All the songs in ‘Cabaret’ on Broadway

Kander and Ebb’s outstanding score remains timeless in the latest revival of the classical musical, currently starring Adam Lambert and Auli'i Cravalho.

Music makes the world go ’round. That’s definitely the case in John Kander and Fred Ebb’s Cabaret, a landmark 1966 musical with an extraordinary, Tony Award-winning score. Catchy melodies and rhythms and spiky lyrics perfectly complement Joe Masteroff’s bracing book.

Set in 1929-30 Berlin, the show focuses on the world and patrons of the decadent Kit Kat Club, which get tangled in the dangers beyond its walls as World War II is about to erupt. Now on Broadway at the August Wilson Theatre, the venue has been transformed into an immersive nightclub setting in director Rebecca Frecknall’s revival.

Adam Lambert and Auli’i Cravalho are currently making their Broadway debuts as the club's Emcee and performer Sally Bowles. Before you see them, get to know more about what the cast is singing. And don’t just sit alone in your room — go hear the musical play at Cabaret.

The song list for Cabaret has changed slightly with each major production. The below roundup lists the songs included in the 2024 Broadway revival.

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“Willkommen”

“Willkommen, bienvenue, welcome!” This vibrant and unsettling number introduces the Kit Kat Club and pulls the audience into its decadence and danger, a vibe that reflects the era’s political tensions.

As Kander (composer) and Ebb (lyricist) juxtapose glamour and political peril, gaslighting sounds ominously beautiful when the emcee and Kit Kat performers sing, “We have no troubles here. Here life is beautiful.” (It really isn’t.)

“Welcome to Berlin”

The Emcee repeats his welcome. Listen carefully: When he sings, “Happy to see you, bleibe, reste, stay,” it seems like more of an order than an invitation. Fitting, considering where the musical is headed.

“So What”

Elderly German landlady Fraulein Schneider sings this song to new tenant Cliff Bradshaw, an American novelist soon to be wrapped up in the Kit Kat Club. The moody, magnetic tune expresses her outlook on life – and how survival depends on resilience and rolling with the punches.

“So What” captures the conflict between joy and despair: “For the sun will rise and the moon will set, and you learn how to settle for what you get. It will all go on if we're here or not. So who cares? So what?”

“Don’t Tell Mama”

“Mama thinks I’m living in a convent,” belts English performer Sally Bowles, the so-called "Toast of Mayfair," from the stage at the Kit Kat Club. “Mama doesn’t even have an inkling that I’m working in a nightclub.”

This lively song reminds you that what you see isn’t always what you get with rebellious Sally, who seeks to be carefree in a chaotic world.

“Mein Herr”

Introduced in the Oscar-winning 1972 Cabaret film adaptation starring Liza Minnelli as Sally, the song later joined the Broadway score in the 1998, 2014, and current revival. In this number about romantic power dynamics, Sally performs at the Club and offers her autobiography, saying she’s a tiger who’ll never change her stripes.

“So I do what I do. When I’m through, then I’m through. And I'm through, toodle-oo.” The tempo is upbeat; the lyrics sting. That divide defines Sally, who’s torn between independence and intimacy.

“Perfectly Marvelous”

The playful, jazzy duet between Sally and Cliff captures the tension between appearance and reality in 1930s Berlin. It also explores the ability to mask deeper emotions.

“Two Ladies”

Rules don’t apply at the Kit Kat Club, and that point is the core of this song about a threesome. The Emcee and a couple of Kit Kat girls gleefully belt "Two Ladies" in frisky fashion: “We switch partners daily to play as we please. Twosie beats onesie." The number conveys the hedonistic atmosphere of 1930s Berlin.

“It Couldn’t Please Me More”

In perhaps the show’s sweetest interlude, Fraulein Schneider and fruit seller Herr Schultz share their growing affections and marvel at an extravagant gift he gives her. It’s not diamonds or pearls, but a pineapple. It’s delicious and down-to-earth, like their growing feelings jeopardized by rising Nazism.

“Tomorrow Belongs to Me”

Sung by the Emcee, the number sounds like a lullaby of nationalism and hope, but it lands with the weight and dread of a grenade. Kander and Ebb’s serene melody and lyrics contrast with the ominous subtext, symbolizing the rise of fascism in 1930s Germany.

"Fatherland, show us the sign your children have waited to see," the tune goes. "The morning will come when the world is mine. Tomorrow belongs to me."

“Maybe This Time”

Another big Sally number written for the movie, “Maybe This Time” expresses her longing for love and hope amid disappointment. The poignant lyrics reflect her desire for a lasting connection, contrasting her usual reckless, disinterested persona.

“Lady Peaceful, Lady Happy. That's what I long to be,” she declares, heart on her sleeve. She wants to make a change, but the world is shifting in another direction.

“Money”

Accompanied by Kit Kat performers, the Emcee critiques people's obsession with wealth and its corrupting influence. The rollicking tune contrasts with its dark lyrics, revealing how money drives desires, relationships, politics, and more.

“Married”

"See a palace rise from a two-room flat due to one little word: 'married,'" Herr Schultz sings to Fraulein Schneider as their relationship develops. "You don't think it would be better simply to go on as bеfore?," she sings in response.

This hauntingly beautiful number, in which Fraulein Kost, a prostitute in the boarding house, also shares her two cents, reminds audiences that change can be frightening. Especially in the landscape of 1930 Berlin.

"Tomorrow Belongs to Me (Reprise)"

In a dramatic example of doubling down for the Act 1 finale, the song is repeated to directly indicate the political situation. Fraulein Kost and Ernst Ludwig, a German smuggler who befriended Cliff when he arrived in Berlin, lead the reprise, openly revealing itself as a Nazi rallying cry.

“Kick Line”

The Act 2 opener reminds us not everything in the Kit Kat Klub is beautiful after all. The number begins with the Emcee and Kit Kats performing a kickline, but the playfulness turns deadly serious as the number turns into military-style goose-stepping.

“If You Could See Her”

Nearly six decades after the Broadway premiere of Cabaret, the Emcee's jaunty and slyly jagged number still gets gasps from the audience at its conclusion. Amid modern anti-Semitism, the tune’s satirical take on love and prejudice is very topical.

“What Would You Do”

The song title is a question Fraulein Schneider asks herself as she considers her future with Herr Schultz, whose Jewish faith puts him and her, if she were his wife, at risk. “With a storm in the wind, what would you do?” The endearing couple’s engagement doesn’t stand a chance.

“I Don’t Care Much”

Despite Cliff’s desire for Sally to leave Berlin with him and go to America, she resists. “So if you kiss me. If we touch. Warning's fair. I don't care very much,” the Emcee sings, commenting on the situation in this melancholy song etched with resignation.

“Cabaret”

“Come hear the music play! Life is a cabaret, old chum,” sings Sally, who’s chosen to bury her head in the sand and ignore the fascism inside and outside the club. The song’s upbeat melody contrasts chillingly with its darker themes.

“Finale”

The scene begins with Cliff remembering his time in Berlin: “I was dancing with Sally Bowles and we were both fast asleep.” Eventually, the strains of “Willkommen” come up, leading to an image that is the stuff of nightmares. That's the point — Cabaret entertains with its beautifully crafted songs, but also leaves audiences with a warning.

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Photo credit: Cabaret on Broadway. (Photos by Julieta Cervantes and Marc Brenner)