Cabaret (Broadway Studio 54)

Cabaret (Broadway)

CABARET with music by John Kander, lyrics by Fred Ebb and book by Joe Masteroff on Broadway for 2,377 performances initially at the Kit Kat Klub (March 19 – July 21, 1998 / August 18 – November 8, 1998) then Studio 54 (November 12, 1998 – January 4, 2004). Based on the play by John Van Druten; Based on stories by Christopher Isherwood. Inspired by the 1993 production of CABARET at The Donmar Warehouse (Sam Mendes, Artistic Director).

Produced by The Roundabout Theatre Company (Todd Haimes: Artistic Director; Ellen Richard: General Manager; Gene Feist: Founding Director). Produced in association with Anita Waxman and Elizabeth Williams. Executive Producer: Sydney Davolos

Directed by Sam Mendes; Co-Directed & Choreographed by Rob Marshall; Associate Choreographer: Cynthia Onrubia; Set and Club Design by Robert Brill; Costume Design by William Ivey Long; Lighting Design by Peggy Eisenhauer and Mike Baldassari; Sound Design by Brian Ronan; Make-Up Design by Randy Mercer; Hair Design by Randy Mercer; Wig Design by Paul Huntley; Music orchestrated by Michael Gibson; Dance and Incidental Music arranged by David Krane; Original Dance Music arranged by David Baker; Musical Director: Patrick Vaccariello; Assistant Musical Director: Fred Lassen

Starred Alan Cumming (Emcee); The Kit Kat Girls: Christina Pawl (Rosie), Erin Hill (Lulu), Joyce Chittick (Frenchie), Leenya Rideout (Texas), Michele Pawk (Fritzie), Kristin Olness (Helga); The Kit Kat Boys: Michael O’Donnell (Bobby), Brian Duguay (Victor), Bill Szobody (Hans), Fred Rose (Herman); Natasha Richardson (Sally Bowles), John Benjamin Hickey (Clifford Bradshaw), Denis O’Hare (Ernst Ludwig), Fred Rose (Customs Official, Max), Mary Louise Wilson (Fraulein Schneider), Michele Pawk (Fraulein Kost), Bill Szobody (Rudy), Ron Rifkin (Herr Schultz), Joyce Chittick (Gorilla), Alex Bowen (Boy Soprano on recording); The Kit Kat Klub Band: Patrick Vaccariello (Musical Director, Piano), Fred Lassen (Keyboards), Gary Tillman (Drums), Bill Sloat (Bass), Rich Raffio (Trumpet), Christina Pawl (Trumpet), Bill Szobody (Trombone), Denis O’Hare (Clarinet), Michael O’Donnell (Clarinet), Kristin Olness (Clarinet, Tenor Sax), Brian Duguay (Alto and Tenor Sax, Flute), Joyce Chittick (Alto Sax), Erin Hill (Alto Sax, Harp), Leenya Rideout (Violin), Fred Rose (Cello), Michele Pawk (Accordion), Linda Romoff (Trumpet) and Vance Avery (Banjo, Accordion)

Associate Costume Design: Susan O’Donnell; Associate Scenic Design: Scott Pask; Assistant Costume Design: Martha Bromelmeier; Associate Lighting Design: David J. Lander; Assistant Scenic Design: Jane Epperson, Zhanna Gurvich, Akiko Kosaka, Pi-te Pan and Kris Stone

General Manager: Sydney Davolos; Company Manager: Peilin Chou; Company / House Manager: Beth Venable; Production Stage Manager: Peter Hanson; Production Manager: Michael D. Curry; Stage Manager: Jon Krause; Assistant Stage Mgr: Scott Crawford; Technical Director: Peter Barbieri; Roundabout Director of Development and Public Affairs: Julia C. Levy; Roundabout Director of Casting and Artistic Associate: Jim Carnahan; Casting: Pat McCorkle; Roundabout Director of Marketing: David B. Steffen; Internet Marketing: Toby Simkin / Theatre.com; Dialect Coach: Tim Monich; Press Representative: Boneau / Bryan-Brown; Dance Captain: Joyce Chittick; Advertising: Nappi / Eliran / Murphy, Ltd.; Associate Casting: Matt Schreiber

