The Meadville Academy theater’s most recent production was “Cabaret,” a show about characters in Berlin, Germany, who frequently visit the local cabaret club, The Kit Kat Klub, living their best life.

As the show progresses, the characters become aware of the consequences of World War II, as the show takes place right before Hitler’s rise. “Cabaret” mainly centers around the relationship between American novelist, Clifford Bradshaw, and Sally Bowles, an English cabaret performer. 

The show immediately caught the audience’s attention with the live music and whimsical narrator, Emcee, played by Ryan Dawley, who introduces the audience to the characters and guides them through events of the show. The Emcee creates a bond with the audience by speaking to them directly, breaking the fourth-wall. Along with the personal involvement, the show created personal connections between the characters and the audience through ecstatic personality and positive energy.  

The music in “Cabaret” definitely was a huge aspect of the storytelling. Music is utilized throughout the entire show to lead the audience through major plot points. The tone of the musical starts off very eccentric and fun, but as the story line progresses, the tone becomes more and more dark as it inches toward the beginning of Hitler’s rise. The way that the pace and melody of the music is manipulated according to the time and event is truly remarkable. Along with this, the lyrics to the songs are extremely deep and intricate. The lyricism conveys further emotion and thought behind each and every character. 

The choreography of Meadville Academy’s rendition of “Cabaret” was extremely impressive and definitely stood out. There was a great use of props and other items that enhanced performances, such as during one of Sally Bowles’ (Madison Morgan) solos, the background dancers were using chairs as props, which made the choreography much more interesting. Another dance that stood out choreographically was during the song “Money Makes the World Go Round,” where Emcee was throwing money around as the dancers circled around him. Since most of the characters in the show are portrayed as dancers and performers, it is no surprise that the show would be filled with large dance numbers, but that definitely does not make the choreography any less remarkable. 

Something that was surprising was the older audience the show had considering the contents in “Cabaret.” It goes to show though that anyone can laugh and have a good time with the characters.  Anyone under the age of 14 should not view this show, considering the strong language and mature storyline. However, this show is perfect for mature audiences that are interested in historical events, particularly Nazi Germany, and theater-lovers. This show has definitely earned its rating of 5/5 stars!