Cabaret

Christopher was musical director for Kander and Ebb's Cabaret which he conducted at the University of Warwick in November 2003.

About the Show

The scene is a night club in Berlin, as the 1920's are drawing to a close. Cabaret is a dark portrayal of the Nazi's rise to power juxtaposed with the seedy 'Life is Beautiful' decadence of the Kit Kat Klub. The Master of Ceremonies welcomes the audience to the show and assures them that, whatever their troubles, they will forget them at the Cabaret. His songs provide wry commentary throughout the show.

On the train to Berlin we find Cliff, a young American writer, and Ernst, a German who surprises Cliff by putting his briefcase among Cliff's luggage at the German border. History is in the process of being made. The plot develops around the development of two romances: dynamic cabaret singer Sally Bowles and the young American writer Clifford Bradshaw , and the stoic elderly manager of a rooming-house Fraulein Schneider and Jewish fruit shop owner Herr Schultz.

Conflict suppresses the dancing and only Sally, alone at the end, who appears immune to the revolution as her preoccupations with her own personal dilemmas keep her from realising the grave political uproar around her. We find Cliff on the train again, now leaving Berlin alone. He writes about Sally and the people of Berlin leading up to the Third Reich. It has been a tumultuous and heartbreaking era.

'Notes from Chris'

I really wanted to make this production of Cabaret our own, avoiding interpretations popularised by recordings. I was, fortunately, blessed with a hugely talented cast! Thanks to them, the creative team and technical crew we crafted a stunning production of a wonderful show. Well done, Music Theatre Warwick!