Costume worn by Joel Grey in Cabaret: Museum Object and Cultural History
Costume worn by Joel Grey in Cabaret: user: Grey, Joel. Object Name: Costume worn by Joel Grey in Cabaret. Object Name: costume.
The object in the museum catalogue
Costume comprised of pieces of costumes worn by Joel Grey in the original 1966 production, 1972 film, and the 1987 tour of the show Cabaret. Grey played the Emcee (Master of Ceremonies) at the Kit Kat Klub.
The musical Cabaret premiered on Broadway in 1966. With music by John Kander, lyrics by Fred Ebb, and book by Joe Masteroff, the show was an adaptation of John Van Druten's 1951 play I Am a Camera, which itself was based on Christopher Isherwood's 1939 memoir Goodbye to Berlin. Cabaret is the story of love triangle centered around Berlin's Kit Kat Klub amidst the decadence, corruption, and political intrigue of the Weimar Republic era. The musical was celebrated for its originality, but was also controversial for its moral ambiguity, frank sensuality, and mature themes, including homosexuality, abortion, anti-semitism, and the rise of the Nazi party. In 1972, director Bob Fosse adapted Cabaret as a critically- lauded and popular film.
For his performances as the impish, leering Emcee in both the stage and film productions, Grey won the Tony Award for Best Supporting Actor in a Broadway Musical in 1967 and Oscar for Best Supporting Actor in 1972.
Materials, dates and provenance
- user: Grey, Joel
- Object Name: Costume worn by Joel Grey in Cabaret
- Object Name: costume
- Subject: Theater
- Subject: Musical Theater
- ID Number: COLL.CABARET.000001
- Data Source: National Museum of American History
Sources and reuse
Catalogue descriptions and facts adapted from National Museum of American History through the Smithsonian's official Open Access dataset. This record explicitly marks its metadata CC0 1.0; formatting and selection have been changed.
Sources
More in Stage & Theatre
Keep reading
