CABARET to Launch NJT Launches 27th Season in March

NJT will open its 27th season with a bold and immersive production of the classic musical Cabaret, running March 20 through April 6. Directed by NJT's Artistic Director Rebekah Scallet in her first musical production for the theatre, Cabaret promises to transport audiences to the thrilling yet ominous world of 1929 Berlin.

Written by Joe Masteroff with Music by John Kander and Lyrics by Fred Ebb, Cabaret is based on the play by John Van Druten and the stories of Christopher Isherwood. Set in a Berlin nightclub, an intriguing Master of Ceremonies welcomes the audience and assures them, they will forget all their troubles at the Cabaret. Cliff, a young American writer newly arrived in Berlin, is immediately taken with English singer Sally Bowles. Meanwhile, Fräulein Schneider, proprietor of Cliff and Sally's boarding house, tentatively begins a romance with Herr Schultz, a mild-mannered fruit seller who happens to be Jewish. Daring, provocative, and exuberantly entertaining, Cabaret explores the dark and heady life of Bohemian Berlin as Germany slowly yields to the emerging Third Reich.  

Winner of eight Tony Awards, including Best Musical and Composer/Lyricist, Cabaret is as provocative and relevant today as ever. NJT's production will create an intimate and powerful experience, drawing audiences directly into the world of the Kit Kat Klub, making them feel part of the story unfolding before them. This production takes on an even greater relevance as rates of antisemitism in the United States are reaching all-time highs. The play illustrates how the Nazis rose to power while German citizens, such as the residents of Frau Schneider's boarding house, either ignored what was happening, refused to believe it possibly could happen, or chose to go along with it to ensure their own survival. 

Spencer Davis Milford, taking a break from his starring role in the international tour of The Lord of the Rings musical, takes on the iconic role of the Emcee. Returning performers to NJT Hailey Medrano and Dustin Petrillo will portray Sally and Cliff, while Jane Paradise and Dave Cooperstein will be featured as Schneider and Schultz. Rounding out the company are NJT newcomers Aaron Fischer, Saraiya Kalu, Lillian Cooper, Caroline Pillow, and Otto Klemp, and veteran Jayson Heil (All My Sons and First Date, STL Circle Nominated).

Choreography is by Ellen Isom (Into the Woods and Jerry's Girls) and Music Direction by Carter Haney who is making his NJT debut. The production design for Cabaret will be led by a renowned team of designers including David Blake (District Merchants, STL Circle Nominated) as Scenic Designer, Michele Friedman Siler as Resident Costume Designer for NJT, and Justin Smith (Red) as Sound Designer. Denisse Chavez, (All My Sons, STL Circle Nominated), will conduct lighting design.

Special Event: On April 5, NJT will host a discussion with Helen Turner, Director of Education for the St. Louis Kaplan Feldman Holocaust Museum. Turner will provide historical context on the rise of Hitler in Weimar-era Berlin and the social climate that set the stage for the events depicted in Cabaret.

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