ISU Theatre invites you to ‘Cabaret’

AMES — “What use is sitting alone in your room? Come hear the music play!” Willkomen to ISU Theatre’s musical, Cabaret, performing Nov. 4-13 in Fisher Theater on the Iowa State University Campus.

We welcome you to 1930s Berlin and the seedy Kit Kat Klub, a place of decadent celebration, where you can pretend that the party will go on forever, even as the world falls apart around you. This funny, sexy, provocative and haunting timely production will dazzle your senses and challenge your sensibilities.

Cabaret centers on the blossoming romance between the naive and earnest American writer Cliff Bradshaw and the alluring and fabulous nightclub performer Sally Bowles. The marvelously entertaining Kit Kat Klub songs, including “Mein Herr,” “Don’t Tell Mama,” and “Money Makes the World Go Round” provide a juxtaposing commentary on the central love story as the Nazis rise to power outside of the Klub’s doors. As the play progresses, this dark threat begins barges in, frightening the performers and disrupting the lives of Cliff, Sally, and the Kit Kat Klub performers.

In the 1960s, Broadway Director Hal Prince collaborated with composer John Kander, lyricist Fred Ebb, and librettist Joe Masteroff to create “Cabaret,” which illustrated comparisons between the horrific atrocities inflicted upon African Americans in the American South to what occurred during the rise of the Nazi party in Germany in the 1930s.

“Just as the original “Cabaret” hauntingly reflected the blistering society of 1960s America, our production inescapably parallels our own world today — 2016 America and, in particular, the shockingly subversive 2016 presidential race,” Director Brad Dell said. “So many people these days ask ‘How did we get here?’ Cabaret illuminates just how easily horror can take hold if we abandon the truth, look the other way, or blindly say ‘we have no troubles here.’”

“Cabaret’s” songs, beloved classic standards, include “Maybe This Time,” “Married” and of course, the title number — “Cabaret.”

Don’t miss this whimsical, powerful, and heart-breaking production performing at 7:30 p.m. Nov. 4, 5, 11, 12 and at 2 p.m. Nov. 6 at Fisher Theater in Ames. Warning: “Cabaret” includes adult content.

Admission is $24 for adults and seniors and $16 for students. Tickets can be purchased at the Iowa State Center Ticket Office, all Ticketmaster locations or by calling 1-800-745-3000.