Ukrainian Cabaret: a sensation
Since the Broadway musical Cabaret premiered in its new camp Ukrainian interpretation in Kyiv in late 2023, it has been getting the spotlight in its home country. After seeing snippets of the show online, many people in Ukraine try to get their hands on the tickets so desperately that the seats are always sold out.
Ukraine theater: After receiving the Broadway license, Ukrainian Cabaret premiered in December 2023 in Kyiv. Photo: Molodyy Theater
The popularity of the Ukrainian Cabaret grew even more. Many TikTok videos from the performances got millions of views and became viral globally. This spurred even more TikToks, where fans from different countries cosplay as Cabaret characters, particularly the Emcee, played by Ukrainian actor Illia Choporov. TikTok creators recreate his original makeup from the show, and Reddit users are asking where to watch the Ukrainian Cabaret in full online.
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With this unprecedented success, Cabaret became the most popular show of its theater, the Kyiv National Academic Molodyy Theater. This craze is understandable, considering how much effort, love, and money the Ukrainian Cabaret creators put into their vision of the musical. Taking the 1987 version of the original Cabaret as a foundation, the team spent much of 2023 translating the play, developing choreography, casting actors, and more to get hold of the license.
Director Olena Koliadenko brought three choreographers and 17 dancers from her ballet troupe Freedom Ballet, a famed Ukrainian modern dance collective, to create dance numbers. Her team cast eight actors, hired a 13-musician orchestra conducted by Dmytro Saratskyi to accompany the musical, and involved 38 backstage crew members.
Costume designer Dariia Bila created 100 original costumes for the characters of the play. All this work made the Ukrainian Cabaret one of the most expensive and ambitious projects for the Molodyy Theater.
What Cabaret is about and why it's relevant in Ukraine now
Ukraine theater: Ukrainian Cabaret struck a chord with audiences. Photo: Molodyy Theater
Another substantial reason for Cabaret's success in Ukraine is the themes it raises. Set in 1930s Germany, the musical tells the story of an American writer, Cliff Bradshaw, who arrives in Berlin for inspiration. He soon falls in love with Sally Bowles, a free-spirited flapper at the Kit Kat Club, a hedonistic nightclub where locals flock to escape the reality of Nazi rule.
The Emcee, a charismatic host, leads the club's provocative shows, which provide the distraction audiences crave. He also ironically comments on bitter truths and dangers of Nazis and their ideology. While Berlin citizens descend deeper into fear, the club clings to its decadent delusion, until reality becomes impossible to ignore.
Ukraine theater: The story of an older couple, Herr Schultz, a Jewish fruit seller, and Fraulein Schneider, his landlady, represents the spread of antisemitism in Germany. Photo: Molodyy Theater
War in Europe and the rise of fascism? Far-right politics and apolitical people who refuse to accept the reality surrounding them? Sounds familiar. In the 21st century, history repeats itself: we witness fascism again.
Russia, a new fascist state, launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Its citizens, if not cheering for the war, stay out of politics, supporting it with their silence and indifference. Some Europeans are similarly apolitical, surprised that the war is still ongoing in 2025. Far-right parties try to scratch their way to the top in European countries — some fail, and some succeed.
When Cliff, worried about Germany and how it changes under Nazis, says to apolitical Sally, "If you're not against them, then you are with them," Cabaret feels more relevant than ever. It resonates with Ukrainian audiences because it reminds them of the dangers of being passive during political upheaval and war and the importance of compassion, resilience, and fighting for true freedom.
Perfect pairing of Molodyy Theater and Cabaret
Ukraine theater: The play Love Island is based on the work of Ukrainian writers Marko Vovchok and Oleksandr Oles. Photo: Molodyy Theater
Molodyy Theater in Kyiv, known for its wide range of shows and for hiring young directors with fresh and progressive ideas, was an excellent match for Cabaret. The theater was actually born out of the desire to build something new and unique and bring Ukrainian theatrical art to the world level.
In 1916, the Molodyy Theater began as a small studio of actors whose performances were so successful that they eventually led to the theater's founding. Les Kurbas, an iconic Ukrainian director, oversaw the theater to create the Ukrainian acting school and new Ukrainian theater, which would rival the best in Europe.
Today's Molodyy Theater continues this legacy with its original plays and experimental spin on classical works from the world and Ukrainian literature, like The Overcoat, Simulants (based on Moliere's play), Dangerous Liaisons, Shafa, Love Island, and Comedy of Errors. The Molodyy, with fresh and relevant work, speaks to the audiences and brings Ukraine's theater to the European cultural scene, but the Ukrainian Cabaret and its success make it global.
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