“Leave your 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.”

Seductive and jarring, the iconic Kander and Ebb classic Cabaret makes its mid-season debut to the Well Fargo Pavilion’s theater-in-the-round. The eight-time Tony Award winning musical timelines the fall of Weimar Germany through the raucous Kit Kat Klub and the misfits of Fraulein Schneider’s boarding house. Over the course of two hours the lives of a spinster, writer, burlesque dancer, dreamers, and a mischievous Emcee, will captivate you…and truly, all of your problems become minuscule after seeing what these characters face.

Beginning with flashing lights and erotic shimmies, Act One’s bawdy numbers “Two Ladies” and “Money” ring true to the blurred sexuality and decadence of 1930s Berlin; their ornate costuming adding to the salaciousness. And like an authentic cabaret, there is an element of silliness, best shown through the adorable meet-cute in “It Couldn’t Please Me More” – who knew pineapples could be a symbol of love?

As the plot marches closer to World War II, the show grows somber. Mirroring Hitler’s ascension to power, anti-Semitism and even Nazi recordings creep into musical numbers; you’ll rightly cringe during “If You Could See Her” and the jarring “Finale.”

At the end, Cabaret may be a punch in the gut, but it’s a poignant lesson on the dangers of political apathy.

Let Cabaret captivate (and educate you) at the Wells Fargo Pavilion stage now through July 31. For tickets and show details, visit the musical’s listing on Sacramento365.

Note: This musical drama contains mature content, including anti-Semitism, violence, alcohol use, sexual references, and adult relationships. Plot elements make it inappropriate for children.

**This blog post was written by Sacramento365’s Content and Social Media Coordinator Jamila B. Khan.