Southampton - Center Stage at Southampton Cultural Center will open the doors of The Kit Kat Club on July 22 for 12 performances of John Kander and Fred Ebb's Tony and Oscar winning production of "Cabaret." Directed and choreographed by Michael Disher and musically directed by Robert Peterson, "Cabaret" will be performed through August 8 - Thursday through Saturday performances are at 8 p.m. and Sunday matinees are at 5 p.m.

"Cabaret" features a book by Joe Masteroff, lyrics by Fred Ebb, and music by John Kander. The 1966 Broadway production was a hit, producing 1,165 performances, and spawned a 1972 film as well as numerous subsequent productions.

It is based on John Van Druten's 1951 play "I Am a Camera," which in turn was adapted from the novel "Goodbye to Berlin" by Christopher Isherwood. Set in 1931 Berlin as the Nazis are rising to power, it focuses on nightlife at the seedy Kit Kat Klub and revolves around a young English cabaret performer (Sally Bowles) and her relationship with a young American writer (Clifford Bradshaw).

A sub-plot involves the doomed romance between German boarding house owner Fräulein Schneider and her elderly suitor Herr Schultz, a Jewish fruit vendor. Overseeing the action is the Master of Ceremonies (Emcee) at the Kit Kat Klub which serves as a constant metaphor for the current state of society in Weimar Germany throughout the show.

The 1987 revival script and score will be performed, which includes "Willkommen," "Don't Tell Mama," "Two Ladies, Sitting Pretty/Money," "Tomorrow Belongs To Me," "I Don't Care Much," "Married," "If You Could See Her Through My Eyes," "Don't Go" and, of course, "Cabaret."

Center Stage's production stars Erin McKenna as Sally Bowles, Jack Seabury as Emcee, Peter Connolly as Clifford Bradshaw, R. Kathryn Butterfield as Fraulein Schneider, Daniel Becker as Herr Schultz, Thomas Mistler as Ernst Ludwig and Rebecca Edana as Fraulein Kost.

The boys and girls of The Kit Kat Club include Anita Boyer, Vincent Carbone, Bethany Dellapolla, Adam Fronc, Shannon Gilson, Kasia Klimiuk, Christine Martinez, Edward Martinez, Thomas Pandolfo, Robert Peterson, Matthew Petrucci, Ken Rowland and Sophie Vanier.

"Cabaret" is suggested for mature audiences due to its content and subject matter and not recommended for young children.

Showtimes are Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m. and Sundays at 5 p.m. on the stage of The Levitas Center for the Arts, 25 Pond Lane, across from Agawam Park in Southampton Village. General admission is $25 and student rate (under 21 with ID) is $12. Ringside table seating (limited to 16 persons per performances) is $35. Group rates are available and reservations are encouraged. For tickets, call Southampton Cultural Center at 631-287-4377 or purchase tickets online at www.scc-arts.org.