Is That All There Is?
*It is near closing time at the Klub. The large crowds of the early evening that had swelled in earlier to avoid the cold have more or less gone home to the warmths of their nightly pick-ups or to sleep it off for the inevitable hang-overs of the following morning. All that remains is the usual group of regulars and sleepy drunks. A few of the whores walking the Boulevard have drifted in to save themselves from the blustery, wet snow falling outside. They stand in the back of the bar, forlornly nursing on their drinks.
A band of sailors drift in through the door, slamming their already drunken bodies against the bar counter demanding a round of Schnapps. The whores circle around hungrily, instantly picking out their boys. The mood begins to raise itself from its slump as the noise level in the Klub is raised markedly by the rowdy customers. A group of heavily made up gay boys in slim fitting suits wander in, laughing, paired up and as drunk as the group of sailors. They wander over to a pair of transvestites sitting in one of the booths and light up thick, sweet-smelling gold colored cigarettes. The late night crowd has arrived.
The lights dim down, a deep blood red light reflects off the broken-down mirror ball casting around diamond shapes of blood red.
Two darkened figures step from behind the curtains, slowly stalking towards the edge of the stage. A slow, ominous melody drifts from the girl in the deep red dress playing the accordion. Her hair is slicked back in a sharp angle emphasizing her strong jawline. She wears blood red lipstick and black boots that end at her knees. Her dress, at closer inspection is worn and frayed around the sleeves and at its hem. The sleeves end below her elbows and the hem ends above her knees, like a child's dress she's recently grown out of.
She sidles up to the microphone, growling, yet in a girlish voice*
"I remember when I was a little girl, my mother set our house on fire. She was like that.
I'll never forget the look on my father's face as he dragged me through the burning building out to the pavement.
I stood there shivering in my pajamas and watched the whole world go up in flames.
And when it was all over I said to myself,
'Is that all there is to a fire?'"
Nita's blonde counterpart steps out of the shadows now: Fritzie, dressed up in all the trashy elegance she could amass from the dregs on the floors of the back rooms. She hovers over Nita's shoulder, looming ominously like a vampire in the old silent films about to devour her victim body and soul. Their faces are close as her voice joins that of her co-star for the chorus.
Is that all there is?
Is that all there is?
If that's all there is, my friends,
Then let's keep dancing.
Let's break out the booze
And have a ball
If that's all there is.
Now Fritzie steps around Nita, lingeringly caressing the other woman's waist in the process, with an audible, snarling little purr in her ear. Looking out at the audience, Fritzie's mask of decadent, haughty indifference and frustration makes the paste and glass costume jewelry she wears look absolutely genuine as she takes each piece off one by one during the verse and throws it here and there, sending them all skidding on the stage floor.
Fritzie's voice parts from Nita's and she continues in a husky growl,
"And when I was sixteen years old I went to my first cabaret, I was really excited,
and there were bored looking bankers dancing with beautiful chorus girls, and there were boys with dyed hair
and lipstick dancing with each other. And as I sat there watching, I felt as though something was missing...I dunno what.
But when I headed home, I said to myself: "IS THAT ALL THERE IS TO A CABARET?!'"
Together again for the chorus, Fritzie slings an arm around Nita's middle and curls herself to conform to Nita's back. NIta sidles up close to Fritzie, pushing her knee in between the other girls' legs suggestively.
Is that all there is?
Is that all there is?
If that's all there is, my friends,
Then let's keep dancing.
Let's break out the booze
And have a ball
If that's all there is.
They part, each lightly shoving the other away with a dirty smirk.
Fritzie turns to the audience, cynically grinning.
"Then I fell in love with the most wonderful boy in Berlin.
We would take long walks down by the river, and he'd beat me black and blue and I loved it.
I'd of killed for that guy. Then one day, Peter went away.
And I thought I'd die, but I didn't.
And when I didn't, I said to myself,
'Is that all there is to love?'"
