City Opera Vancouver will present the world premiere of the political satire BERLIN: The Last Cabaret (BERLIN) from January 23-26, 2020 at Performance Works. Set in Nazi Germany on July 13, 1934, the darkly humorous production takes place the day of Adolf Hitler's national broadcast claiming responsibility for the "Night of the Long Knives" - a horrific political purge and extrajudicial execution of more than 85 members of the Sturmabteilung (SA). Directed and co-created by Alan Corbishley, in association with Sound the Alarm: Music/Theatre (soundthealarm.ca), and presented with the PuSh International Performing Arts Festival, BERLIN follows an underground cabaret troupe as they decide whether their love of creative and social freedom is worth the ultimate price. The production is City Opera's first appearance in the PuSh Festival.
"Responding to growing xenophobia, continued homophobia, and the bending of truth into alternative facts in the United States and at home, this work is an artistic call-to-action and poignant reminder that the atrocities in human history may yet come again," says Charles Barber, Artistic Director of City Opera. "BERLIN: The Last Cabaret is a tribute to the art and culture of the Weimar Republic, which saw extraordinary developments in the areas of gender studies, gay and lesbian rights, women's rights, and so much more. With the Republic's collapse, and the rise of Hitler's propaganda machine, a nation was forced to believe a platform of lies. We explore that moment of transition, consider how fascism creeps into our lives, and ask what one would do when faced with the choice to stand and fight - or flee for safety." A fusion of cabaret and theatre, BERLIN opens with a group of artists learning of a major government announcement. Capitalizing on the moment, the cabaret troupe of five singers decides to throw out their standard musical program in favour of a work of political satire called The Front Page. The new line-up challenges state media, calls out the Nazi classification of gay individuals as "degenerates," and includes parodic inflection that women are being marginalized - again - under the new regime. But when the evening post arrives with the explosive news that Hitler ordered the recent "Night of the Long Knives" massacre to stomp out dissent and further solidify his power, the artists must decide to continue with their artistic voices, or save themselves.City Opera Vancouver & PuSh International Performing Arts Festival present BERLIN: The Last Cabaret
January 23-25, 2020 at 8pm
January 26, 2020 at 2pm
Post-Show Talkbacks: January 23-25
Ticket Price:$44.50 including fees
Performance Works
1218 Cartwright St
Vancouver, BC V6H 3R8
pushfestival.ca/shows/berlin-the-last-cabaret
Website:cityoperavancouver.com
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