Recorded: Sunday, June 30, 2024
Find all upcoming Museum at Eldridge Street programming at www.eldridgestreet.org/events
Another installment of our Cinema Chats series!
"Cabaret" (1972) is an iconic film which won Academy Awards for best directing (Bob Fosse), best actress in a leading role (Liza Minnelli), and best actor in a supporting role (Joel Grey), as well as cinematography and production design. Based in 1931 Berlin, the plot follows Minelli's character, American cabaret singer Sally Bowles, who meets British academic Brian Roberts (Michael York) who is finishing his university studies. The pair become lovers, but both soon fall for newcomer Maximilian von Heune (Helmut Griem), a wealthy and decadent playboy. This love triangle plays out against the rise of the Nazi party and the collapse of the Weimar Republic.
We were honored to be joined by award- winning actor, Steven Skybell, who is currently starring as Herr Schultz, a Jewish fruit vendor who falls in love with boarding house owner Fräulein Schneider, in the Broadway revival of "Cabaret." Together, Skybell and Cinema Chats moderator Lucy Shahar led us in a discussion about the film from an acting perspective.
Steven Skybell is currently starring as Herr Schultz in the Broadway revival of "Cabaret." Skybell won the 2019 Lortel Award for best performance by an actor for his portrayal of Tevye in "Fiddler on the Roof in Yiddish," directed by Joel Grey. Other Broadway credits include "Wicked," "Pal Joey," "Fiddler on the Roof," "The Full Monty," "Love Valour Compassion," "Café Crown," and "Ah, Wilderness." Recent engagements include a Carnegie Hall solo debut in an evening of Yiddish songs from the Holocaust and his Lyric Opera of Chicago debut as Tevye in Barrie Kosky’s celebrated "Fiddler" from the Komische Oper Berlin. In addition to his extensive theater career, Skybell has many TV and film credits.
Thumbnail Image Credit: "Cabaret" movie poster (1972).