Berlin: The Last Cabaret
co-created and directed by STA Artistic Director, Alan Corbishley
This cabaret celebrates the subversive power of
art and offers a warning to those who would take freedom
for granted. 1934: As Nazism tightens its grip on Germany,
a satirical cabaret troupe faces physical danger and a
moral crisis. Members have disappeared under suspicious
circumstances; the five that remain have to decide whether to
bend to intimidation or perform their work uncensored. With
death looming in the air, the risks couldn’t be higher—and yet
the desperate need for expression is still there...
The Weimar era (1918-1933) was a time of cultural ferment
in Germany. Steps were taken toward sexual freedom and
progressive reform, and there was a spirit of liberation and
innovation in the arts. Much of this was connected to the cabaret
scene, and in this show.
City Opera Vancouver, in association with Sound the Alarm: Music/Theatre, pays loving
homage: with five singers and a band, the group takes us back
to a time when liberation came in conflict with fascism.
Presented at the 2020
PuSh International Performing Arts Festival
"heartbreakingly relevant and contemporary in its themes and anxiety"
"(COV) has an excellent history of telling difficult stories in a way only art can, and this production was no exception."