| dc.description.abstract | Cabaret, a 1966 Broadway musical with book by Joe Masteroff and music and lyrics by John Kander and Fred Ebb, and the 1972 film of the same name, directed by Bob Fosse, have been subjects of considerable scholarly research in the genre of American musical theater. This is a result of the Cabaret’s status as an early foray into the subgenre of the concept, or modernist, musical. Written and produced as a response to the American Civil Rights Movement in the 1960s, the musical was a genre-pushing piece of theater that utilized its musical numbers in a unique, commentarial fashion and challenged audiences with its upheaval of conventions. Over the nearly sixty years since its original inception, Cabaret has also undergone an abundant number of alterations to its book and score, making it an even more distinctive entry in the relatively young musical theater genre.
The scholarly discourse regarding Cabaret, while vast, focuses predominantly on its position as an early example of the concept/modernist musical subgenre.
What is lacking in the research surrounding Cabaret is a deeper discussion of its extensive adaptive history, and the means by which its narrative and musical modifications over time have allowed for the show’s central messages to become increasingly refined and unflinching. Subsequently, the goal of this study is to more fully analyze these specific changes in context and to illuminate their effects on the potency of Cabaret’s story and themes. In addition, this research will consider Cabaret’s evolution over time and its historical trajectory that favors process over product to offer a new distinction for the show: it is not only one of the first concept/modernist musicals, but it is also Broadway’s first postmodern musical. When considering the Broadway landscape over the course of the last decade, during which time a number of beloved musicals have experienced transformative and reimagined revivals, it is clear that Cabaret’s established template of consistent readaptation paved the way for this modern trend. Due in large part to its ever-evolving nature, Cabaret has asserted itself as a monumental piece of American musical theater, and its considerable impact on the genre has persisted. | en_US |
