Cabaret (DVD, 1997, Special Edition)

Berlin, Germany was the hot spot in the world to be for splendid cabaret . . . before Hitler "cleansed" the performance-artist-packed city of its spectacular entertainers.

"Cabaret" is a classic tribute to the types of club performance artistry that was done most especially in song & dance routines. Liza Minnelli really came out, so to speak, as the performer & a half who could both act & belt out high personality expressed songs, combined with classic hot jazz Bob Fosse dance routines. The title song "Cabaret" is literally one we could say, "Liza owns," rather like her mother (Judy Garland) owned "Over the Rainbow." Show me a better performance or that song and dance routine!

Joel Grey makes for the comedian much of the time while performing in the Berlin cabaret. His duet of "Money Makes the World Go Around," with Minnelli rivals her mother's hobo routine, "Puttin' on the Ritz." In some ways she out does her iconoclastic mom in "Cabaret." Dancing, for instance. Liza can do Fosse jazz to the nines, whereas, Garland couldn't touch that kind of jazz movement. (Judy Garland only ever did a little vaudevillian type of soft shoe, group dances with Mickey Rooney, and a little toe taping as she also belted out her legendary show voice).

The story line in the musical is about one woman (Minelli) and two men, one gay (Grey) and on straight (some other guy ::winking::), vying for her attentions, even though she would prefer they all be one happy family of three. There are terrifically comical Fosse dance & song routines throughout the show; but, in the story line there is the juxtaposition of a sort of melancholy that I imagine was beginning to take over the joys of life in Berlin as Hitler took over the 'funtastic' city.

The story's not about Hitler per se at all; but rather, how extraordinarily talented people responded in artful repose. I've seen many duets take on the "Money" routine that still belongs to Minnelli & Grey; but, they can't capture the original duet's magic. Not even close. "Cabaret" is a classic to own for life. I can pull out a song, like "Money," and play it for a few minutes to set the mood for my entire day. Just like I can do that with Andrew Lloyd Webber's "Memories," from "Cats."

There are simply song and/or dance acts that have the power to get so under my skin that they move me emotionally enough to set the temperament and pace for my day. "Cabaret" has about a dozen of those.