Volksoper - 2019

The Volksoper Wien in Vienna, which serves as Vienna’s Opera House and hosts operas, musicals, ballets, and operettas, stages this production of Cabaret regularly. The 2019 run of the Volksoper Cabaret features a female Emcee. The production’s costumes and overall tone emphasize the political climate of the time. An example of this political tone is the song “Two Ladies” where the Emcee dances with actors dressed as Benito Mussolini and Joseph Stalin. The production portrays the Kit Kat Klub and 1920s Berlin as extravagant, excessive, free-and-easy world. In other words, the nightlife appears larger than life providing the people of Berlin the opportunity to act freely without influence from the outside world. The Kit Kat Klub is a separate world from the rest of Berlin, providing an escape for the people who went there. Large sparking letters across the top of the proscenium spell “Berlin” in bright lights. The costumes are big and bold with bright colors and change with each new number in the Kit Kat Klub. For example, in the song, “Mein Herr,” ensemble members wear costumes that display two gender identities. Half of the costume represents a dress and the other half represents a tuxedo. In another production number, the cabaret girls wear fancy leotards paired with large head dresses. These costumes accentuate the glamorous style in which the Kit Kat Klub and nightlife exist in this production. Specifically, in “Mein Herr,” the freedom to express oneself is shown in the costumes worn. Being able to identify as two genders (or no singular gender) by wearing a half dress/half tuxedo costume shows this freedom. The glamor of the scenery and costumes gives the Kit Kat Klub an upper-class feeling. The boarding house, by contrast, appears more run-down. In the boarding house, there are no glamorous lights or fancy outfits. The furniture and the walls are worn down and appear to have been there a long time. Even when Sally is in the boarding house, her outfits are less put together and sometimes her makeup or hair appears worn down as well. In this sense, the boarding house represents the real world with the problems that are going on at the time, while the Kit Kat Klub is an escapist fantasy which people can experience at night.

Daniel Wagner of the Wiener Zeitung, a newspaper in Berlin, commented that “true to the original, this was about nothing more and nothing less than life, love, hope, respect - that is, humanity” (1). Three reviews agree that the show was spectacular. The critics praise the actors for their wonderful voices and strong presence on stage. The production showed the reign of Hitler in “striking clarity” with “glittering tailcoats and swastikas” (Wanger 2). The production slowly transforms the atmosphere from happiness and an excitement of nightlife to an environment full of fear, violence, and intimidation. Bettina Mönch was stunning in the role of Sally Bowles, with strong vocals and a cinematic presence.

Gil Mehmert, the director, created an interpretation of Cabaret that showed the golden 1920s of Berlin as a tightrope walk connecting political context and lascivious revue. Showing the political issues of the time through contrasts between the environment of the boarding house (real life) and the Kit Kat Klub (lavish and extravagant nightlife), the production depicts the rallying of national Socialism encroaching into people’s lives. The only negative comment on the show, according to Stefan Ender of Der Standard, regarded the scenic design. While the actors had a vibrant performance, the rotating stage standing on a lateral enclosure with a large black curtain leading to a black hole that prevented the spark of energy and excitement from reaching the audience (Ender 2).

Ender, Stefan. "Cabaret" an der Volksoper: Flott, aber der Funken springt nicht über. 15 9 2019. <https://www.derstandard.at/story/2000108660390/cabaret-an-der-volksoper-flott-inszeniert>.

Fichter-Wöß, Martin. Volksoper Wien"Cabaret" und der verruchte Triumph eines Damentrios. n.d. <https://www.kleinezeitung.at/kultur/5690152/Volksoper-Wien_Cabaret-und-der-verruchte-Triumph-eines-Damentrios >.

Wagner, Daniel. Volksoper bringt "Cabaret" auf die Bühne. n.d. <https://www.wienerzeitung.at/_em_cms/globals/print.php?em_no_split=1&em_ssc=LCwsLA==&em_cnt=2029467&em_loc=72&em_ref=/nachrichten/kultur/buehne/&em_ivw=RedCont/KulturUndFreizeit/Buehne&em_absatz_bold=0>.