Cabaret is a form of theatrical entertainment that features music, song, dance, recitation, or drama. The performance venue might be a pub, a casino, a hotel, or a nightclub where patrons sit at tables. Cabaret shows are generally held in a casual setting with a small audience, which allows the performer to engage with the audience. Cabaret is defined by its atmosphere rather than its staging, and it is less about the songs and more about what the songs have meant to the performer, how they have shaped the performer, and how the performer has shaped them. Cabaret shows are usually made up of songs punctuated by the performer telling stories about their life.
Cabarets had appeared in Paris by at least the late 15th century, and they were distinguished from taverns because they served food as well as wine, the table was covered with a cloth, and the price was charged by the plate, not the mug. Cabarets were not particularly associated with entertainment even if musicians sometimes performed in both. Early on, cabarets were considered better than taverns, and by the end of the sixteenth century, they were the preferred place to dine out.
In the United States, striptease, burlesque, drag shows, or a solo vocalist with a pianist, as well as the venues which offer this entertainment, are often advertised as cabarets. Nowadays, many cabaret shows of popular "cabaretiers" (performers of cabaret) are broadcast on national television, especially on New Years Eve, when several special cabaret shows are aired where the cabaretier usually reflects on large events of the past year.
Cabaret has a rich history, and it has been associated with various political and literary movements. For example, the German cabarets were usually located in old cellars, and they were the centers of leftist opposition to the rise of the German Nazi Party and often experienced Nazi retaliation for their criticism of the government. Comparable cabarets thrived in Barcelona, Kraków, Moscow, and St. Petersburg during the 20th century. Tristan Tzara’s Cabaret Voltaire in Zürich (1916–17) was the breeding ground of Dada, a platform for radical experimentation in poetry, fine art, and music. The English cabaret had its roots in the taproom concerts given in city taverns during the 18th and 19th centuries.
In summary, cabaret is a form of theatrical entertainment that features music, song, dance, recitation, or drama, and it is defined by its atmosphere rather than its staging. Cabaret shows are usually held in a casual setting with a small audience, which allows the performer to engage with the audience. Cabaret has a rich history, and it has been associated with various political and literary movements.
