London: Picador. ISBN 978-0-330-32826-5 – via Google Books.Spender, Stephen (1966) [1951]. World Within World: The Autobiography of Stephen Spender. Berkeley, California: University of California Press. ISBN 978-0-679-64045-5 – via Google Books. https://books.google.com/books?id=CdF2UXFgcFcC
Many of Berlin's seedy cabarets located along the Kurfürstendamm avenue, an entertainment-vice district, had been marked for future destruction by Joseph Goebbels as early as 1928.[31] /wiki/Kurf%C3%BCrstendamm
Isherwood 1976, pp. 164–166; Isherwood 1976, pp. 150, 297; Farina 2013, pp. 74–81. - Isherwood, Christopher (1976). Christopher and His Kind: A Memoir, 1929–1939. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux. ISBN 978-0374-53522-3 – via Google Books. https://books.google.com/books?id=n0IOAQAAMAAJ
Lehmann 1987, pp. 28–29; Izzo 2001, pp. 97, 144. - Lehmann, John (1987). Christopher Isherwood: A Personal Memoir. New York City: Henry Holt and Company. ISBN 0-8050-1029-7 – via Internet Archive. https://archive.org/details/christopherisher00lehm_0
Garebian 2011, pp. 15–16. - Garebian, Keith (2011). The Making of Cabaret. Oxford: Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-973250-0 – via Google Books. https://books.google.com/books?id=PuD3p2IGW5oC
Garebian 2011, p. 16: "David Black, a producer, had commissioned the show and sparked the interest of Julie Andrews, but the star's manager refused Andrews... to play such a part as Sally Bowles". - Garebian, Keith (2011). The Making of Cabaret. Oxford: Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-973250-0 – via Google Books. https://books.google.com/books?id=PuD3p2IGW5oC
Garebian 2011, p. 16. - Garebian, Keith (2011). The Making of Cabaret. Oxford: Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-973250-0 – via Google Books. https://books.google.com/books?id=PuD3p2IGW5oC
Garebian 2011, pp. 15–16, 25, 28. - Garebian, Keith (2011). The Making of Cabaret. Oxford: Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-973250-0 – via Google Books. https://books.google.com/books?id=PuD3p2IGW5oC
Garebian 2011, p. 24. - Garebian, Keith (2011). The Making of Cabaret. Oxford: Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-973250-0 – via Google Books. https://books.google.com/books?id=PuD3p2IGW5oC
Garebian 2011, p. 16. - Garebian, Keith (2011). The Making of Cabaret. Oxford: Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-973250-0 – via Google Books. https://books.google.com/books?id=PuD3p2IGW5oC
Garebian 2011, p. 16. - Garebian, Keith (2011). The Making of Cabaret. Oxford: Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-973250-0 – via Google Books. https://books.google.com/books?id=PuD3p2IGW5oC
Garebian 2011, p. 16. - Garebian, Keith (2011). The Making of Cabaret. Oxford: Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-973250-0 – via Google Books. https://books.google.com/books?id=PuD3p2IGW5oC
Garebian 2011, p. 16. - Garebian, Keith (2011). The Making of Cabaret. Oxford: Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-973250-0 – via Google Books. https://books.google.com/books?id=PuD3p2IGW5oC
Mordden 2001, p. 154. - Mordden, Ethan (2001). Open a New Window: The Broadway Musical in the 1960s. New York: Palgrave. ISBN 0-312-23952-1 – via Google Books. https://books.google.com/books?id=R5O7wAEACAAJ
The character of Ernst Ludwig shares similarities with Isherwood's acquaintance, Gerald Hamilton, an unscrupulous smuggler who inspired the fictional character of Arthur Norris.[40] Like the fictional character which he inspired, Hamilton was a "nefarious, amoral, sociopathic, manipulative conniver" who "did not hesitate to use or abuse friends and enemies alike."[40] /wiki/Gerald_Hamilton
Mordden 2001, p. 154; Masteroff 1967, p. 7. - Mordden, Ethan (2001). Open a New Window: The Broadway Musical in the 1960s. New York: Palgrave. ISBN 0-312-23952-1 – via Google Books. https://books.google.com/books?id=R5O7wAEACAAJ
Garebian 2011, p. 26. - Garebian, Keith (2011). The Making of Cabaret. Oxford: Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-973250-0 – via Google Books. https://books.google.com/books?id=PuD3p2IGW5oC
Mordden 2001, pp. 152–54. - Mordden, Ethan (2001). Open a New Window: The Broadway Musical in the 1960s. New York: Palgrave. ISBN 0-312-23952-1 – via Google Books. https://books.google.com/books?id=R5O7wAEACAAJ
Riedel, Michael (March 26, 2024). "The Untold History of Cabaret: Revived and Kicking". No. April 2024. Vanity Fair. Retrieved April 7, 2024. https://www.vanityfair.com/style/cabaret-revival
Garebian 2011, p. 111. - Garebian, Keith (2011). The Making of Cabaret. Oxford: Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-973250-0 – via Google Books. https://books.google.com/books?id=PuD3p2IGW5oC
Garebian 2011, p. 111. - Garebian, Keith (2011). The Making of Cabaret. Oxford: Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-973250-0 – via Google Books. https://books.google.com/books?id=PuD3p2IGW5oC
Bloom & Vlastnik 2004, pp. 47–49. - Bloom, Ken; Vlastnik, Frank (October 2004). Broadway Musicals – The 101 Greatest Shows of All Time. New York City: Black Dog & Leventhal Publishers. pp. 46–49. ISBN 1-57912-390-2 – via Google Books. https://books.google.com/books?id=R-MAnn-PrxIC
