Cabaret, which will be showing this weekend, is among the productions developed by students that have blessed Wilder Main. This musical tells a story about a double romance and the effects of society upon each character and his relationships.
Written by Joe Masteroff, Cabaret is an adaptation of John van Druten’s play I Am A Camera, which is an alteration of “Sally Bowles,” one of several stories from Christopher Isherwood’s The Berlin Stories.
Masteroff, along with songwriters John Kander and Fred Ebb, created a story that reveals the struggles that Sally Bowles (played by senior Leslie Korein), a cabaret performer, and Clifford Bradshaw (first-year Thomas Fazzini), an American writer, face as a couple striving to stay together. The Depression and rise of the Third Reich present obstacles for Sally and Clifford while trying to maintain their love for one another.
Fräulein Schneider (senior Deborah Rosenstein), a German landlady, and Jewish Herr Schultz (first-year Dan Opperwall), face prejudice as they attempt to hold on to their relationship. Their love is tested when outside forces are brought into the picture.

Director and senior William Dao uses an artistic form imitative of the work of early playwright and director Berolt Brecht. He states his goal of “making the audience feel uncomfortable with accepting our daily condition…[and] feel a need to do something about the issues [raised].”
Brecht’s influence can be seen in the simplicity of the set, designed by sophomore Abe Kruger. Not only does it reflect this artistic style, but also aids the transition between scenes. The set easily conveys each environment without using an excessive amount of scenic pieces, but doesn’t copy real-life decorative arrangements.

The emcee, played by first-year Yalin Solmaz, is central to the play. This character, wonderfully portrayed, guides viewers through the production, and as explained by Dao, acts as “a passive voyeur who sees...and notices all but...doesn’t act upon anything.” This characters served another purpose: to clarify the actions and connections of the play.
The “Kit Kat” girls and boys served a similar purpose to that of the host through their wonderful performance. Guided by sophomore choreographer Bacilio Mendez, their dance numbers left the audience fascinated and hypnotized.