Archive

Identifier: CAB2014

Inclusive Dates: 2014 - 2015

This is an unusual collection series as it is part of two nearly identical productions of the same musical at different points in Roundabout's history.

In 1993, Sam Mendes directed an innovative, darker revival of the musical in London’s Donmar Warehouse Theatre, which opened to rave reviews for the young director.  A slightly revised production transferred to Broadway under the direction of Sam Mendes with co-direction by Rob Marshall.  Produced by Roundabout Theatre Company, the revival of Cabaret opened on Broadway on March 19, 1998. The original revival cast included Alan Cumming as the Master of Ceremonies, Natasha Richardson as Sally Bowles, John Benjamin Hickey as Clifford Bradshaw, Ron Rifkin as Herr Schultz, and Mary Louise Wilson as Fraulein Schneider.  The production ran for 2,378 performances, won multiple awards, and inspired a national tour. After six years on Broadway, the musical revival closed on January 4, 2004.  Cabaret had a successful run on Broadway and went on to win four Tony Awards including Best Musical Revival, Best Actress in a Musical (Natasha Richardson), and Best Actor in a Musical (Alan Cumming).   

The production was originally slated to begin preview performances in February of 1997 at The Supper Club, but after negotiations fell through in September of 1996, the production was forced to postpone.  After another search, Roundabout entered into an agreement with Club Expo to house the production of Cabaret at the renamed Kit Kat Klub, which was located in the former Henry Miller’s Theatre.  A construction accident on July 21, 1998 on a nearby street forced the production to cancel performances for several weeks.  The loss of revenue for these performances and the delays in reopening the theatre propelled Roundabout to move to a new location.  The production reopened at the iconic Studio 54 on November 12, 1998 and ran in that location through the end of the run in 2004.

Fast forward a decade. To celebrate the company's 50th anniversary, Roundabout remounted its production of Cabaret, again at Studio 54, opening on April 24, 2014 and running through March 29, 2015 (and again with a successful regional tour) relying heavily on the archival documents and materials retained from the earlier revival. Alan Cumming was again cast at the Master of Ceremonies, with Michelle Williams playing Sally Bowles (later replaced by Emma Stone and Sienna Miller). The creative team behind the revival all returned for the remount, providing an unusual example of a revival company reviving its own production with few substantial changes to the original. 

Roundabout Theatre Company Archives Cabaret 1998 collection includes stage documentation as well as research and planning documents.  Items in this collection highlight the marketing approaches, multiple cast changes, press coverage, special events, and ticket pricings from 1998 to 2004 and features drafts of scripts, photographs, playbills, invitations, reviews, publicity materials, and business files.  The collection also includes documents pertaining to equity concerns, rights and legal agreements, reports from each performance and the development of the show, such as costume and set design.  

The musical Cabaret based on Christopher Isherwood’s 1939 short story collection, The Berlin Stories, and the 1951 adapted play I Am a Camera, is centered around a nightclub in Berlin in the 1930s just before the Nazi rise to power. The musical includes music and lyrics by John Kander and Fred Ebb, and features a book by Joe Masteroff.

The original production of Cabaret was directed by Harold Prince and starred Joel Grey as the Master of Ceremonies and Jill Haworth as Sally Bowles. The show first premiered on Broadway in 1968 to great acclaim and went on to receive eight Tony Awards, including Best Musical.  The musical was then adapted for the screen in 1972 starring Liza Minnelli as Sally Bowles and Joe Grey as the Master of Ceremonies.  It was later revived on Broadway with Joel Grey reprising his role. 

4 Hollinger Boxes with oversize materials (posters, set plans) and select props
2014-2015 Digital Files span 1.08TB with 29,559 files and 791 folders

Digital files include stage management records, rehearsal and production photographs, media and marketing pieces, show art, performance reports, etc. 

Access Restrictions: Unless noted in the record, access allowed to approved researchers.

Preferred Citation: Cabaret 2014, Roundabout Theatre Company Archives