Lewis 1969. - Lewis, Emory (August 21, 1969). "Melissa Hart Is New Planet Find". The Morning Call. Paterson, New Jersey. p. 23. Retrieved March 13, 2022 – via Newspapers.com. https://www.newspapers.com/image/554024702/
Bloom & Vlastnik 2004, pp. 47–49. - Bloom, Ken; Vlastnik, Frank (October 2004). Broadway Musicals – The 101 Greatest Shows of All Time. New York City: Black Dog & Leventhal Publishers. pp. 46–49. ISBN 1-57912-390-2 – via Google Books. https://books.google.com/books?id=R-MAnn-PrxIC
Lewis 1969. - Lewis, Emory (August 21, 1969). "Melissa Hart Is New Planet Find". The Morning Call. Paterson, New Jersey. p. 23. Retrieved March 13, 2022 – via Newspapers.com. https://www.newspapers.com/image/554024702/
Garebian 2011, pp. 39–42. - Garebian, Keith (2011). The Making of Cabaret. Oxford: Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-973250-0 – via Google Books. https://books.google.com/books?id=PuD3p2IGW5oC
Gray 2016. - Gray, Margaret (July 20, 2016). "50 years of 'Cabaret': How the 1966 musical keeps sharpening its edges for modern times". Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles. Retrieved January 31, 2021. https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/arts/la-ca-cm-cabaret-pantages-20160718-snap-story.html
Garebian 2011, p. 49: "There was no question that the single greatest element in the design was the giant mirror." - Garebian, Keith (2011). The Making of Cabaret. Oxford: Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-973250-0 – via Google Books. https://books.google.com/books?id=PuD3p2IGW5oC
Mordden 2001, pp. 156–57. - Mordden, Ethan (2001). Open a New Window: The Broadway Musical in the 1960s. New York: Palgrave. ISBN 0-312-23952-1 – via Google Books. https://books.google.com/books?id=R5O7wAEACAAJ
Mordden 2001, pp. 156–57. - Mordden, Ethan (2001). Open a New Window: The Broadway Musical in the 1960s. New York: Palgrave. ISBN 0-312-23952-1 – via Google Books. https://books.google.com/books?id=R5O7wAEACAAJ
The phonetic term "Emcee" is specifically used by playwright Joe Masteroff in the musical's script.[137] /wiki/Joe_Masteroff
The character of Ernst Ludwig shares similarities with Isherwood's acquaintance, Gerald Hamilton, an unscrupulous smuggler who inspired the fictional character of Arthur Norris.[40] Like the fictional character which he inspired, Hamilton was a "nefarious, amoral, sociopathic, manipulative conniver" who "did not hesitate to use or abuse friends and enemies alike."[40] /wiki/Gerald_Hamilton
Isherwood insisted Sally be depicted as a mediocre singer to reflect Jean Ross' lack of vocal talent: "She sang badly, without any expression, her hands hanging down at her sides – yet her performance was... effective because of her startling appearance and her air of not caring a curse of what people thought of her."[52]
According to Isherwood, Sally Bowles should not be interpreted as a tart.[53] Sally "is a little girl who has listened to what the grown-ups had said about tarts, and who was trying to copy those things".[53] /wiki/Prostitution
"Telephone Song" was cut in the 1993, 1998, 2012, 2014 and 2021 revivals, replaced by "Mein Herr".
In the 1998 and 2014 revivals, "Tomorrow Belongs to Me" was changed from an ensemble number with the cabaret waiters to a gramophone solo recording of a boy soprano, with the Emcee speaking the last words.[61] In the 2021 and 2024 revivals, the Emcee sings the song. /wiki/Gramophone
Isherwood claimed he and Ross "had a relationship which was asexual but more truly intimate than the relationships between Sally and her various partners in the novel, the plays and the films."[13] /wiki/Asexuality
"Maybe This Time", popularized by the 1972 film, was added to stage revivals in 1998, 2012, 2014, and 2021.
"Meeskite" was cut in the 1993 1987, 1998, 2012, 2014 and 2021 revivals.
"Married" (reprise) was cut in the 2012 revival.
The line "if you could see her through my eyes... she wouldn't look Jewish at all" was intended to illustrate how easily prejudice is accepted. However, boycott threats from Jewish leaders in Boston led Ebb to write an alternate line, "She isn't a Meeskite at all."[54]
Riedel, Michael (March 26, 2024). "The Untold History of Cabaret: Revived and Kicking". No. April 2024. Vanity Fair. Retrieved April 7, 2024. https://www.vanityfair.com/style/cabaret-revival
Jean Ross later claimed the political indifference of the Sally Bowles character more closely resembled Isherwood and his hedonistic friends,[9] many of whom "fluttered around town exclaiming how sexy the storm troopers looked in their uniforms."[10] /wiki/Jean_Ross
"I Don't Care Much" was added for the 1987, 1993, 1998, 2012, 2014 and 2021 revivals.[62]
Although the musical depicts Clifford Bradshaw as staunchly anti-racist, Christopher Isherwood was alleged to be an antisemite.[55] According to biographers, Isherwood was "fairly anti-Semitic to a degree that required some emendations of the Berlin novels when they were republished after the war".[55] /wiki/Anti-racist
In some versions of the show, Herr Schultz, Fräulein Schneider, and Sally repeat lines from earlier in the show espousing their views: Schultz's belief that he will survive, Schneider choosing safety in the face of oppression, and Sally choosing to ignore politics as she sings a brief reprise of "Cabaret".
