“Cabaret” to Examine Questions of Creative Expression

The power of art, expression and self-acceptance underlies the historical cues in “Cabaret.”

The 1951 musical by John Kander, Fred Ebb and Joe Masteroff is set in Berlin in the waning days of the Weimar Republic as the Nazi party rose to power and violently shifted the course of German culture and world history. Many of the show’s main characters are the final refugees of the Jazz Age, artists condemned and crushed under the weight of authoritarianism and fascism.

It’s a very specific moment in time, one brought to life by Masteroff’s richly drawn character—the cabaret performer Sally Bowles, the American writer Clifford Bradshaw and the anonymous Master of Ceremonies of the Kit Kat Club—a larger-than-life narrator whose arc in the show neatly sums up the tragic arc of German history in late 1929 and early 1930.

While the musical operates in a distinct historical moment, its timeless themes have made it a mainstay of the musical theatre genre. The story captures important questions about the value of self-expression and art’s importance in the face of censorship, brutality and iron-fisted rule. “Cabaret” is about Germany in the throes of a violent transformation, but it’s also about artists who stay committed to their craft—no matter the price.

“The artist raises a mirror to society, the arts have power,” says Kristel Jelinek Brown, who is directing the University of Colorado Boulder Musical Theatre Program’s production of “Cabaret” Nov. 13 to 16. “It’s a show that’s very on the nose about fascism—and what that does to artists. It’s also about a freewheeling, wild, hedonistic celebration of self and sexuality and identity.”

The show explores the underground cabaret culture that flourished in Berlin at the end of the Jazz Age, an environment full of experimentation, expression and creativity. It’s a setting that offers stark comparisons during a time when creative expression in the United States is facing its own defining moment as venues and media outlets face seismic shifts in funding and creative control.

The students’ choice to stage “Cabaret” in this modern moment seemed purposeful, says Jelinek Brown, who’ll bring her training in “guerrilla theatre” to bear in a production set to feature experimentation.

“This show will explore questions like, what happens when we take art away? What happens when students take art into their own hands? We’re going to play a lot with found material. It won’t look like a traditional ‘Cabaret’ staging,” she says, adding that the cast will number in the dozens. “Universities are an excellent place to be experimental and try different things.”

The score, the book and the characters won’t change from the 1951 original, she adds. “Cabaret” will still feature the beloved tunes and familiar plot points that have long delighted audiences. Even so, present-day realities may make the 70-plus-year-old musical take on a new relevance. 

The CU Boulder College of Music Musical Theatre Program presents “Cabaret” in the Music Theatre from Nov. 13 through 16, 2025. Tickets for the production are sold out.