by Christine Sarkes and Erika Sasseville

Cabaret at the Guthrie Theater, now through August 24, under the masterful direction of Joseph Haj, is among the most exhilarating, sexiest and relevant productions I’ve seen in Twin Cities theater. Cabaret won Tony awards for Best Musical and others in 1967. The Bob Fosse movie version with Liza Minnelli won eight Oscars and a Grammy in 1972. Still, the themes of gender identity, fluid sexuality, intolerance and rising authoritarianism make it heartbreakingly relatable and current. As Haj said in his playbook welcome message, “everything has changed–except, of course, us.”

We first meet Clifford Bradshaw (Jason Forbach), a struggling American writer looking for inspiration for his sophomore novel, on the train from Paris to Berlin. Upon the recommendation of a fellow traveler, the shady Berliner Ernst Ludwig (Sasha Andreev), Bradshaw visits the Kit Kat Klub, a seedy nightclub run by sleazy Rudy (Nathan Huberty), but ruled by the androgynous Master of Ceremonies, “the Emcee” (Jo Lampert). The raw sexuality, vitality and freedom of the characters in the opening scenes of the Kit Kat Club seduce the audience, as it did the residents of hedonistic Berlin in the 1920s and 30s.

Leave you troubles outside!
So – life is disappointing? Forget it!
We have no troubles here! Here life is beautiful…
The girls are beautiful…
Even the orchestra is beautiful!

Cliff meets Sally Bowles (Mary Kate Moore), an unapologetically bold, sexy cabaret performer, and another lost soul. Sally and Cliff begin a relationship, while the situation in Berlin changes from exciting to ominous and violent. Ludwig is revealed to be a member of the Nazi Party and Herr Schultz (Remy Auberjonois), Cliff’s fellow boarder at Fraulein Schneider’s (Michelle Barber) guest house becomes the victim of an antisemitic attack. Romances and fates unfold as life becomes more complex and uglier with the undercurrent of rising Nazism.

This production is a quite simply a theatrical masterpiece of acting, singing, dancing, stage direction, costuming, design, lighting and orchestration. Lampert’s “Emcee” is brilliantly cast, and she lives, breathes and eats this role. My daughter, a newcomer to Cabaret, said she couldn’t imagine anyone else for the part. Also perfectly cast are the romantic leads of Moore and Forbach. Moore’s rendition of “Maybe This Time” was powerful and tear-inducing. Forbach’s Cliff navigated his character’s naive optimism and clear-eyed practicality with finesse. Barber and Auberjonois were touching and lovely as they portrayed love in the twilight years. Monet Sabel, as the boarding house whore, Fraulein Kost, offered comic relief that morphed believably into antisemitism. Every cast member, too numerous to name, filled the stage with passion and fierce talent. The onstage Kit Kat Klub orchestra was thrilling and a stroke of genius. You’ll love the sexy and humorous costumes. How did they dance in those stilettos?

As the song “Cabaret” suggests, “No use permitting some prophet of doom. To wipe every smile away? Life is a cabaret, old chum, Come to the cabaret.” The outside world seems darker than ever, but Cabaret at the Guthrie is a splashy and poignant reminder that night is always darkest before the dawn. It is a reminder from our theater artists that as we celebrate our muses, follies and vices, we can’t escape the consequences of human nature’s base instincts, even if they titillate and thrill.

Cabaret with book by Joe Masteroff, based on the play by John Van Druten and stories by Christopher Isherwood, music by John Kander, lyrics by Fred Ebb and directed by Joseph Haj, assistant directed by Zeina Salame. With Casey Sams (Choreographer), Mark Hartman (Music Director), Marion Williams (Scenic Designer), Jen Caprio (Costume Designer), Josh Epstein (Lighting Designer), Mikaal Sulaiman (Sound Designer), Joshua Burniece (Assistant Music Director), Carla Steen (Resident Dramaturg), Keely Wolter (Vocal Coach), Annie Enneking (Fight Director/Intimacy), Jay Owen Eisenberg (Gender Consultant), Jennifer Liestman (Resident Casting Director), Jason Clusman (Stage Manager), Karl Alphonso (Assistant Stage Manager), Lyndsey R. Harter (Assistant Stage Manager), and Laura Topham (Assistant Stage Manager). Single tickets range from $39 to $105 (handling fees included). Single and group tickets (minimum requirement of 15 per group) may be purchased through the Box Office at 612.377.2224 (single), 1.877.447.8243 (toll-free), 612.225.6244 (group) or online at guthrietheater.org.