When I travelled to New York City with my daughters this summer I essentially went along for the ride. I let them decide where we would stay, what we would eat and how we would spend our time. They did a lovely job of finding a great hotel that did not cost an arm and a leg even on the July Fourth weekend. They found unique restaurants representing a diversity of cultures. They chose wonderful sightseeing venues that hit the spot. Among them was attending a performance of the musical Cabaret.

I have to admit that I was a bit worried about seeing an update of that iconic musical. My first thought was that it would be impossible to enjoy the show without the incredible talent of Joel Grey and Liza Minelli. Their performances set the standard for the major roles and I worried that I would be comparing those in such a way that I would never be able to truly enjoy the efforts of the new cast. Happily I was wrong. 

The director of the musical was brilliant in updating the characters so that they were new and fresh and nothing like the originals. The Master of Ceremonies at the Kit Kat Club was his own man, not a imitation of Joel Grey, with a voice that was haunting. Sally Bowles was a very English girl with a seemingly cheery outlook on life that was tainted by her longing for money and success. The Jewish love story was about an older couple portrayed by actors with a sterling professionalism that elevated the importance of their tragedy. In the background was the fascism that would ultimately dominate the lives of everyone. 

The theater itself became the Kit Kat Club from the time that we entered. There was jazz music playing and performers danced, did acrobatics and performed magic as we took our seats. The audience became part of the scenery as they sat at tables encircling the round stage. The orchestra was as important for the story as the actors, and what a story it was. 

The atmosphere in the theater was tense from the beginning and became even more so as the lighting eventually dimmed into almost darkness. The lines seemed to echo today’s headlines and we felt as though we were witnessing the downfall of humanity in real time. There were moments when we felt a chill and goosebumps rose up on our skin. By the end we were sobbing both for the characters and for the world as portrayed. Somehow that world felt closer to us thab we wanted to think. The play became a parable of life and a warning of how darkness might descend upon us if we are not constantly aware of reality. 

We were all moved by this musical and had the kind of feeling that happens only when you have seen something quite brilliant. We talked about what we had viewed for days afterward. We saw the universality of the themes, the poetry of the songs, the incredible talent of the actors. It was a tour de force that will live in our minds forever. We somehow keep circling back to the feelings and thoughts that we had inside that theater.

The two versions of Cabaret that I have seen were both excellent in their own right. Minnellii and Grey stole the show in the original while the production and the sense of horror that has the power to destroy people’s lives became the centerpiece of the newest version. The characters were pawns in a game of life, losing on all counts while the Master of Ceremonies bended his knee to the Nazis and became the evil itself. 

There is much happening in the United States right now that eerily feels like the stealthy takeover of Germany. We are watching forces in real time that are literally pledging to tear down our institutions so that they may rebuild them in their desired form, They seem to want to create a new way of doing things without the agreement of all Americans.

I have watched what is taking place with as much horror as I felt watching the latest Broadway presentation of Cabaret. I see masked men stalking immigrants and taking them away without so much as a trial to determine their actual status. I see agencies being dismantled without thought about what will be lost when they are gone. I see the poorest among us being shamed and losing programs that had been safety nets for them. I see a president who thinks himself immune to worrying about whether or not his actions are actually legal. I see a darkness of cruelty moving over my country that once felt like a shining example of democracy and generosity. All the while we citizens are being fed a diet of bread and the distractions of a circus so that we will not realize what is really happening until it is too late. 

I’m glad that I had the privilege of seeing Cabaret on the weekend of the celebration of our American independence. We would all do well to pay attention and ignore the attempts to fool us. If we do not pay attention our cabaret will become a nightmare.