In the 1998 revival, the Emcee strips off his overcoat to reveal a concentration camp prisoner's uniform marked with a yellow Star of David and a pink triangle, and the backdrop raises to reveal a white space with the ensemble standing within.[57] /wiki/Nazi_concentration_camps
Several productions feature a finale with a white space flashing with a strobe effect, implying the cabaret performers – except for Sally who is not standing in the white space – will fall victim to Nazi atrocities towards the Jews and gays.[58] /wiki/The_Holocaust
Masteroff 1967, Musical Numbers. - Masteroff, Joe (1967). Harold Prince's Cabaret. New York: Random House. LCCN 67-24365. Retrieved October 27, 2021 – via Internet Archive. https://archive.org/details/haroldprincescab00joem
Bloom & Vlastnik 2004, p. 48; Kander & Ebb 1999, pp. 3–4. - Bloom, Ken; Vlastnik, Frank (October 2004). Broadway Musicals – The 101 Greatest Shows of All Time. New York City: Black Dog & Leventhal Publishers. pp. 46–49. ISBN 1-57912-390-2 – via Google Books. https://books.google.com/books?id=R-MAnn-PrxIC
"Telephone Song" was cut in the 1993, 1998, 2012, 2014 and 2021 revivals, replaced by "Mein Herr".
The character Bobby replaced one of the ladies in "Two Ladies" for the 1998 and 2014 revivals.
Typically they are "Rosie" and "Frenchie".
In the 1998 and 2014 revivals, "Tomorrow Belongs to Me" was changed from an ensemble number with the cabaret waiters to a gramophone solo recording of a boy soprano, with the Emcee speaking the last words.[61] In the 2021 and 2024 revivals, the Emcee sings the song. /wiki/Gramophone
"Don't Go" replaced "Why Should I Wake Up?" in the 1987 revival but was removed from the score afterwards.
"Maybe This Time", popularized by the 1972 film, was added to stage revivals in 1998, 2012, 2014, and 2021.
"Money, Money", a song from the 1972 film, was blended with "Sitting Pretty" in the 1987 revival. It replaced "Sitting Pretty" in the 1998, 2014 and 2021 revivals.
In the 1998 revival, Fräulein Kost sang the film's German translation of "Married" after two English verses.
"Meeskite" was cut in the 1993 1987, 1998, 2012, 2014 and 2021 revivals.
Masteroff 1967, Musical Numbers. - Masteroff, Joe (1967). Harold Prince's Cabaret. New York: Random House. LCCN 67-24365. Retrieved October 27, 2021 – via Internet Archive. https://archive.org/details/haroldprincescab00joem
Bloom & Vlastnik 2004, p. 48; Kander & Ebb 1999, pp. 3–4. - Bloom, Ken; Vlastnik, Frank (October 2004). Broadway Musicals – The 101 Greatest Shows of All Time. New York City: Black Dog & Leventhal Publishers. pp. 46–49. ISBN 1-57912-390-2 – via Google Books. https://books.google.com/books?id=R-MAnn-PrxIC
"Married" (reprise) was cut in the 2012 revival.
"I Don't Care Much" was added for the 1987, 1993, 1998, 2012, 2014 and 2021 revivals.[62]
Kander & Ebb 1999, pp. 3–4, 136–8. - Kander, John; Ebb, Fred (March 1999). Golden, Bob (ed.). The Complete Cabaret Collection. Milwaukee, Wisconsin: Hal Leonard. ISBN 978-1-4584-5040-1 – via Google Books. https://books.google.com/books?id=QXfEAQAAQBAJ
Kander & Ebb 1999, pp. 3–4. - Kander, John; Ebb, Fred (March 1999). Golden, Bob (ed.). The Complete Cabaret Collection. Milwaukee, Wisconsin: Hal Leonard. ISBN 978-1-4584-5040-1 – via Google Books. https://books.google.com/books?id=QXfEAQAAQBAJ
Garebian 2011, p. 71. - Garebian, Keith (2011). The Making of Cabaret. Oxford: Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-973250-0 – via Google Books. https://books.google.com/books?id=PuD3p2IGW5oC
Garebian 2011, p. 29. - Garebian, Keith (2011). The Making of Cabaret. Oxford: Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-973250-0 – via Google Books. https://books.google.com/books?id=PuD3p2IGW5oC
Kander & Ebb 1999, p. 150. - Kander, John; Ebb, Fred (March 1999). Golden, Bob (ed.). The Complete Cabaret Collection. Milwaukee, Wisconsin: Hal Leonard. ISBN 978-1-4584-5040-1 – via Google Books. https://books.google.com/books?id=QXfEAQAAQBAJ
Garebian 2011, p. 29. - Garebian, Keith (2011). The Making of Cabaret. Oxford: Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-973250-0 – via Google Books. https://books.google.com/books?id=PuD3p2IGW5oC
Garebian 2011, p. 71. - Garebian, Keith (2011). The Making of Cabaret. Oxford: Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-973250-0 – via Google Books. https://books.google.com/books?id=PuD3p2IGW5oC
Kander & Ebb 1999, pp. 50, 162. - Kander, John; Ebb, Fred (March 1999). Golden, Bob (ed.). The Complete Cabaret Collection. Milwaukee, Wisconsin: Hal Leonard. ISBN 978-1-4584-5040-1 – via Google Books. https://books.google.com/books?id=QXfEAQAAQBAJ
Kander & Ebb 1999, pp. 3–4, 136–8. - Kander, John; Ebb, Fred (March 1999). Golden, Bob (ed.). The Complete Cabaret Collection. Milwaukee, Wisconsin: Hal Leonard. ISBN 978-1-4584-5040-1 – via Google Books. https://books.google.com/books?id=QXfEAQAAQBAJ