Musical Coordinator: John Monaco; Music Preparation: Donald Oliver, Evan Morris and Chelsea Music Services, Inc.; Electronic Music System Design: Andrew Barrett

Replacements

This production featured a number of notable replacements later in the run:

in the role of Sally Bowles: Jennifer Jason Leigh (Aug 4, 1998 – Feb 28, 1999); Susan Egan (Jun 17, 1999 – Jan 30, 2000 / Feb 22, 2000 – Jun 2, 2000 /Sep 1, 2003 – Sep 9, 2003 / Sep 19, 2003 – Oct 25, 2003 /Nov 2, 2003 – Jan 4, 2004); Katie Finneran (Nov 21, 2000 – Jan 18, 2001); Joely Fisher (Jun 3, 2000 – Jul 30, 2000; Gina Gershon (Jan 19, 2001 – Jun 17, 2001 / Oct 30, 2001 – Dec 2, 2001); Deborah Gibson (Feb 21, 2003 – Jun 15, 2003; Milena Govich (Dec 3, 2001 – Dec 17, 2001); Melina Kanakaredes (Jun 27, 2003 – Aug 31, 2003); Heather Laws (Jul 15, 2002 – Aug 5, 2002 / Jan 27, 2003 – Feb 20, 2003 / Sep 10, 2003 – Sep 18, 2003); Brooke Shields (Jul 3, 2001 – Oct 28, 2001); Jane Leeves (Apr 29, 2002 – Jul 14, 2002); Mary McCormack (Mar 2, 1999 – Jun 6, 1999); Molly Ringwall (Dec 18, 2001 – Apr 28, 2002 / Aug 6, 2002 – Jan 26, 2003); Linda Romoff (Jun 8, 1999 – Jun 15, 1999 / Feb 1, 2000 – Feb 20, 2000) and Kate Shindle (Jun 19, 2001 – Jul 1, 2001); Teri Hatcher and Lea Thompson.

in the role of Emcee: Robert Sella (Sep 15, 1998 – Nov 22, 1998); Vance Avery (Oct 1999 – Nov 28, 1999 / Jul 2000 – Aug 2000 / Oct 2000 – Oct 16, 2000 / Oct 15, 2001 – Oct 25, 2001 / May 26, 2003 – Jun 1, 2003) Raúl Esparza (Oct 26, 2001 – Apr 28, 2002 / Sep 9, 2002 – Dec 31, 2002); Alan Cumming (Nov 24, 1998 – Jun 6, 1999); Michael C. Hall (Jun 8, 1999 – Oct 1999 / Nov 30, 1999 – Jul 2000 / Aug 2000 – Oct 2000); Neil Patrick Harris (Jan 3, 2003 – May 25, 2003); Matt McGrath (Oct 17, 2000 – Oct 13, 2001); Adam Pascal (Oct 17, 2003 – Jan 4, 2004); Jon Secada (Jun 3, 2003 – Oct 12, 2003); John Stamos (Apr 29, 2002 – Sep 8, 2002) and Norbert Leo Butz.

in the role of Fräulein Schneider: Blair Brown (Aug 20, 1998 – May 2, 1999 / Sep 22, 2003 – Jan 4, 2004); Alma Cuervo (Feb 17, 2003 – Mar 6, 2003 / Sep 1, 2003 – Sep 21, 2003); Mariette Hartley (Mar 7, 2003 – Aug 31, 2003) and Carole Shelley (May 4, 1999 – Mar 24, 2002 / Sep 9, 2002 – Feb 16, 2003) and Polly Bergen.

in the role of Cliff: Boyd Gaines and Michael Hayden

in the role of Herr Schultz: Tom Bosley, Dick Latessa, Hal Linden, Laurence Luckinbill, and Tony Roberts

The Broadway theatre supersite Buy Broadway OnlineAs Founder and CEO of Theatre.com and BuyBroadway.com.  The pioneer in moving the Broadway industry onto the internet. The theatre press branded me as “Toby is the man pushing theatre, kicking and screaming, into cyberspace.” What started in 1989 as a Broadway industry service called ShowCall via dialup BBS for members of the League of American Theatre Producers evolved onto the world wide web in the early 90’s, and shortly after this, the vast majority of Broadway shows (starting with my production of Victor/Victoria) and theatrical organizations followed. The “Super site of Broadway” became a publicly traded company, prior to my re-branding it as Theatre.com at the Minskoff Theatre.

