Politics... What's That Got to Do With Broadway?

Politics…What’s That Got to Do With Broadway?

Written by Cameo Napoli

Art by Lauren Mallet

One night of doom scrolling on TikTok led me to a clip of Cabaret from the 1993 West End Revival. Admittedly, the clip first caught my eye because of a young Alan Cumming, but my focus quickly shifted once I became aware that someone in a gorilla costume was alongside him. I watched the clip through and was struck by the end at the last line delivered: 

“But if you could see her through my eyes…

She wouldn’t look Jewish at all.” 

Set in 1929-1930 Berlin, Cabaret focuses on the nightlife at the Kit Kat Klub and the doomed romances of main characters Clifford Bradshaw (an American writer) and Sally Bowles (a British cabaret performer) against the backdrop of the rise of Nazism. I decided to research the song from the TikTok clip and learned that the song being performed was “If You Could See Her (The Gorilla Song),” performed by the Emcee (who acts as a narrator and commentator of the events happening in the musical). The song is about how outlandish it could be that the Emcee is in love with a gorilla, but maybe the audience would understand if he could see her through his eyes. The final line, the one that I was taken aback by the most, is him basically saying though she’s an animal at least she doesn’t look Jewish. 

In the more recent Broadway adaptations of Cabaret, there have been reports of audience members laughing at this part of the performance but it, of course, hasn’t been solved as to exactly why: Cabaret, overall, is not a comedy, and this part of the musical, though seemingly outlandish and theatrical, is not comedic either. Actors who have taken on the role of the Emcee in recent productions (notably Adam Lambert and Eddie Redmayne) have pushed back during performances where this has happened, doing things like breaking character and asking the audience why they’re laughing, and repeating the line back to make a point of what they’re saying. 

Cabaret, notably, is one of the musicals that better incorporates political themes with the storyline and music, but this incorporation isn’t something that’s only happened in recent years and in newer productions—this coming together of art and political themes dates back to ancient Greece. With productions created by Greek tragedians Sophocles and Euripides (among others) when attending these theatrical performances were considered to be civic duties. These beginnings that were set by these tragedians have set the precedent for musicals and stageplays to come. The precedent that musicals and plays are, at their core, meant to tell stories from real life. 

Musicals are a commentary of life and art, and even though musicals have created a wide spectrum from heavily political to straight-up comedic, it’s important to remember and incorporate the darker parts of our history so we remain aware and continue to learn, remember, and educate ourselves. 

Another recent musical production that addresses our dark history is Parade. It was brought back onto Broadway in a 2023 revival and is based on the true story of a man named Leo Frank, a Jewish factory manager in Atlanta, Georgia, who was wrongfully accused of murdering a teenage girl in 1913 and, in turn, went to prison. In 1915, Leo Frank was kidnapped from prison by a mob and was lynched in Georgia. Throughout the musical, at least with the revival, there are incorporations of actual pictures of news clippings from that time, as well as certain settings used in the story as a backdrop to the production as the story unfolds to the audience, indirectly acting as a reminder to the audience that this is a true story. The lynching of Leo Frank is no different—there are pictures of the lynching included in the production, as well as news clippings reporting what happened. This is where these real pictures are the most powerful; this was real life, and is a real and, reportedly, ongoing case (the 2023 revival at one point states that this case was reopened in 2019). 

The act of confronting audience members with themes like Nazism and antisemitism is what makes bringing political themes in general into musicals work. The topics and themes can hide behind or be cushioned by the music and stage production, like “If You Could See Her,” and then suddenly the audience is forced to realize the deeper meaning behind what they just watched and listened to. The forcing of being confronted by these themes in contrast with a lighter, more whimsical instrumental backing could be why audience members have been reported to laugh at certain parts of Cabaret. But the awkwardness that could come from being confronted by these themes are no laughing matter: this is real life. 

The incorporation of politics in musicals is a tactic to make sure stories are remembered, yet today’s administration is working on overthrowing our freedom to create those stories. The Trump Administration has become Board Chair at the Kennedy Center, which previously served as a beacon of hope for the performing arts. One large thing he’s trying to change in the Kennedy Center’s programming is the prevention of putting on productions with political themes, and wants to put on, what he calls, “non-woke” musicals. When citing musicals he considers “non-woke”, it was reported that he named Cats (explores community and the search for meaning), Fiddler on the Roof (explores oppression and resilience), and Phantom of the Opera (explores societal class and acceptance).

The first performance of Cabaret was in 1966, and others mentioned were put on years prior. Musicals and plays have always tried to incorporate politics and the dark sides to life, and will continue to for years to come no matter the oppression—in fact, it’s the oppression that these mediums need to remember to keep themes in the light.