Michael Torke / Cabaret

On this day in classical music: American composer Michael Torke’s composition “Green” was given its premiere by the Milwaukee Symphony in 1986. Torke is known as a post-minimalist composer whose music uses repetitive structures to incorporate musical techniques from both the classical tradition and the contemporary pop world. Many of his works feature various colors and shades in their titles, including “Ecstatic Orange,” “Bronze,” “Rust,” “Slate,” “Charcoal,” “Copper,” “Purple” and “Bright Blue Music.” Listen to the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra perform his 1986 work “Green.” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KQ2QsFTKFuw

On this day in the musical theatre: Kander and Ebb’s musical “Cabaret” opened on Broadway in 1966. Set in Berlin just before the Nazis rose to power, “Cabaret” was based on John Van Druten’s “I Am a Camera.” That 1951 play was adapted from the 1939 short novel “Goodbye to Berlin” by Christopher Isherwood. In the musical “Cabaret,” which won eight Tony Awards including one as best musical, the British chanteuse Sally Bowles establishes a problematic romantic relationship with the young American writer Cliff Bradshaw. Joel Grey portrayed the Kit Kat Klub’s diverting emcee with Liza Minnelli starring as Sally Bowles. The original production ran nearly three years and has remained popular in professional and regional theaters. “Cabaret” returned to Broadway in 1987 and 1998, the latter running twice as long as the original production. Listen to the original production’s Sally Bowles (Jill Haworth) perform the show’s title number. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RC4g4wkiN_I

Musical musings: “Cabaret” worked better in theory than in practice, the brilliant cabaret material offsetting the mundane romance (or the mundane romance sinking the brilliant cabaret material, take your pick). Either way, it sure was interesting, and (Harold) Prince was no longer a producer-who-wanted-to-direct but a director (who produced his own shows). – Stephen Suskin in More Opening Nights on Broadway 

 

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