Life is a ‘Cabaret’ at MSU’s first mainstage performance

Experience the flirtatious world of 1930s Germany right before the rise of the Nazis at MSU’s first mainstage production of “Cabaret.”

The KitKat Club is Berlin’s hottest nightclub. It features sensual dancers, alcoholic beverages and a carefree atmosphere. But don’t get too pulled into this party lifestyle; Nazis are going to take over Germany and negatively change many lives forever. 

Watch leading lady Sally Bowles’s troubles and tribulations play out as she goes through life blocking out the profound realizations of an impending war. 

Bex Williams plays Sally Bowles and says the audience gets to see the point of view of the KitKat Club as the descent into Nazi Germany takes place. 

“There is a dichotomy between Berlin and the descent into Nazi Germany as you meet all these characters who are dealing with struggles that come with the times and are just trying to live,” said Williams. “But, on the other side, you have this amazing magical club where they always perform these elaborate numbers, and everyone’s always laughing, drinking, and kissing.”  

Williams quotes Emcee, a line from a leading character, regarding his thoughts on the ladies who perform at the club. 

“Emcee says here, in the club, life is beautiful. The girls are beautiful, the orchestra is beautiful, and he’s telling everyone to leave their cares outside,” said Williams. 

Production Stage Manager Rebekah Willey says the show is about those who are careless about the future and just want to live in the moment. 

“‘Cabaret’ is about what happens if you don’t do anything and are just a silent observer,” said Willey. 

Williams says this upcoming musical is like no other, meaning that it contains heavy subject matter and that the audience must come in with open minds.  

“I think ‘Cabaret’ is pretty heavy. People should know it’s not like Cinderella, which we are doing later this year; it will have some heavy subject matter,” said Williams. “The show is about the descent into Nazi Germany, and there are talks of pregnancy, abortion, drinking, death, and so much craziness. People just need to go in with open minds and hearts to experience something they’ve never seen before.” 

There is so much that goes into creating a show like “Cabaret,” from learning lines, dance numbers, technical aspects and much more. Dance Captain Chloe Ortiz says she is most excited for the audience to see the choreography Yukina Sato created for the dancers. 

“I’m most excited for the audience to see the choreography that Yukina created for these dancers because each dance looks completely different,” said Ortiz. “She did a really good job making sure each dance had different formations and ideas. None of it looks repetitive.” 

Willey says this play was a long time coming as they began working on the technical aspects in the spring. 

“I’m the production stage manager, so I’ve been working on this show since April. We started production meetings during this time, so there was a lot of paperwork involved in organizing the show,” said Willey. 

“Cabaret” runs from October 3-5 & 10-13 at the Ted Paul Theatre located in the Earley Center for Performing Arts. Tickets are available at the box office in the Performing Arts lobby or online at mnsueventtickets.universitytickets.com     

Photo Caption: “Cabaret” explores the world of 1930s Germany right before the rise of the Nazis and features a look into Berlin’s hottest nightclub, the KitKat Club where it features a carefree atmosphere compared to the grueling reality that the country faces. (Logan Schlosser/The Reporter)

Write to Tina Dolan at dolatinaj@gmail.com