Life is a Cabaret

Despite being greeted by a rousing chorus of "Willkommen, Bienvenue, Welcome," the Cabaret production tonight at the 5th Avenue Theater in Downtown Seattle unfortunately did not reverse my previous aversion for this musical (insert pause here for all the gasps from die hard theater critics and fans that adulate or closely associate themselves with this musical). Yes, I realize that Cabaret was an important groundbreaking musical when it first debuted in the late 60's in its jarring representation of the apathy of people living in 1930s Germany. I also realize that Cabaret's importance is even more far reaching due to its relevancy to issues (from political to sexual to racial to cultural) that still persist in society today.

But I've never enjoyed having social commentary crammed down my throat disguised as an evening of entertainment, regardless of what sugared toned-down Broadway lighted bow it is wrapped up in. Call me shallow. To those who argue that I am taking the stance of leaving troubles at the door when life is a cabaret, I retort that I just don't think two and a half hours of song and dance is going to do more than barely scratch the surface of any of the myriad of issues revealed in the musical. It is easy to walk away from Cabaret thinking that the plot of Cliff Bradshaw leaving Nazi Germany while the rest of the characters continue to stay in Berlin is an indication of any action being better than no action. After all, although the musical does not end with the horrific images of the Holocaust or the concentration camps, we can forebode the dire fate of the characters who choose to stay behind. However, it is important to remember that Cliff's decision is based on knowledge, understanding and experience. Which brings back to a fundamental problem I have with Cabaret -- the musical's end goal is to raise awareness that apathy is the biggest sin, and yet the musical is not enough to bring comprehensive knowledge understanding and experience to the naivete of at least some portion of the audience.

There are memorable moments in Cabaret. The choreography is deliberately cartoonish and surreal, and yet intricate and beautiful. The fact that ugly truths are often wrapped in a pretty packages is real. Despite the jubilant jazz numbers throughout the first half of the musical, the orchestra discord at the end of the musical and the unfinished "Life is a Cabaret" strikes a moving blow to the audience. The genius of Cabaret is ending the story where it ends, leaving the audience's imagination to fill in the grim scenes of what should be the epilogue.

So now the emcee has left, the curtain is down, the haunting music is stuck in my head, and I am depressed. Thank god the next show I plan to attend is Shrek the Musical.

Below are some images from the 5th Avenue Theater website for the production of Cabaret.