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Cabaret (musical)




''Cabaret'' is a 1966 Broadway Musical , based on John Van Druten 's play '' I Am A Camera '', based in its turn on stories by Christopher Isherwood , with book by Joe Masteroff , lyrics by Fred Ebb , and music by John Kander , produced and directed by Hal Prince and starring Bert Convy , Jack Gilford , Jill Haworth , Lotte Lenya , Joel Grey , Peg Murray , and Edward Winter . The musical is set in Berlin in 1929 Through 1930 during the run-up to the coming to power of the Nazis under Adolf Hitler .

Its original New York run was from 1966 to 1969, winning Tony Award s in 1967 for Best Musical, Best Composer and Lyricist, Best Supporting Actor in a Musical (Grey), Best Featured Actress in a Musical (Murray), Best Scenic Design, Best Costume Design, Best Choreography, and Best Direction of a Musical. Gilford, Winter, and Lenya were all nominated for Tonys as well. The musical has been revived twice To Date , in 1987 and 1998 .

The 1987 revival starred Joel Grey in a return to the role as the Emcee, which he originated in 1966. Co-starring with him were Werner Klemperer , Gregg Edelman , Alyson Reid and Regina Resnik .

The 1998 revival, produced by Roundabout Theatre Companay, directed by Sam Mendes , and co-directed and choreographed by Rob Marshall , is currently the third longest-running revival in Broadway musical history, behind only ''Oh, Calcutta!'' and ''Chicago'', which is still playing. ''Cabaret'' ran for a total of 2377 performances and 37 previews before it closed on 4 January 2004 . The original cast featured Natasha Richardson (Sally), Alan Cumming (the Emcee), John Benjamin Hickey (Clifford Bradshaw), Ron Rifkin (Herr Schultz), Mary Louise Wilson (Fräulein Schneider), and Denis O'Hare (Ernst Ludwig).

The production, nominated for ten 1998 Tony Awards, won four: Best Revival of a Musical, Best Actor in a Musical (Alan Cumming), Best Actress in a Musical (Natasha Richardson), and Best Featured Actor in a Musical (Ron Rifkin).

The other nominations were:
  • Best Featured Actress in a Musical (Mary Louise Wilson),

  • Best Costume Design (William Ivey Long),

  • Best Lighting Design (Peggy Eisenhauer, Mike Baldassari),

  • Best Choreography (Rob Marshall),

  • Best Direction of a Musical (Sam Mendes and Rob Marshall),

  • Best Orchestrations (Michael Gibson),


'' Cabaret '' is also a 1972 Film based on the musical.