“It’s only politics, what has that got to do with us?”
That’s the question that the 1966 musical “Cabaret” by John Kander and Fred Ebb aims to answer. The musical is set against the backdrop of late Weimar Germany during the rise of Nazi power and cautions the viewer against the perils of escapism and denial of reality.
“Cabaret” follows Clifford Bradshaw, an American novelist traveling to Berlin in pursuit of inspiration for his debut novel. On the train entering the city, he meets Ernst Ludwig, a friendly German smuggling goods from France.
Ludwig introduces him to the Kit Kat Klub, a burlesque nightclub that serves as a marvelous drop of color against the bleak political landscape. This meeting sets off a chain of events that forces the characters of “Cabaret” to reckon with the crucial question of how politics inform their daily lives.
Over 60 years after its Broadway debut, “Cabaret” is making a comeback on social media. In fact, it has become so relevant that there are modern productions on Broadway and the West End starring notable singers such as Adam Lambert and Billy Porter.
But why? What does the modern viewer have to learn from a musical like this one?
As the Nazi Party rises to power, the characters of “Cabaret” are stuck in a state of denial due to the incredibly frightening nature of the events going on outside of the Kit Kat Klub. In the opening song, the host of the club, Emcee, declares, “We have no troubles here. Here, life is beautiful.”
This is a trapping that modern audiences are better aware of thanks to historical contexts such as the setting of “Cabaret.” Modern viewers are more cognizant of the role politics play in their daily lives and how ignoring what’s going on in the world can be a fatal mistake.
As Cliff Bradshaw states in the musical, “If you’re not against all this, you’re for it.”
During the Weimar Republic in Germany, queer people lived openly in the plethora of LGBTQ spaces that the country had to offer. Social attitudes toward the queer community were so relaxed that Berlin was even hailed to be the queer capital of the world during this time.
These attitudes are evident in “Cabaret” through the song “Two Ladies,” which describes a polyamorous relationship between Emcee and two of the club’s dancers. The song represents a radical sense of self-expression, as it violates many social taboos of the era yet is not depicted negatively.
Most importantly, the song demonstrates how rapidly a progressive society can regress.
This is where the similarities between modernity and “Cabaret” are more apparent. Online denizens quickly noticed this similarity, with one TikTok user writing, “[The musical] hits different today. What was once historical, now feels eerily current as hatred rises again.”
It’s no secret that fascism is on the rise in the executive branch of our government, like Germany during the rise of the Nazi Party. As a queer man, I feel especially afraid for the future. However, if there’s one thing that “Cabaret” has taught me, it’s that information is power.
Being informed about the world around you is your most powerful political weapon.
In the spirit of political knowledge, online denizens have gravitated toward one specific song in the “Cabaret” ensemble titled “Money.” This song describes how the greed of the rich has left the working class destitute.
“When you go to get a word of advice from the fat little pastor, he will tell you to love evermore. So when hunger comes rata-ta-tat at the window, see how love flies out that door,” the song’s second verse says.
This song has gained traction on social media as an anthem of political action, similar to a dramatic reading of the poem “Boots” by Rudyard Kipling. This trend has even spawned a new dog whistle, “winter boots” used when online denizens talk about anti-fascist political rhetoric.
Though “Cabaret” is a musical older than most of its modern viewers, we stand to learn an invaluable lesson through the flamboyance and theatrics of the Kit Kat Klub: politics have everything to do with us.