Cabaret Analysis

8/19/2019 Cabaret Analysis

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Nick Scotte

Group 1B

Mein Aufsatz ist besser als Renées

Mon essai est mieux que Renée

My essay is better than Renée's

In 1945, Christopher Isherwood's " The Berlin Stories" w as p ublished. It consisted

of two novellas, "Goodbye to Berlin" and "Mr Norris C hanges Trains." Within "Goodbye

to Berlin" lies a s hort story a bout a woman n amed S ally Bowles. From this t iny n ugget of

literature came one of the most important works in the history o f live theatre.

Isherwood based "The Berlin S tories" on his exp eriences a s a you ng homosexual

writer l iving in the gritty underbelly of 19 30s Berlin. I t is now considered the most

veracious do cumentation of Weimar Germany. Isherwood moved to Berlin to e scape the

oppressive a nti-gay a tmosphere. An underground gay bar called the Cosy C orner would

become the basis for the Kit Kat Club. When John Van Druten adapted "Goodbye to

Berlin" he found his n ew title from the rst page of the novella, "I am a camera with its

shutter open, quite passive, recording, not thinking." The line sets the tone for the story;



self-indulgent, needlessly p oetic, reeking of pretension, and yet we as a n audience nd

ourselves charmed by this handsome young writer. Ironically, it is this trait that turns us

against him in the end, as he sits alone with his thoughts, an innocent victim of a cruel

twist of fate. " Aren't you ever gonna stop deluding yourself?" he shouts, as h e continues

to delude himself. In the rst stage adaptation of Goodbye to Berlin the leading male is

Christopher Isherwood himself. Sort of. A young actor named William Prince plays a

young Christopher Isherwood. The role was taken on by Laurence Harvey in the 1955

lm. When the play was b eing reshaped into "Cabaret," the British novelist Christopher

Isherwood became Cliff Bradshaw, an American English tutor. In the 1972 lm version

of "Cabaret," the character is reinvented once again; this time, he's Brian Roberts, a

supposedly homosexual British writer. Regardless of name or na tionality, the leading

male gure remains a decidedly distant artist who gets swept up and spit out by the

manic p ixie dream girl tornado that is S ally B owles.

One of the most signicant changes from "I Am a Camera" to "Cabaret" is the

introduction of the Master of Ceremonies, or the Emcee, a gender dysphoric

polyamorous pansexual. This n ameless cr eature serves as a through line for the show,

smoothing the lines between fantasy and reality, as well as a sort of non-judgmental

Greek Chorus, a physical manifestation of multiple literary devices. From the opening



moments o f the show a smiling face singing a bouncy tune makes you feel welcome,

and we love him immediately. He then presents the audience with situations a nd ideas

they may never have dealt with before. This benevolent gure suddenly becomes the

mascot for d ebauchery and sin. H e brings to life the politically pointed style of the

Weimar cabaret era back to the story: the mixture of progressivist activism with toe-

tapping song and dance routines, all with a very modern point of view on sexuality.

Artists o f the era were free to create their own fabulous p ersonas, and in the Master of

Ceremonies, we see m ore than a few; the precocious e ntertainer in "Willkommenn", the

merciless satirist in "If You Could See Her", and even a reection of Sally Bowles in "I

Don't Care Much." Whatever they did, t hey did bravely in the face of da nger. Being

Jewish, queer, and politically outspoken, performers like the Emcee were immediate

targets for the Nazis.

The glitter glue that holds a ll these works together is t he turbulent Sally Bowles.

At this point I nd it necessary to point out that the person on whom Sally Bowles is

based could not have been female(although Isherwood states the character was

inuenced by his roommate of the time, Jean Ross). But even in Berlin, s uch stories

could not be told. This i s w hy I think S ally Bowles i s s o uninterested in the sociopolitical

nightmare happening around her; any other Weimar cab aret per former (such as



Marlene Dietrich) would put the Nazis on trial with their vicious anarchic satire, but an

openly homosexual singer and dancer dabbling in the art would probably be less sa vvy.

Christopher Isherwood would have been more interested in writing his relationship with

Mr Sally than disclosing his/her political agenda. In a way, his selshness is what allows

Sally Bowles to be so genuinely human and relatable, even for someone who says

things like "I used to pretend I was someone quite mysterious and fascinating.

Then I grew up and realized I was mysterious and fascinating" . In any case, I think

Isherwood writes a fascinating, layered, and deeply awed character regardless of sex

or gender. Other various changes and rewrites aside, the naiveté and emotional turmoil

of the glamorous ur chin we've co me to kn ow and love h as a lways sh one through.

The problem with "I Am a Camera" is that it tones down the wild nature of the

Weimar Berlin that Sally a nd {Character based on Christopher Isherwood} pretend to be

a part of. It is unfortunate that the extreme left liberalism of the age is watered down in

this a daptation. It's f ar less believable that Isherwood could have gotten swept up in the

madness of his surroundings when they're painted as a jovial but unremarkable city

atmosphere. It starts w ith Sally B owles a s a successful author. Which is d umb. Because

what is the point of all this nonsense if she actually makes something of herself?

Beginning the lm with this p remise guarantees a happy e nding. Of course we kn ow that



there were no happy endings for the people of Berlin. When Joe Masteroff took the

script into his o wn hands a nd began writing what was t hen called "Welcome to Berlin,"

he felt it was his duty to the harsh realities o f the bankrupt lower and middle classes,

from which the sordid fantasies a rise.

Said fantasies were also illustrated by John Kander's tin pan-esque score,

borrowed from German jazz and the spirit of the Threepenny Opera. There is also a

notable inuence of traditional Jewish and Eastern European motifs. His bouncy catchy

melodies paired with intensely clever lyrics by Fred Ebb are both reminiscent of the

Weimar era and the current musical theatre sound, creating just enough familiarity to

keep an audience in the world of the show. The music a nd lyrics a re masterfully cr afted

to The reinvention of the venomous p olitical satire leave the audience wondering wether

or no t they should clap. The tragic ending of the show met with the uncomfortable

pregnant silence of the audience remains one of the most powerful moments in the

history of musical theatre.

Ultimately, each adaptation of Isherwood's original story serves its own

purpose in the time and place it was introduced to. "I Am A Camera" was a character

driven piece, whereas "Cabaret" is the twisted reinvention of angry artists rebelling



against an oppressive society. As far as the integrity of the story, "I Am A Camera" fails

miserably as a retelling of "Goodbye to Berlin", but in the long run serves its purpose.

"Cabaret", though supposedly based more on the play than the book, stays true to the

original text, as well as brings to life the former gl ory of the Weimar pe rformance art

scene. To say that the musical is a successful ada ptation of the play would be

misleading. The play is almost a different story altogether. The musical, in my opinion, is

far more accurate to "Goodbye to Berlin" than it is to "I Am a Camera," and a terric

success.

BIBLIOGRAPHY (KIND OF)

SOURCES USED:

"The Berlin St rie!" Chri!t her I!her# $% &'



"I A* + C+*er+" ( l+,) - hn .+n Dr/ten% &' &

"I A* + C+*er+" (0l*) - hn C llier% &'

"C+1+ret" (*/!i2+l) - e 3+!ter 4% &'55

"C+1+ret" (0l*) -+, Pre!! n Allen% &'67

"The Re+l C+1+ret" BBC% 788'

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