In the musical, the song is performed by the character Sally Bowles in a night club setting in Weimar Germany in 1931.
[1] A review by Robert Feldberg on NorthJersey.com explains Michelle Williams' interpretation of the song in the 2014 Broadway revival in relation to the musical's plot:[2] Urging us to "come to the cabaret," it’s not with joy or defiance, but (as Natasha Richardson also performed it in 1998) with increasing fear and sorrow.
Unable to summon the strength to alter the course of her life, she breaks down.AllMusic wrote that the 1972 film "contains some definitive [Liza] Minnelli performances, particularly her rendition of the title song".
[3] Reviews of the 2014 Broadway revival included: The Guardian described the song as "the hardest scene in the show, so shopworn as to have long ago collapsed into kitsch".
[4] Broadway World wrote Michelle Williams's "version of the title song has a wrenching, dead-eyed quality that hauntingly undercuts its light lyrics".