Southern CT State University's Theatre Dept. Stages Landmark Musical 'Cabaret,' Set In 1930s Berlin

NEW HAVEN, CT — Southern Connecticut State University's Theatre, in collaboration with the Crescent Players, will present Cabaret, the landmark musical by John Kander, Fred Ebb, and Joe Masteroff, Oct. 9–17 at the Lyman Center Mainstage.

The production is directed and choreographed by Larry Nye, with music direction by Jill Brunell.

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Set in 1930s Berlin as the Weimar Republic gives way to the rise of Nazi Germany, Cabaret moves between the dazzling nightlife of the Kit Kat Klub and a world outside its doors undergoing profound political and social change. At the center of the story are American writer Cliff Bradshaw and cabaret performer Sally Bowles, whose relationship unfolds against an increasingly uncertain and dangerous political landscape.

"Cabaret is a politically infused party, and you're invited!" said director and choreographer Larry Nye. "It's 1930s Berlin, Germany, and inside the Kit Kat Klub, life is beautiful with stupendous singing and dazzling dancing. Outside of the cabaret is a love story with a history lesson for the ages. 'Governments come—governments go. How much longer can we wait?' Cabaret is a story about the past that resonates with our world today."

For SCSU Theatre, the production also offers students the opportunity to take on an ambitious work while developing their craft both onstage and behind the scenes. Students work alongside faculty and professional artists throughout the production process, gaining hands-on experience across performance, design, technical theatre, stage management, and other areas of theatrical production.

"Productions like Cabaret ask students to engage deeply with the world around them," said Mike Skinner, Chairperson of Southern Connecticut State University's Theatre Department. "Our students learn the craft while simultaneously exploring how theatre can help us examine history, ask difficult questions, and create conversations with an audience. That combination of rigorous training and meaningful storytelling is central to what we want our students to experience here."

Through spectacle, romance, humor, and history, Cabaret explores what happens when political upheaval begins to intrude upon everyday life, and what it means to recognize, respond to, or ignore a changing world. Decades after its Broadway debut, the musical continues to invite audiences to consider the relationship between entertainment and the world beyond the stage.

Performances of Cabaret will take place on the Lyman Center Mainstage on October 9, 10, 15, 16, and 17 at 8 p.m.; October 11 at 3 p.m.; and October 17 at 2 p.m.

Tickets and additional information are available at LymanCenter.org.