
A TAMS-WITMARK TITLE
Cabaret (Revised 1987)
Full-Length Musical, Drama / 3w, 4m plus ensemble
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
Broadway production directed by Harold Prince
Produced for the Broadway Stage by Harold Prince
Daring, provocative and exuberantly entertaining, Cabaret explores the dark and heady life of Bohemian Berlin as Germany slowly yields to the emerging Third Reich.
Performance rights for this title are currently withdrawn in the UK and Ireland. To be informed as soon as it becomes available in the future, please submit a license application.
Image: 2021 West End Production (Marc Brenner)
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Cast Size
3w, 4m plus ensemble -
Duration
More than 120 minutes (2 hours) -
Subgenre
Adaptation (Literature), Period, Docudrama/History -
Target Audience
Adult, Pre-Teen (Age 11-13), Teen (Age 14-18)
Accolades
- Winner! Eight 1967 Tony Awards, including Best Musical and Composer/Lyricist
Winner! 1967 Outer Critics Circle Award for Outstanding Production
Winner! 1967 New York Drama Critics Circle Award for Best Musical
Winner! Four 1998 Tony Awards for Revival, Actor, Actress, and Featured Actor
Winner! Three 1998 Drama Desk Awards, for Outstanding Revival, Actor and Actress
Winner! Three 1998 Outer Critics Circle Awards, for Outstanding Revival, Actor and Actress
Nominee: Two 2014 Tony Awards, for Featured Actor and Actress
Winner! Seven 2022 Olivier Awards, including Best Musical Revival
Nominee: Nine 2024 Tony Awards, including Best Revival of a Musical

Details
Summary
In a Berlin nightclub, as the 1920s draw to a close, a garish Master of Ceremonies welcomes the audience and assures them they will forget all their troubles at the Cabaret. With the Emcee’s bawdy songs as wry commentary, Cabaret explores the dark, heady and tumultuous life of Berlin’s natives and expatriates as Germany slowly yields to the emerging Third Reich. Cliff, a young American writer newly arrived in Berlin, is immediately taken with English singer Sally Bowles. Meanwhile, Fräulein Schneider, proprietor of Cliff and Sally’s boarding house, tentatively begins a romance with Herr Schultz, a mild-mannered fruit seller who happens to be Jewish. Musical numbers include “Willkommen,” “Cabaret,” “Don't Tell Mama” and “Two Ladies.”
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NOTE: Two Broadway versions of this show (1966 and 1987) are available for licensing. Though both follow the same story and share most songs, there are some differences in the script and score:
- Only the Original 1966 version includes “Why Should I Wake Up?” and “Meeskite.”
- Only this Revised 1987 version includes “Don’t Go,” “The Money Song” and “I Don’t Care Much.”
- The two versions differ in their treatment of the character of Cliff: In the Original 1966 version, there is no suggestion that he may be gay or bisexual. In this Revised 1987 version, his bisexuality is more strongly implied.
Both versions include “Willkommen,” “So What,” “Don’t Tell Mama,” “Perfectly Marvelous,” “Two Ladies,” “It Couldn’t Please Me More (The Pineapple Song),” “Tomorrow Belongs to Me,” “Married,” “If You Could See Her,” “The Telephone Song,” “Sitting Pretty” and “Cabaret.”
History
Cast Attributes
Keywords
- Time Period 1930s, 1920s
- Setting The Kit Kat Klub, a seedy nightclub in Berlin. New Year's Eve, 1929.
- Features Period Costumes
- Additional Features Not Applicable, Drag Performance
- Duration More than 120 minutes (2 hours)
- Cautions
- Alcohol
- Mild Adult Themes
- Smoking
Media
Videos
Joel Grey discusses Cabaret
Photos
Image: 2021 West End Production (Marc Brenner)
Image: 2014 Roundabout Theatre Company Production (Joan Marcus)
Image: 2014 Roundabout Theatre Company Production (Joan Marcus)
Image: 2014 Roundabout Theatre Company Production (Joan Marcus)
Image: 2014 Roundabout Theatre Company Production (Joan Marcus)
Image: © Justin “Squigs” Robertson
Music
Music Samples
- Musical Style Classic Broadway
- Dance Requirements Easy
- Vocal DemandsModerate
- Orchestra Size Medium
- Chorus Size No Chorus
Licensing & Materials
This title is not currently available for performance. To be informed as soon as it becomes available in the future, please submit a license application.
PLEASE BE ADVISED: There are multiple versions of this title. Before you proceed, please double-check to ensure that you are applying for the version you want. We will not be able to refund rental or shipping fees if you pay for the wrong version.
For additional information regarding the various versions of CABARET, see A Guide to Cabaret in Breaking Character.
If you’re still not sure which version best suits your needs, you may purchase a perusal for each available version.
CABARET (ORIGINAL 1966)
CABARET (REVISED 1987)