Garebian 2011, p. 141. - Garebian, Keith (2011). The Making of Cabaret. Oxford: Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-973250-0 – via Google Books. https://books.google.com/books?id=PuD3p2IGW5oC
Kander & Ebb 1999, pp. 3–4, 129, 136–8. - Kander, John; Ebb, Fred (March 1999). Golden, Bob (ed.). The Complete Cabaret Collection. Milwaukee, Wisconsin: Hal Leonard. ISBN 978-1-4584-5040-1 – via Google Books. https://books.google.com/books?id=QXfEAQAAQBAJ
Garebian 2011, p. 187. - Garebian, Keith (2011). The Making of Cabaret. Oxford: Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-973250-0 – via Google Books. https://books.google.com/books?id=PuD3p2IGW5oC
Garebian 2011, p. 187. - Garebian, Keith (2011). The Making of Cabaret. Oxford: Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-973250-0 – via Google Books. https://books.google.com/books?id=PuD3p2IGW5oC
Lewis 1969. - Lewis, Emory (August 21, 1969). "Melissa Hart Is New Planet Find". The Morning Call. Paterson, New Jersey. p. 23. Retrieved March 13, 2022 – via Newspapers.com. https://www.newspapers.com/image/554024702/
Garebian 2011, p. 197; Gray 2016. - Garebian, Keith (2011). The Making of Cabaret. Oxford: Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-973250-0 – via Google Books. https://books.google.com/books?id=PuD3p2IGW5oC
Garebian 2011, p. 197. - Garebian, Keith (2011). The Making of Cabaret. Oxford: Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-973250-0 – via Google Books. https://books.google.com/books?id=PuD3p2IGW5oC
Bloom & Vlastnik 2004, p. 49. - Bloom, Ken; Vlastnik, Frank (October 2004). Broadway Musicals – The 101 Greatest Shows of All Time. New York City: Black Dog & Leventhal Publishers. pp. 46–49. ISBN 1-57912-390-2 – via Google Books. https://books.google.com/books?id=R-MAnn-PrxIC
Lewis 1969. - Lewis, Emory (August 21, 1969). "Melissa Hart Is New Planet Find". The Morning Call. Paterson, New Jersey. p. 23. Retrieved March 13, 2022 – via Newspapers.com. https://www.newspapers.com/image/554024702/
"Cabaret (Broadway, 1966)". Playbill. Retrieved May 2, 2024. https://playbill.com/production/cabaret-broadhurst-theatre-vault-0000002056
Gray 2016. - Gray, Margaret (July 20, 2016). "50 years of 'Cabaret': How the 1966 musical keeps sharpening its edges for modern times". Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles. Retrieved January 31, 2021. https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/arts/la-ca-cm-cabaret-pantages-20160718-snap-story.html
Gray 2016. - Gray, Margaret (July 20, 2016). "50 years of 'Cabaret': How the 1966 musical keeps sharpening its edges for modern times". Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles. Retrieved January 31, 2021. https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/arts/la-ca-cm-cabaret-pantages-20160718-snap-story.html
Royce 2014. - Royce, Graydon (January 13, 2014). "'Cabaret' looks very different from the original musical". Star Tribune. Minneapolis, Minnesota. Retrieved February 10, 2021. https://www.startribune.com/cabaret-looks-very-different-from-the-original-musical/239506801/
Kerr 1966. - Kerr, Walter (November 21, 1966). "The Theater: 'Cabaret' Opens at the Broadhurst; Musical by Masteroff, Kander and Ebb Lotte Lenya Stars Directed by Prince". The New York Times. New York City. Retrieved February 10, 2021. https://www.nytimes.com/1966/11/21/archives/the-theater-cabaret-opens-at-the-broadhurst-musical-by-masteroff.html
Lewis 1969. - Lewis, Emory (August 21, 1969). "Melissa Hart Is New Planet Find". The Morning Call. Paterson, New Jersey. p. 23. Retrieved March 13, 2022 – via Newspapers.com. https://www.newspapers.com/image/554024702/
Hart 1967; Leonard 1968. - "Melissa Hart Is Signed". The New York Times. New York City. October 13, 1967. p. 33. Retrieved February 10, 2021. https://www.nytimes.com/1967/10/13/archives/melissa-hart-is-signed.html
Leonard 1968; Smith 1968; Oakland Tribune 1968. - Leonard, William (November 28, 1968). "A Maverick, 'Cabaret' Packs a Wallop". Chicago Tribune. Chicago, Illinois. p. 83. Retrieved March 13, 2022 – via Newspapers.com. https://www.newspapers.com/image/376593133/
Green 1980, p. 53. - Green, Stanley (1980). Encyclopedia of the Musical Theatre. New York City: Da Capo Press. ISBN 0-306-80113-2 – via Internet Archive. https://archive.org/details/trent_0116403559523
"Cabaret London Cast Recording 1968". MasterworksBroadway. Retrieved May 2, 2024. https://masterworksbroadway.com/music/cabaret-london-cast-recording-1968/
Mandelbaum 1998. - Mandelbaum, Ken (February 1, 1998). "'Cabaret' on Disc". Playbill. New York City. Retrieved February 5, 2021. https://www.playbill.com/article/ken-mandelbaums-musicals-on-disc-cabaret-on-disc-com-73168
