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Berlin. 1931. At the unseemly Kit Kat Club, youthful entertainer Sally Bowles falls for American author Cliff Bradshaw, who arrives in Germany in search of his next novel, and finds something entirely different. Meanwhile, right outside the doors, The Nazi Party is silently on the rise.

Frederick. 2010. Actors, dancers, singers and students with The 24-7 Musical Theatre Factory — the stage branch of the Frederick dance studio — prepare to bring the aforementioned scenario to vivid life when they revive the Kander & Ebb musical classic "Cabaret" this weekend at The Weinberg Center for the Arts.

Co-director and producer Gina Korrell came to the project after original show runner, Frederick theatre legend Bill Morris, took medical leave.

"Bill picked this show at the beginning of the year," she said. "It was already on the calendar for this summer, and already advertised – so I came in."

Featuring a cast of 19, ranging in age from 13 to18, the show is the end-game for a 24-7 summer theatre program.

"We have all of our costumes. I designed the set. And we are surprisingly ahead of schedule," said Korrell. "We're really excited about the progress we've made. We're almost through Act One. Act Two is already finished — we just have to run it. But we're really excited. We have a strong, talented cast and, of course, Joe Mannarino – who's directing. He's a veteran of the Musical Theatre Factory, which is a big plus."

Mannarino, previously co-director for the studio's "Fame" and "High School Musical," has worked closely with William Morris and the Musical Theatre Factory for many years.

"Since I was 14, when I was a freshman in high school," he said. "The last two years, I've interned with the company. This year is the first that I've taken over the running of a show."

Currently studying at Clark University, the director plans to transfer to the New England Conservatory of Music in the fall. His experience with 24/7 and the Musical Theatre Factory has prepared him in many ways for his future studies, as well as for his current, newfound role of teacher.

"This has been a great camp," said Mannarino (the son of James Mannarino, president/publisher of The Gazette). "The kids are awesome. I've been able to impart a lot of what I've learned over the years. It's nice, because I'm young enough that I'm still friends with many of the students, but I'm old enough that I'm able to teach them some of what I've learned."

As musical enthusiasts may know, two distinct versions of "Cabaret" exist – the original stage play, which debuted on Broadway in 1966, and Bob Fosse's 1972 motion picture starring Liza Minnelli in an iconic performance.

"For this camp, we're doing the stage version – the Broadway revival version of ‘Cabaret,' which starred Alan Cumming as the emcee, who was later replaced by Neil Patrick Harris," said Mannarino.

Similar to the absence of certain subplots and characters in the film, the stage version is remiss of certain show-stopping tunes that have, over the years, become synonymous with "Cabaret," said Mannarino. Because of this, efforts were made to insert songs like "Maybe This Time," and "Mein Herr' into the 24-7 staging.

"They're some of the most classic pieces," Mannarino said. "Our first act is very long, and the second act is relatively short. It just flies by. So we've been able to add ‘Mein Herr' to the beginning of that act and spruce it up a bit."

Perhaps the most daring alteration is Korrell and Mannarino's casting of a female in the role of the emcee. Felicia Lobo now joins a legacy launched by Joel Grey in the sixties, portraying the master of ceremonies.

"With this being a youth production, we had to be really cautious," said Mannarino, alluding to the emcee's traditionally risqué nature. "We didn't want it to be overtly sexual. By making the emcee a female, it solved that in a really cool way."

Now, he said, the emcee serves more to mirror a subplot involving German boarding house owner Fraulein Schneider and Jewish vendor Herr Schultz – and the effect of Nazi Germany on the tragic couple.

It's an element Mannarino hopes audiences embrace when the curtain goes up Saturday. Life's been "Cabaret" for the last few weeks – and life, it would appear, is good.

"Having worked for years and years with this company, I can say what amazing shape we're in," said Mannarino. "We've only had a three week production – and when you take out auditions and classes, we've more or less only been working on the show steadily for two to three hours a day for the past two weeks. Now we're in the process of adding costumes and lights and sets. We're really putting the polish on things now, and we're excited to have so much time to work on it. It's a really wonderful, talented group of actors. They're all very close and are working very hard to put the show together."

‘Cabaret'

When: 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. Saturday

Where: The Weinberg Center for the Arts, 20 W. Patrick St., Frederick

Tickets: $15

For information: 301-600-2828

www.weinbergcenter.org

www.24-7dancestudio.com