When the reprise of “Tomorrow Belongs To Me” is performed in the final scene of Act One of Cabaret, which opens on Wednesday, February 15, in the Norris Ely Orchard Theater, the viewer knows that the good times are over and the rise of Nazism is here.

There is much to think about in the 10-minute intermission before Act Two. 

“Cabaret has been on our short list for a while,” Director David McCamish said Tuesday night before the final dress rehearsal of the Loomis Chaffee production. “We feel it is a timely piece. I do not think we can watch the show and not see echos of our world today even though it is set in 1929 in Berlin, Germany, with the rise of fascism and when people are turning populism and extreme nationalism into vitriol and hate.” 

Four shows will be performed — Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, February 15–17, at 7:30 p.m. and a 2:30 p.m. matinee on Saturday, February 18. All shows are sold out. The Saturday show includes a luncheon hosted by the Loomis Chaffee Parents Association for families.   

The singing, dancing, acting, and live music from the pit orchestra make for a show that seems shorter than its two hours.  

Cabaret is set against the backdrop of the final days of the Weimar Republic in Germany as the Nazi Party is growing in strength. Increasingly, people are being brainwashed. Others will not let their minds consider what the Nazis might do.     

Much of the story is set in the Kit Kat Club, where Sally Bowles, played by senior Jade Silverstein, is a headlining performer. Her love interest is aspiring U.S. novelist Clifford Bradshaw, played by senior Arthur F. Beaugeard. Sally sings and dances with joy, but the viewer, knowing what is coming historically, can’t help but feel saddened by her decision to stay in Germany. Bradshaw does not stay as he becomes uneasy with what he sees. 

The emcee at the Kit Kat Klub is played with energy, style, and a booming voice by sophomore Iris Sande. Another central element to the musical is the relationship between Herr Schultz (junior Brigham Cooper) and Fraulein Schneider (junior Nana Achiaa Donkor). Schultz is Jewish, and Schneider breaks off their engagement knowing the risk of marriage to a Jewish man would be too great under Nazi rule. 

So much goes into a musical such as this. There are 20 cast members, 15 in the orchestra, five stage managers, 10 on the technical crew, 11 on the production team. Work on the production started before Thanksgiving break. Learning English, German, and French dialects was part of the process for some.  

And the costumes. “Too many to count,” said Lisa Bebey, who has been the costume designer for Loomis shows for nearly 30 years and loves every minute of it. Somehow, she keeps track of it all. The 20 actors had a minimum of four costume changes each. 

“There are tops and bottoms and scarves, bowties and head pieces and jewelry,” said Lisa, who was the costume shop manager at Hartford Stage for 20 years. “In terms of the sheer amount of numbers of things on stage, that’s why I don’t count because it would look like a tidal wave coming down on me.”  

“I am not making clothes,” Lisa added, “I am making characters. … My clothes need to tell the story.”  

That story also gives everyone involved a chance to absorb some history. 

“We got to learn about Weimar and its decline and the rise of Nazism and the apathy certain people took, and a lot of that is highlighted in the show,” David said. 

View the Playbill.

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