Mandelbaum 1998. - Mandelbaum, Ken (February 1, 1998). "'Cabaret' on Disc". Playbill. New York City. Retrieved February 5, 2021. https://www.playbill.com/article/ken-mandelbaums-musicals-on-disc-cabaret-on-disc-com-73168
Garebian 2011, p. 199. - Garebian, Keith (2011). The Making of Cabaret. Oxford: Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-973250-0 – via Google Books. https://books.google.com/books?id=PuD3p2IGW5oC
"Cabaret (Broadway, 1987)". Playbill. Retrieved May 2, 2024. https://playbill.com/production/cabaret-imperial-theatre-vault-0000006036
Bloom & Vlastnik 2004, p. 47. - Bloom, Ken; Vlastnik, Frank (October 2004). Broadway Musicals – The 101 Greatest Shows of All Time. New York City: Black Dog & Leventhal Publishers. pp. 46–49. ISBN 1-57912-390-2 – via Google Books. https://books.google.com/books?id=R-MAnn-PrxIC
Royce 2014; Lyman 1997. - Royce, Graydon (January 13, 2014). "'Cabaret' looks very different from the original musical". Star Tribune. Minneapolis, Minnesota. Retrieved February 10, 2021. https://www.startribune.com/cabaret-looks-very-different-from-the-original-musical/239506801/
"Cabaret Donmar Warehouse Revival 1993". Ovrtur. Retrieved May 2, 2024. https://ovrtur.com/production/2896094
Bloom & Vlastnik 2004, p. 47. - Bloom, Ken; Vlastnik, Frank (October 2004). Broadway Musicals – The 101 Greatest Shows of All Time. New York City: Black Dog & Leventhal Publishers. pp. 46–49. ISBN 1-57912-390-2 – via Google Books. https://books.google.com/books?id=R-MAnn-PrxIC
Reice 1998; Gray 2016. - Reice, Sylvie (March 10, 1998). "Cabaret by Sylvie Reice". Curtain Up. New York City. Retrieved January 31, 2021. http://www.curtainup.com/cabar98.html
Brantley 1998. - Brantley, Ben (March 20, 1998). "Desperate Dance at Oblivion's Brink". The New York Times. New York City. Retrieved January 31, 2021. https://www.nytimes.com/1998/03/20/movies/theater-review-desperate-dance-at-oblivion-s-brink.html
Mendes 1993. - Mendes, Sam (director), Cumming, Alan (actor) (1993). Cabaret (UK TV production) (Videotape). London: Channel Four Film. Retrieved March 10, 2022 – via YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KW5eFCFnW9c
Gray 2016. - Gray, Margaret (July 20, 2016). "50 years of 'Cabaret': How the 1966 musical keeps sharpening its edges for modern times". Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles. Retrieved January 31, 2021. https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/arts/la-ca-cm-cabaret-pantages-20160718-snap-story.html
Lyman 1997. - Lyman, Rick (November 13, 1997). "'Cabaret' Revival to Be Staged in Real Nightclub". The New York Times. New York City. Retrieved February 2, 2021. https://www.nytimes.com/1997/11/13/nyregion/cabaret-revival-to-be-staged-in-real-nightclub.html
Riedel, Michael (March 26, 2024). "The Untold History of Cabaret: Revived and Kicking". No. April 2024. Vanity Fair. Retrieved April 7, 2024. https://www.vanityfair.com/style/cabaret-revival
Lyman 1997. - Lyman, Rick (November 13, 1997). "'Cabaret' Revival to Be Staged in Real Nightclub". The New York Times. New York City. Retrieved February 2, 2021. https://www.nytimes.com/1997/11/13/nyregion/cabaret-revival-to-be-staged-in-real-nightclub.html
Gray 2016. - Gray, Margaret (July 20, 2016). "50 years of 'Cabaret': How the 1966 musical keeps sharpening its edges for modern times". Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles. Retrieved January 31, 2021. https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/arts/la-ca-cm-cabaret-pantages-20160718-snap-story.html
Garebian 2011, p. 199. - Garebian, Keith (2011). The Making of Cabaret. Oxford: Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-973250-0 – via Google Books. https://books.google.com/books?id=PuD3p2IGW5oC
Lyman 1997. - Lyman, Rick (November 13, 1997). "'Cabaret' Revival to Be Staged in Real Nightclub". The New York Times. New York City. Retrieved February 2, 2021. https://www.nytimes.com/1997/11/13/nyregion/cabaret-revival-to-be-staged-in-real-nightclub.html
"Cabaret (Broadway, 1998)". Playbill. Retrieved May 2, 2024. https://playbill.com/production/cabaret-kit-kat-klub-vault-0000004928
"Cabaret (Broadway, 1998)". Playbill. Retrieved May 2, 2024. https://playbill.com/production/cabaret-kit-kat-klub-vault-0000004928
Brantley 1998. - Brantley, Ben (March 20, 1998). "Desperate Dance at Oblivion's Brink". The New York Times. New York City. Retrieved January 31, 2021. https://www.nytimes.com/1998/03/20/movies/theater-review-desperate-dance-at-oblivion-s-brink.html
Brantley 1998. - Brantley, Ben (March 20, 1998). "Desperate Dance at Oblivion's Brink". The New York Times. New York City. Retrieved January 31, 2021. https://www.nytimes.com/1998/03/20/movies/theater-review-desperate-dance-at-oblivion-s-brink.html
