Cabaret - the song (possible spoiler?)

Do you mean how she decides to have the abortion, or how the song shows it? Or do you mean like... that she decides simply within the course of the song and you're looking for the specific moment of decision?

---

I think the question is if she simply decides it then and there... which I'm not really sure I think she does. Shortly before the title song, she and Cliff have a fight -- she's afraid the baby may not even be Cliff's, but rather that it's Max's. That's certainly not the only reason, but it's the one on the top of my head right now.

---

I just put the song on right now.

What I'm coming up with is that she's singing about how "life is a Cabaret," and we should cover up the bad stuff, hoping to overlook it and instead see a big party.

You could be very right about the drastic change in emotion -- which seems to happen after she talks about Elsie (who the "happiest corpse" line is in reference to), because Elsie is the one who gives said advice. Maybe the change in emotion is because Sally realizes that things are not this way; it's not so simple. And even though she realizes that life is not in fact a Cabaret, she must still sing this song about how it's so.

Just my two cents. To tell you the truth, I've never really thought about it. One of those things that's very open to interpretion, I think.

---

Updated On: 10/23/05 at 09:45 PM

That she is.

---

Kander & Ebb have indeed said before that Sally decides to abort the baby during this song, I mean this song is sort of "Sally's Turn," one of those flawless nervous breakdown musical theatre numbers. Yes, John Kander said in an interview that in the Elsie portion, Sally sort of realizes what is going on, and that she is not ready to give up her dream of being an actress, that she does not want to take responsibilities, and that she needs to live a life of celebration, sort of a Hedonistic philosophy. That's why at the end she says, "Start by admitting from cradle to tomb, it isn't that long a stay," this shows the carpe diem theme of the song. I think it's sort of the director's choice whether it is implied that she decides to get the abortion during this number.

---

Yeah, I always thought that she had just had the abortion right before she got to the club to sing. Then as she sings the song she is convincing herself that what she did was right. Or something like that. But since there's nothing specific in the script, it's open to interpretation.

I'v e always look at it as the song is where she realizes that she had made up her mind already. "I made my mind up back in chealsea" she had promised herself long before that she wasn't gonna be held back.

---