I first saw Cabaret on stage, back in Singapore, as a student musical theatre production put on by graduating students at one of our art colleges, and even then, I knew it would become one of my favourite musicals (I still remember the suppressed gasps of horror from the audience and the sickening lurch in my stomach when Ernst removes his outer coat revealing his Nazi armband) . Later on I watched the 1993 theatrical production on Youtube, and I noticed things that I had missed before. This was my first time watching the 1972 film, and similarly I gained an even deeper appreciation for the stories and themes. I love how the creeping rise of fascism in the film feels like the appearance of a monster in a horror film. We at first see snippets of fascism rearing its ugly head, quick to be chased off again but never quite going away completely. We see many characters reacting to it by dismissing it, not wanting to address it and being sure that nothing too drastic would happen. Until it is too late and fascism has rooted itself among the community and the spaces they live and work in. I loved how the production design also shows this by opening the film with the reflection of the audience of the Kit Kat Club in a textured mirror, and later ends it in a similar way, only this time there are conspicuous black-clad Nazi party members among them. And from the camera angle, it is implied that they are among US, as we were the ones who had just watched the entirety of the film play out, similar to a stage number in a cabaret show. These heavy themes paired with Kander and Ebb's catchy music and Bob Fosse's choreography make for a very surreal but very enjoyable viewing experience.
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