Pants worn by Joel Grey as the Emcee in Cabaret
Pants worn by Joel Grey as the Emcee in Cabaret
Usage conditions apply
- Description
- Joel Grey wore these tuxedo pants to portray the Emcee (Master of Ceremonies) in the 1972 movie version and 1987-1989 national tour of the musical Cabaret. The black polyester pants have a black velvet stripe down each leg and are attached to white suspenders. A white tag inside the pants reads "Barbara Matera, Ltd. New York".
- The musical Cabaret premiered on Broadway in 1966. With music by John Kander, lyrics by Fred Ebb, and book by Joe Masteroff, the show was an adaptation of John Van Druten's 1951 play I Am a Camera, which itself was based on Christopher Isherwood's 1939 memoir Goodbye to Berlin. Cabaret is the story of love triangle centered around Berlin's Kit Kat Klub amidst the decadence, corruption, and political intrigue of the Weimar Republic era. The musical was celebrated for its originality, but was also controversial for its moral ambiguity, frank sensuality, and mature themes, including homosexuality, abortion, anti-semitism, and the rise of the Nazi party. In 1972, director Bob Fosse adapted Cabaret as a critically- lauded and popular film.
- For his performances as the impish, leering Emcee in both the stage and film productions, Grey won the Tony Award for Best Supporting Actor in a Broadway Musical in 1967 and Oscar for Best Supporting Actor in 1972.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- Object Name
- pants
- date made
- before 1972
- wearer
- Grey, Joel
- maker
- Barbara Matera Ltd.
- place made
- United States: New York, New York City
- Physical Description
- polyester (overall material)
- velvet (details material)
- Measurements
- overall: 40 1/2 in x 17 1/2 in; 102.87 cm x 44.45 cm
- ID Number
- 1989.0374.02
- accession number
- 1989.0374
- catalog number
- 1989.0374.02
- Credit Line
- Joel Grey
- subject
- Movie
- Music
- LGBTQ Rights
- LGBTQ
- Gay Rights
- Musical Theater
- See more items in
- Culture and the Arts: Entertainment
- Popular Entertainment
- Movies
- Movie Collection
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
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