The Rise of Fascism in the Mustang Lounge: A Review of Theatre Western’s Cabaret

Director Jaya Sinha and the Theatre Western team did an excellent job with this year’s Fall musical, Cabaret. I went into the show only knowing a few songs but was pleasantly surprised by Theatre Western’s ability to cover many controversial topics with great sincerity and humour; moreover, I was impressed that the cast and crew were able to make the pre-existing musical their own. I will discuss how Theatre Western’s production was able to effectively portray progressive and complex themes such as, abortion, sexual fluidity, and queer oppression in juxtaposition with the rise of Nazism in 1920’s Germany. Though a period piece, the themes of Cabaret are extremely relevant in today’s current political climate; Cabaret shows that racial supremacy and hatred of marginalized communities halts and reverses the societal progression of acceptance towards oppressed peoples while simultaneously promoting further segregation. I will focus on the methods by which the Theatre Western team were able to effectively portray the many intricate, and at times conflicting, themes of Cabaret.

                Cabaret follows a young American writer named Clifford Bradshaw, played by actor Dylan Duffy, as he travels to Germany, in search of inspiration for his novel. At first, Clifford finds himself in a tame and the seemingly middling environment of late 1920s Berlin, but this is transformed when he is thrust into the vivacious, bohemian, and openly queer world of the ‘Kit Kat Klub’. The ‘Kit Kat Klub’ is a physical representation of weaponized ignorance; the character of Emcee, played by actor Ewen Van Wagner, solidifies this when he opens the show with the lines, “Leave you[r] troubles outside! / So - life is disappointing? Forget it! / We have no troubles here! Here life is beautiful...” (1.1). The ‘Kit Kat Klub’s’ blissfulness and grandeur is meant to juxtapose the rising Nazism in Germany; as the members of the ‘Kit Kat Klub’ enjoy the many pleasurable aspects of night life in Berlin, the lives of individuals belonging to various marginalized communities are being threatened and ostracized as German’s begin to widely except the existence of fascism and racial supremacy in their country.

                Sinha did a stellar job balancing the two contrasting worlds of Cabaret; the production provided a sharp commentary on how wide-spread hatred and violence are able to, not just occur, but thrive in seemingly progressive and modern societies. Sinha was able to effectively deliver this critique with the usage of setting. To establish the vibrant and bohemian atmosphere of the ‘Kit Kat Klub’, there was a drastic change in lighting, props, costuming, and overall mood. The ‘Kit Kat Klub’ scenes were established with a bright sign/ doorway placed center stage and showgirls clad in colourful lingerie. The atmosphere that is established in the club was a great contrast to the environment of the other settings that belong to average-day Berlin. For instance, a central location for the middling people of Berlin was the hotel in which Cliff stays in. The stage was well lit and mostly barren with only doors to signify the hotel setting; the characters wore simple and drab attire. This juxtaposition worked to effectively shock the audience because of its representation on how many different worlds and environments can be layered and intertwined with one another in the same place; this juxtaposition parallel’s the commentary on how two different worlds— those who inhabit a world of ignorance and pleasure, and those who live in a world who experience oppression—can both be partaking in the same geological area.

                It is clear that Cabaret is most affectively produced as live theatre. Emcee’s metatheatricality and persistent fourth wall breaks force the audience to take accountability for what is unraveling on stage; there is an insistence to acknowledge the audience’s role in the rise of fascist ideals in Germany and the ostracization of individuals from marginalized communities. Similarly to many of the Germans before and during the Nazi regime, as audience members we become by-standers who gradually learn to accept the existence of a rising organization that advocates for religious and racial supremacy in society.

                Though Cabaret is a period piece, the important messaging remains relevant today and will continue to be in the future; Sinha understood this aspect of the show quite well and did not shy away from the bleak aspects of it. There is a particularly haunting scene is the final, where Emcee sheds his overcoat to show his black and grey striped uniform; the uniform alludes to the fact that he has become a victim of the ongoing Holocaust. Emcee’s imprisonment at the end of the show is a great shock to the audience because of the final scene of act one, when Emcee strips of his pants to show the Swastika symbol on his behind; these instances, once again, emphasizes Theatre Western’s commitment to showcasing the vulgarity and bleakness of Cabaret. Most of all, Theatre Western’s production solidifies the fact that hatred and discrimination are not just social issues of the past. Cabaret reminds us that, as humans, we have a duty to advocate for equality and acceptance of all other beings even in times of great segregation and hatred.