Simonson 2006. - Simonson, Robert (April 10, 2006). "New London Cabaret, Directed by Rufus Norris, Will Open Sept. 26". Playbill. New York City. Retrieved February 5, 2021. https://www.playbill.com/article/new-london-cabaret-directed-by-rufus-norris-will-open-sept-26-com-131904
BBC News 2012. - "Will Young to make West End musical debut in Cabaret". BBC News. London. May 18, 2012. Retrieved February 2, 2021. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-18114256
Michelle Ryan 2012. - "Michelle Ryan to join Will Young in Cabaret revival". BBC News. London. May 25, 2012. Retrieved July 17, 2012. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-18203773
Bannister 2013. - Bannister, Rosie (June 26, 2013). "Will Young returns to emcee Cabaret tour". WhatsOnStage. London. Retrieved September 9, 2013. Will Young is set to reprise his role of Emcee in a UK tour of Rufus Norris's production of Cabaret, which will open at the New Wimbledon Theatre on 28 August 2013. http://www.whatsonstage.com/blackpool-theatre/news/06-2013/will-young-returns-to-emcee-cabaret-tour_31145.html
Bowie-Sell 2017. - Bowie-Sell, Daisy (June 5, 2017). "Louise Redknapp to join Will Young in new tour of Cabaret". WhatsOnStage. London. Retrieved August 10, 2019. https://www.whatsonstage.com/london-theatre/news/will-young-louise-redknapp-cabaret-uk-tour_43766.html
Darvill 2019. - Darvill, Josh (August 24, 2019). "Cabaret UK tour cast confirmed in full for new production". Stagechat. London. Retrieved January 31, 2021. https://stagechat.co.uk/news/tour/3983-cabaret-uk-tour-cast-confirmed-in-full-for-new-production.html
Gioia 2013. - Gioia, Michael (September 4, 2013). "Willkommenn! Roundabout Will Welcome Tony-Winning Cabaret Back to Broadway With Alan Cumming and Michelle Williams in 2014". Playbill. New York City. Retrieved March 3, 2022. https://playbill.com/article/willkommen-roundabout-will-welcome-tony-winning-cabaret-back-to-broadway-with-alan-cumming-and-michelle-williams-in-2014-com-209167
Gray 2016. - Gray, Margaret (July 20, 2016). "50 years of 'Cabaret': How the 1966 musical keeps sharpening its edges for modern times". Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles. Retrieved January 31, 2021. https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/arts/la-ca-cm-cabaret-pantages-20160718-snap-story.html
Healy 2013. - Healy, Patrick (September 3, 2013). "Michelle Williams to Make Broadway Debut in 'Cabaret'". The New York Times. New York City. Retrieved February 2, 2021. https://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/09/03/michelle-williams-to-make-broadway-debut-in-cabaret/
BroadwayWorld 2013. - Rosky, Nicole (October 7, 2013). "Danny Burstein and Linda Emond to Play 'Herr Schultz' and 'Fraulein Schneider' in Cabaret Revival". BroadwayWorld. New York City. Retrieved March 3, 2022. https://www.broadwayworld.com/article/Danny-Burstein-and-Linda-Emond-to-Play-Herr-Schultz-and-Fraulein-Schneider-in-CABARET-Revival-20131007
BroadwayWorld 2014. - Peterson, Tyler (July 21, 2014). "Michelle Williams Extends Run in Broadway's Cabaret". BroadwayWorld. New York City. Retrieved January 31, 2021. http://www.broadwayworld.com/article/Michelle-Williams-Extends-Run-in-Broadways-CABARET-20140721
Feldberg 2014; Jue 2015; Dziemianowicz 2014; Holcomb-Holland 2015. - Feldberg, Robert (December 9, 2014). "Emma Stone sallies forth, exhuberantly, in 'Cabaret' revival". The Record. Hackensack, New Jersey. p. F1. Retrieved March 13, 2022 – via Newspapers.com. https://www.newspapers.com/image/504967582/
Brantley 2014. - Brantley, Ben (December 4, 2014). "Saucy Sally, Desperately Imbibing Your Gaze". The New York Times. New York City. Retrieved February 2, 2021. https://www.nytimes.com/2014/12/05/arts/emma-stone-takes-over-in-cabaret.html
Healy 2015. - Healy, Patrick (January 7, 2015). "Sienna Miller Will Join 'Cabaret' on Broadway". The New York Times. New York City. Retrieved February 2, 2021. https://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2015/01/07/sienna-miller-will-join-cabaret-on-broadway/
Snetiker 2015. - Snetiker, Marc (January 7, 2015). "Sienna Miller to replace Emma Stone in Broadway's Cabaret". Entertainment Weekly. New York City. Retrieved January 31, 2021. http://popwatch.ew.com/2015/01/07/sienna-miller-broadway-cabaret/
Dziemianowicz 2014. - Dziemianowicz, Joe (August 20, 2014). "Emma Stone to join Broadway's Cabaret in November". Daily News. New York. Retrieved January 7, 2016. http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/theater-arts/emma-stone-joins-cabaret-article-1.1910216
Holcomb-Holland 2015. - Holcomb-Holland, Lori (January 5, 2015). "'Cabaret' to Close March 29, and Emma Stone Extends Her Run". The New York Times. New York City. Retrieved February 2, 2021. https://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2015/01/05/cabaret-to-close-march-29/
