Cabaret (1988)
Performances
September 16-18, 23-25, 30 & October 1, 1988
Venue
Community Players Theatre
Corporate Sponsor: Holiday Ice
Synopsis
In a night club in Berlin, as the 1920′s are drawing to a close, the Master of Ceremonies welcomes the audience to the show and assures them that, whatever their troubles, they will forget them at the Cabaret. His songs provide wry commentary throughout the show. On the train to Berlin we find Cliff, a young American writer, and Ernst, a German who surprises Cliff by putting his briefcase among Cliff’s luggage at the German border. History is in the process of being made. We find Cliff on the train again, now leaving Berlin alone. He writes about Sally and the people of Berlin leading up to the Third Reich. It has been a tumultuous and heartbreaking era.
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
Originally produced and directed for the Broadway Stage by Harold Prince
Historian’s Corner
The 1988-1989 season began with another face-lift. A new stage floor was installed during the rehearsal period of the opening show for the season “Cabaret.” This new floor replaced the original floor that was put in for the 1962-1963 season. “Cabaret” also had a corporate sponsor, the Holiday Ice Company. Their kind donation made possible the construction of the multi-level set. To bring the audience closer to the action, small tables were attached to the front of the stage. Tickets for those stage level seats could be purchased at the box office.
Once again the Series “A” and Series “B” tickets could be purchased. To adjust for the loss of a show, prices were reduced for the Series “B” ticket. Costs were Series “A” tickets at $16.00. Series “B” tickets were now $20.00. The show was highly praised by three newspapers. The Pantagraph, the Community News and Illinois Wesleyan University’s campus newspaper, The Argus. Highlighted in The Argus were the contributions of nine Illinois Wesleyan University alums and one senior.