“The whole theme is dichotomy,” Kilpatrick said.

“Everyone (in the cast) is at least playing two characters.

“The costumes are designed to switch and show one side, which is tramped up, hair pulled back, and then the other side, which is completely different. It’s very cool.”

The MSU Department of Theatre’s production of the musical “Cabaret” opens tonight at 7:30 p.m. in Wharton Center’s Fairchild Theatre.

The original Broadway production opened in 1966 and was set in a mangy club on the eve of the Nazis’ ascension to power in Germany.

Several versions of the script have been published since, but assistant theater professor and director Rob Roznowski said the original was used for this production.

“I think what was kind of amazing about that show was that it was so far ahead of its time,” Roznowski said. “It’s not just a regular musical; it’s a concept musical. They have regular book scenes, then (musical) numbers are brought in to comment on the scene.

“It was already pretty sophisticated for its time, and it still speaks to audiences.”

One of Roznowski’s directorial decisions was to use a smaller cast. Only 11 students were cast, and each will play at least two roles.

Roznowski also had to cast students proficient in three categories: Acting, dancing and singing.

“There’s the idea that you have to be flexible as singers, actors and dancers,” he said.

“We’re treating it like more of a play than a musical. We want actors that can also sing and dance, so sometimes it’s difficult to find the right person.”

Dancing was the challenge for arts and humanities sophomore Elizabeth Ciolek, who will play the character Ernst as her main role.

“I can’t dance to save my life,” Ciolek said.

“The choreographer Mark Ruhala (owner of Ruhala Performing Arts Center) was amazing … I think I’m better than I was, but I still have a long way to go in terms of actual dancing. For the show, at least, we’re all really good at the steps.”

Theater junior Michelle Meredith shared her castmate’s views on dance, but her biggest challenge was justifying her character’s actions.

That can be difficult when you’re portraying a Nazi hooker, she said.

“Even if you wouldn’t personally agree with them, you had to come up with justifiable actions,” Meredith said.

“Why is she (sabotaging) a budding romance? Why does she have sex for a living? You have to try to relate to it on a surface level at the very least.”

The cast was finalized in April and the actors have been researching their characters since.

Rehearsals started at the beginning of the semester, and after four hours a night and five days a week, Kilpatrick said everyone feels like a family.

“We’ve all seen each other at their worst, sweating, dealing with the chores … then (we’ve also seen) the days it’s flowing, wonderful and exciting,” she said.

“It’s really one of the most amazing groups of people. It sort of feels like coming home.”