Viagas, Robert (February 7, 2017). "Cabaret National Tour Introduces New Sally Bowles and Emcee". Playbill. Retrieved October 22, 2024. https://playbill.com/article/cabaret-national-tour-introduces-new-sally-bowles-and-emcee
Brethauer-Hamling 2021. - Brethauer-Hamling, Taylor (December 8, 2021). "Photos: First Look at Eddie Redmayne, Jessie Buckley & More in Cabaret". BroadwayWorld. New York City. Retrieved March 2, 2022. https://www.broadwayworld.com/article/Photos-First-Look-at-Eddie-Redmayne-Jessie-Buckley-More-in-CABARET-20211208
Franklin 2021. - Franklin, Marc J. (November 15, 2021). "Take a Sneak Peek at the London Revival of Cabaret Starring Eddie Redmayne". Playbill. New York City. Retrieved November 21, 2021. https://www.playbill.com/article/take-a-sneak-peek-at-the-london-revival-of-cabaret-starring-eddie-redmayne
"Life Is a Cabaret! The Shimmering Kander and Ebb Classic Heads Back to Broadway Starring Eddie Redmayne". Vogue. March 5, 2024. Retrieved March 6, 2024. https://www.vogue.com/article/cabaret-broadway-revival-april-2024
Kit Kat Club 2022. - "Cast & Creative | Cabaret | Kit Kat Club London | West End". kitkat.club. 2022. Retrieved October 25, 2022. https://kitkat.club/cabaret-london/cast-creative/
Wiegand 2021. - Wiegand, Chris (May 21, 2021). "Eddie Redmayne to return to London theatre in Cabaret with Jessie Buckley". The Guardian. London. Retrieved May 24, 2021. https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2021/may/21/eddie-redmayne-to-return-to-london-theatre-in-cabaret-with-jessie-buckley
Riedel, Michael (March 26, 2024). "The Untold History of Cabaret: Revived and Kicking". No. April 2024. Vanity Fair. Retrieved April 7, 2024. https://www.vanityfair.com/style/cabaret-revival
Yossman 2022. - Yossman, K. J. (March 8, 2022). "Eddie Redmayne, Jessie Buckley and Emma Corrin Nominated for Olivier Awards 2022". Variety. Los Angeles. Retrieved March 9, 2022. https://variety.com/2022/theater/news/olivier-awards-nominations-2022-1235199067/
Yossman 2022. - Yossman, K. J. (March 8, 2022). "Eddie Redmayne, Jessie Buckley and Emma Corrin Nominated for Olivier Awards 2022". Variety. Los Angeles. Retrieved March 9, 2022. https://variety.com/2022/theater/news/olivier-awards-nominations-2022-1235199067/
Wood 2022. - Wood, Alex (March 1, 2022). "New West End Cabaret cast announced". WhatsOnStage. London. Retrieved March 1, 2022. https://www.whatsonstage.com/london-theatre/news/new-west-end-cabaret-cast-announced_56014.html
Wiegand 2023. - Wiegand, Chris (August 14, 2023). "'Raring to take on this challenge': musicians Jake Shears and Self Esteem to star in Cabaret". The Guardian. London. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved August 15, 2023. https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2023/aug/15/musicians-jake-shears-and-self-esteem-to-star-in-cabaret
Wiegand, Chris (February 5, 2024). "Cara Delevingne to star as Sally Bowles in hit West End show Cabaret". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved February 6, 2024. https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2024/feb/05/cara-delevingne-to-star-as-sally-bowles-in-hit-west-end-show-cabaret
"West End Cabaret, Starring Eddie Redmayne, Will Release a Cast Album". Playbill. Retrieved May 2, 2024. https://playbill.com/article/west-end-cabaret-starring-eddie-redmayne-will-release-a-cast-album
Gans, Andrew (June 3, 2024). "Rhea Norwood and Layton Williams Are New Stars of London Cabaret Revival Beginning June 3". Playbill. Retrieved December 13, 2024. https://playbill.com/article/rhea-norwood-and-layton-williams-are-new-stars-of-london-cabaret-revival-beginning-june-3
"First-look Photos: More new Cabaret photos released starring Katherine Langford & Adam Gillen". West End Theatre. October 14, 2024. Retrieved December 14, 2024. https://www.westendtheatre.com/252129/news/show-photos/cabaret-new-cast-photos-videos-including-katherine-langford-adam-gillen/
Gans, Andrew. Photos: Billy Porter and Marisha Wallace Join Cast of London Cabaret Revival January 28, Playbill, January 28, 2025 https://playbill.com/article/photos-billy-porter-and-marisha-wallace-join-cast-of-london-cabaret-revival-january-28
Wild, Stephi. "Eddie Redmayne Will Reprise Role in Cabaret on Broadway Alongside Gayle Rankin". BroadwayWorld.com. Retrieved October 23, 2023. https://www.broadwayworld.com/article/Eddie-Redmayne-Will-Reprise-Role-in-CABARET-on-Broadway-Alongside-Gayle-Rankin-20231023
Paulson 2023; Culwell-Block 2023. - Paulson, Michael (July 11, 2023). "Award-Winning 'Cabaret' Revival Plans Spring Broadway Bow". The New York Times. New York. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved July 11, 2023. https://www.nytimes.com/2023/07/11/theater/cabaret-london-to-broadway.html