The global theater supersite theatre.comDescribed by Variety Magazine as a “marketing powerhouse“, it was the single largest theatre community in the world with over 180,000 active members (in the 1990’s this was massive). From buying official Broadway tickets and souvenirs, providing detailed global show listings, interactive show study & educational guides, live streaming shows and events (including many Opening Nights live broadcasts), industry news from major theatre journalists, pictures and videos, games, messaging directly to Broadway cast’s backstage or even licensing a musical, theatre.com offered it all in a single, easy-to-use interface to theatregoers globally.

This Broadway production was nominated for 10 Tony Awards, winning 4 for Cumming, Richardson and Rifkin, as well as the Tony for Best Revival of a Musical.

CABARET
Studio 54
Broadway

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Musical Numbers

Act One:

“Wilkommen” (Alan Cumming, The Kit Kat Klub Performers); “So What?” (Mary Louise Wilson); “Don’t Tell Mama” (Natasha Richardson, The Kit Kat Girls); “Mein Herr” (Natasha Richardson, The Kit Kat Girls); “Perfectly Marvelous” (Natasha Richardson, John Benjamin Hickey); “Two Ladies” (Alan Cumming, Erin Hill, Michael O’Donnell); “It Couldn’t Please Me More” (aka “The Pineapple Song”) (Mary Louise Wilson, Ron Rifkin); “Tomorrow Belongs to Me” (Alan Cumming); “Maybe This Time” (Natasha Richardson); “Money” (Alan Cumming, The Kit Kat Girls); “Married” (Ron Rifkin, Mary Louise Wilson, Michele Pawk); “Tomorrow Belongs to Me” (reprise) (Michele Pawk, Denis O’Hare, Company)

Act Two:

Entr’acte (The Kit Kat Klub Band); “Kick Line” (The Kit Kat Klub Performers); “Married” (reprise) (Ron Rifkin); “If You Could See Her” (aka “The Gorilla Song”) (Alan Cumming, Joyce Chittick); “What Would You Do?” (Mary Louise Wilson); “I Don’t Care Much” (Alan Cumming); “Cabaret” (Natasha Richardson); Finale (Company)

Conde Naste Scaffolding Colllapse TImes Square July 1998^ A Times Square construction accident required CABARET to cancel performances from July 21 through August 18, missing 35 performances and losing more than $1.5 million in ticket sales.

On July 21, 1998, around 8:25 am a construction elevator on a high floor of the half-erected 48-story Conde Nast building on Broadway between 42nd and 43rd streets collapsed, causing some 20 floors worth of scaffolding on the outside of the elevator tower to bend outward and downward, and then cascade toward the ground. A section of the scaffolding crashed through the roof of The Hotel Woodstock across 43rd Street, damaging the top two floors and killing one tenant from room 1202. A total of 12 people were hurt by the falling steel and masonry.

Shortly before the accident, workers exited the elevator after noticing strange vibrations and that the tracks causing the elevators cars were beginning to buckle. They then radioed down to the ground that danger was imminent, allowing other workmen to frantically waive pedestrians and cars away from the immediate area.  The street normally packed with traffic was empty due to a tractor-trailer in process of backing onto 43rd Street caused the entire block to be free of vehicles, saving many lives.

The Kit Kat Klub (formerly Henry Miller’s Theatre) on West 43rd Street, is directly next to the building where the collapse occurred. Wreckage on the Conde Nast building reportedly shifted during the night of July 22.  The immediate area was deemed unsafe by NYFD and cordoned off until cleanup and all was deemed safe again. The closure lasted 29 days until re-opening on August 18.

Natasha Richardson (Sally Bowles), contract with the show ended on Aug. 2.

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