How well do you know A High Roller, the musical that delves into love, desire, and political tension within the walls of the infamous Kit Kat Klub? This gripping production, set against the backdrop of pre-WWII Berlin, explores complex relationships under the rising shadow of political change. Test your knowledge and discover fascinating trivia about the characters, plot, and the show's impact over the years. Dive into the world of A High Roller and see how many behind-the-scenes facts you're familiar with!
Adaptations
- The 1972 film adaptation of Cabaret, directed by Bob Fosse, starred Liza Minnelli as Sally Bowles and won eight Academy Awards, further cementing the musical's legacy.
International Productions
- Cabaret has been adapted with cast albums in multiple languages including French, Spanish, Greek, Hebrew, Italian, Austrian, Dutch, Mexican, and German.
Musical Composition
- The musical number 'If You Could See Her' involves the Emcee performing with a woman in a gorilla suit, symbolizing controversial and forbidden love.
- The 1998 revival of the musical included a re-orchestrated score with synthesizer effects and all instruments played by the cabaret girls and boys.
- The combined rendition of "Money, Money" and "Sitting Pretty" in the 1987 Broadway revival of 'Cabaret' featured motifs from both songs in a special dance sequence.
- The 1987 Broadway revival of 'Cabaret' introduced a new song for Cliff titled "Don't Go" written by Kander and Ebb.
- The first recording of 'Cabaret' had to truncate a number of songs to conserve disk space on the original Broadway cast album.
- "Maybe This Time" from the 1972 film 'Cabaret' was originally written for an unproduced musical called 'Golden Gate'.
- The musical ends with a stark contrast from its beginning, with a harsh and discordant reprise of 'Willkommen' in the Kit Kat Klub as the political climate darkens.
- A shift in the political landscape is marked by the young waiter's a capella rendition of 'Tomorrow Belongs to Me', which ominously transitions into a Nazi-inspired anthem.
- The 1968 London cast recording of 'Cabaret' is noted for its more accurate rendering of the score compared to the original Broadway cast recording.
- When the original Broadway cast album was released on CD, voice-and-piano recordings of songs cut from the musical were included as bonus material.
- The 1972 movie soundtrack of 'Cabaret' with Liza Minnelli drastically rewrites the stage production, retaining only six of the original songs.
- A 1993 two-CD studio recording of 'Cabaret' includes nearly the entire score, featuring well-known artists like Jonathan Pryce and Judi Dench.
- The cast recording of the 2006 London revival of 'Cabaret' at the Lyric Theatre features James Dreyfus as the Emcee and Anna Maxwell Martin as Sally.
- The 2021 London cast recording of 'Cabaret' was recorded live at the Playhouse Theatre and released in January 2023.
- Composer John Kander and lyricist Fred Ebb were brought in to give Cabaret its distinctive musical sound that reflected the hedonistic atmosphere of late 1920s Berlin.
Notable Tours
- The 2021 West End revival was notable for being the first production to win awards in all 4 eligible acting categories at the Olivier Awards.
Production Facts
- Alan Cumming's portrayal of the Emcee in the 1993 London revival of 'Cabaret' was highly sexualized and featured significant changes from previous versions.
- The 2024 Broadway revival of the musical involved transforming the August Wilson Theatre into an in-the-round staging called the 'Kit Kat Club.'
- Eddie Redmayne and Jessie Buckley starred in the 2021 West End revival, which led to the production winning 7 Olivier Awards, setting a record for the most award-winning revival in Olivier history.
- The 2021 West End production, entitled 'Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club,' transformed the Playhouse Theatre into a Weimar-era nightclub and extended its run due to popular demand.
- Alan Cumming reprised his role as the Emcee in the 2014 Broadway revival, which also marked Michelle Williams' Broadway debut as Sally Bowles.
- The 2012 West End revival featured new sets, lighting, costumes, choreography, and was directed by the creative team from the 2006 revival.
- In the 2006 West End revival of the musical, Sheila Hancock won the Olivier Award for Best Supporting Performance in a Musical.
- Cabaret, a musical that opened on Broadway in 1966, is based on Christopher Isherwood's 1939 novel 'Goodbye to Berlin', which captures his experiences in Weimar-era Berlin.
- The 1998 Broadway revival of 'Cabaret' by the Roundabout Theatre Company became the third longest-running revival in Broadway history.
- Joel Grey, originally fifth-billed in the Broadway production of 'Cabaret', captivated audiences with his portrayal of the Emcee.
- The song "Mein Herr" from the 1972 film adaptation replaced "The Telephone Song" in the 1998 Broadway revival.
- Innovatively staged, the Broadway production of Cabaret did not feature a traditional curtain. Instead, a mirror reflecting the audience was used, amplifying the themes of reflection and complicity.
- The infamous Kit Kat Klub in Cabaret symbolizes the political changes in late Weimar Germany, serving as a backdrop to the personal and political dramas unfolding.
- In the musical, the original antisemitic landlady from Isherwood's stories was transformed into a more tolerant character, Fräulein Schneider, who has a romance with a Jewish fruit vendor, Herr Schultz.
- The character of the Master of Ceremonies, or Emcee, was a pivotal part in Cabaret, famously played by Joel Grey in both the stage and film versions, guiding the audience through the cabaret's world.
- Cabaret's story is set during the twilight of the Jazz Age and the rise of the Nazis in 1929-1930 Berlin, centering on life at the seedy Kit Kat Klub and its impact on a varied cast of characters.
- The original Broadway production of Cabaret debuted at the Broadhurst Theatre in New York City on November 20, 1966, and ran for 1,166 performances.
- The musical Cabaret was inspired by the play 'I Am a Camera', itself an adaptation of Isherwood's novel, and this play was adapted into a 1955 film starring Laurence Harvey and Julie Harris.