Ato Blankson-Wood Joins Upcoming Broadway Cabaret https://www.playbill.com/article/ato-blankson-wood-joins-upcoming-broadway-cabaret
Bebe Neuwirth and Steven Skybell Join Upcoming Broadway Cabaret Revival https://www.playbill.com/article/bebe-neuwirth-and-steven-skybell-join-upcoming-broadway-cabaret-revival
Natascia Diaz and Henry Gottfried Board Upcoming Broadway Cabaret https://www.playbill.com/article/natascia-diaz-and-henry-gottfried-board-upcoming-broadway-cabaret
"Cabaret (Broadway, 2024)". Playbill. Retrieved May 2, 2024. https://playbill.com/production/cabaret-broadway-august-wilson-theatre-2024
Youngs, Ian (April 30, 2024). "Tony Awards: Eddie Redmayne, Daniel Radcliffe and Rachel McAdam nominated". https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c043550nm81o
Sarmiento, Isabella Gomez. "Tony Awards 2024: The complete list of winners", NPR, June 16, 2024 https://www.npr.org/2024/06/14/nx-s1-5006566/tony-award-winners
Higgins, Molly and Logan Culwell-Block. "Adam Lambert and Auli'i Cravalho to Join Cabaret on Broadway", Playbill, July 24, 2024 https://playbill.com/article/adam-lambert-aulii-cravalho-to-join-cabaret-on-broadway
Culwell-Block, Logan. "Orville Peck, Eva Noblezada Take Over Broadway's Cabaret March 31", Playbill, March 31, 2025 https://playbill.com/article/orville-peck-eva-noblezada-take-over-broadways-cabaret-march-31
Godfrey 2008. - Godfrey, Robyn (June 13, 2008). "Stratford Festival Review: Terrific Cabaret in both senses of the word". Southwestern Ontario News. Ontario, Canada. Archived from the original on January 13, 2015. Retrieved February 9, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20150113020208/http://www.southwesternontario.ca/news/stratford-festival-review-terrific-cabaret-in-both-senses-of-the-word/
Shaw Festival 2014. - "Cabaret Festival Theatre, April 10 – October 26". Ontario, Canada: Shaw Festival. 2014. Archived from the original on November 19, 2013. https://web.archive.org/web/20131119132722/http://www.shawfest.com/playbill/cabaret/story/
2017 Australian Production. - "Cabaret (2017 Australian Production)". Sydney, Australia: Hayes Theatre. November 6, 2016. Archived from the original on November 6, 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20161106124022/http://www.cometothecabaret.com.au
The Productions section above displays citations to sources verifying all performers mentioned in the table.
Norbert Leo Butz Into Cabaret Tour w/ Teri Hatcher, Feb. 23 https://playbill.com/article/norbert-leo-butz-into-cabaret-tour-w-teri-hatcher-feb-23-com-79454
The phonetic term "Emcee" is specifically used by playwright Joe Masteroff in the musical's script.[137] /wiki/Joe_Masteroff
Norbert Leo Butz Into Cabaret Tour w/ Teri Hatcher, Feb. 23 https://playbill.com/article/norbert-leo-butz-into-cabaret-tour-w-teri-hatcher-feb-23-com-79454
Randy Harrison Says "Willkommen" in New Cabaret Tour; First Pics Here! https://playbill.com/article/randy-harrison-says-willkommen-in-new-cabaret-tour-first-pics-here-com-383096
Mandelbaum 1998. - Mandelbaum, Ken (February 1, 1998). "'Cabaret' on Disc". Playbill. New York City. Retrieved February 5, 2021. https://www.playbill.com/article/ken-mandelbaums-musicals-on-disc-cabaret-on-disc-com-73168
Mandelbaum 1998. - Mandelbaum, Ken (February 1, 1998). "'Cabaret' on Disc". Playbill. New York City. Retrieved February 5, 2021. https://www.playbill.com/article/ken-mandelbaums-musicals-on-disc-cabaret-on-disc-com-73168
Mandelbaum 1998. - Mandelbaum, Ken (February 1, 1998). "'Cabaret' on Disc". Playbill. New York City. Retrieved February 5, 2021. https://www.playbill.com/article/ken-mandelbaums-musicals-on-disc-cabaret-on-disc-com-73168
Mandelbaum 1998. - Mandelbaum, Ken (February 1, 1998). "'Cabaret' on Disc". Playbill. New York City. Retrieved February 5, 2021. https://www.playbill.com/article/ken-mandelbaums-musicals-on-disc-cabaret-on-disc-com-73168
Mandelbaum 1998. - Mandelbaum, Ken (February 1, 1998). "'Cabaret' on Disc". Playbill. New York City. Retrieved February 5, 2021. https://www.playbill.com/article/ken-mandelbaums-musicals-on-disc-cabaret-on-disc-com-73168
Mandelbaum 1998. - Mandelbaum, Ken (February 1, 1998). "'Cabaret' on Disc". Playbill. New York City. Retrieved February 5, 2021. https://www.playbill.com/article/ken-mandelbaums-musicals-on-disc-cabaret-on-disc-com-73168
"New York Drama Critics' Circle Awards Past Winners". New York Drama Critics' Circle. Retrieved January 31, 2025. https://www.dramacritics.org/dc_pastawards.html
"New York Drama Critics' Circle Awards Past Winners". New York Drama Critics' Circle. Retrieved January 31, 2025. https://www.dramacritics.org/dc_pastawards.html