Based on the 1951 play , Cabaret opened Nov. 20, 1966, at the Broadhurst Theatre with music by , lyrics by and a book by . The cast featured as Sally Bowles, as Herr Schultz, as Clifford Bradshaw, as Fraulein Schneider, as Fraulein Kost, Edward Winter as Ernst Ludwig and as the Master of Ceremonies.
New York Times theatre critic Walter Kerr deemed it a "stunning" musical and praised the score: "The John Kander-Fred Ebb tunes snatch up the melodic desperation of an era and make new, sprightly, high-voltage energy of it."
The production received 11 Tony Award nominations and won eight, including Best Musical and Best Score, and featured actors Grey and Murray took home awards for their work. The show went on to play 1,165 performances before closing Sept. 6, 1969, at the Broadway Theatre. A critically acclaimed revival currently plays Broadway's Studio 54.
