At Goshen Theater from Oct. 18-26, the featured show will take you back in time to 1930s Germany, where the Cabaret musical takes place.

Leif Billings ’25, and Brenton Abram-Copenhaver, Goshen College’s technical director, were casted of the cast of the Cabaret production at Goshen Theater.

Cabaret showcases the story of an American writer, Cliff Bradshaw, who traveled to Berlin, Germany to work on his novel. Throughout the musical, themes of the rise of Nazis, escapism and love are portrayed.

The message of the show leaves the audience thinking about the world today.

Billings said, “It’s a heavy show. There are elements of the story that pertain to a lot of things we’re seeing going on right now in the U.S.,” he said, “even though Cabaret is set in 1930s Germany.”

Abram-Copenhaver said that the message of the musical concerns the people’s lack of motion during the rise of authoritarianism under the Nazis. “When the world starts to break around you and your senses; your values are being challenged,” he said, “You don’t feel like there’s anything that you can do about it, or it seems like the forces are too big, so a lot of people bury their heads in the sand.”

Billings has been involved with Goshen Theater since 2022 when he was a sophomore at GC and has been in several productions since, including “She Kills Monsters” and “Untitled Project: A New Musical”.

This year for Cabaret, Billings joined later on after rehearsals had already begun.

He was called to see if he could fill in for a few roles, like Victor, a Cabaret boy; Customs Official; and Max, owner of the Kit Kat Club.

During his time at GC, Billings had the opportunity to take on larger roles with theater productions. “Having a few smaller roles within the same show is really cool and really important for me,” he said. “As a growing actor, you need to figure out how to switch styles between characters because they have different personalities and backgrounds.”

Abram-Copenhaver plays Ernst Ludwig, who befriends the lead character, Cliff. He has an unexpected background and identity. “Whenever you’re going to play a ‘villain,’ the challenge and the goal is to humanize that person,” he said. “Bad people think that they are doing the right thing, but maybe they’re doing the wrong thing for the right reasons.”

The characters that Billings plays show many differences in personality. He said that it can be difficult to switch between characters, but he finds it almost natural to make those transitions and immerse himself into his roles.

Starting with one of the Cabaret boys, Victor, “He’s very flamboyant and outgoing, quite a sexual character,” Billings said. “He’s a cabaret dancer, so there’s part of it that he has a passion for his job and this art from dancing.”

Billings said, “[Customs Official] is what some people would look at as your stereotypical stout German.” This role is a firm character who follows and makes sure that everyone follows the rules. “He’s very stoic, rule following, making sure you’re in line and things go efficiently,” he said. “He’s also got a decent amount of lines in German.”

Max, owner of the Kit Kat Club is the final character that Billings plays in the show. “He’s not the main bad guy, but he’s a bad enough guy that takes genuine effort for me to reach out and connect with this character,” he said, “I’ve found that to be very interesting and fun to figure out.”

Cabaret will perform from Oct. 23-25 at 7:30 p.m. and on Sunday, Oct. 26 at 2:30 p.m.