Nita joins her in the chorus, her girlish voice gone and growing to a husky growl to match her co-star's.
Is that all there is?
Is that all there is?
If that's all there is, my friends,
Then let's keep dancing.
Let's break out the booze and have a ball,
if that's all...there...is!
Fritzie's clothes, such as they are, come off the same way her jewelry did, flimsy garment by flimsy garment, like the next verse causes her to lose more and more hope with each word as it leaves Nita's mouth, until there's nothing left and she's standing there, entirely nude and despairing. Some of the sailors hoot and holler but it's tired-sounding, like it's done by rote.
Nita turns to the crowd, gesturing at the naked girl at her side. She is her other, yet entirely separate. The girl at her side stands, revealing herself naked to the jeers of the audience. The audience grows uncomfortably silent, as if embarrassed by its earlier rowdiness. Instead of suggestiveness, the girl in front of them stands fully exposed. A flawed and nude human being alone on the stage and battered like a naked plaything tossed to the gutter. Nita growls contemptuously as she speaks to the audience, gesturing at Fritzie...
"I know what you must be saying to yourselves.
'If that's the way she feels about it why doesn't she just slit her throat and shut up?'
Oh, no. Not me. I'm not ready for that kind of a come down.
For I know just as well as I'm standing here talking at you,
when that final moment comes and I'm breathing my last breath,
I'll be saying to myself..."
Is that all there is?
Is that all there is?
If that's all there is, my friends,
Then let's keep dancing.
Let's break out the booze
And have a ball
If that's all there is.
The two women dance around each other in a lazy figure 8 pattern, Nita playing away at her accordion and Fritzie's hands catching once in a while at her dress as they circle and turn and their singing gets throaty, labored.
Is that all there is?
Is that all there is?
If that's all there is, my friends,
Then let's keep dancing.
Let's break out the booze
And have a ball
If that's all there is.
Is that all there is?
Is THAT all there is?
If that's all there is, my friends,
Then let's keep dancing.
Let's break out the dope
And have a ball
Cause that's all there is.
Between the end of the song and the lights going out, there's a heavy thud - Fritzie dropping to her knees at Nita's feet, her cheek almost-but-not-quite pressed to the bodice of Nita's dress.*
A band of sailors drift in through the door, slamming their already drunken bodies against the bar counter demanding a round of Schnapps. The whores circle around hungrily, instantly picking out their boys. The mood begins to raise itself from its slump as the noise level in the Klub is raised markedly by the rowdy customers. A group of heavily made up gay boys in slim fitting suits wander in, laughing, paired up and as drunk as the group of sailors. They wander over to a pair of transvestites sitting in one of the booths and light up thick, sweet-smelling gold colored cigarettes. The late night crowd has arrived.
The lights dim down, a deep blood red light reflects off the broken-down mirror ball casting around diamond shapes of blood red.
Two darkened figures step from behind the curtains, slowly stalking towards the edge of the stage. A slow, ominous melody drifts from the girl in the deep red dress playing the accordion. Her hair is slicked back in a sharp angle emphasizing her strong jawline. She wears blood red lipstick and black boots that end at her knees. Her dress, at closer inspection is worn and frayed around the sleeves and at its hem. The sleeves end below her elbows and the hem ends above her knees, like a child's dress she's recently grown out of.
She sidles up to the microphone, growling, yet in a girlish voice*
"I remember when I was a little girl, my mother set our house on fire. She was like that.
I'll never forget the look on my father's face as he dragged me through the burning building out to the pavement.
I stood there shivering in my pajamas and watched the whole world go up in flames.
And when it was all over I said to myself,
'Is that all there is to a fire?'"
Nita's blonde counterpart steps out of the shadows now: Fritzie, dressed up in all the trashy elegance she could amass from the dregs on the floors of the back rooms. She hovers over Nita's shoulder, looming ominously like a vampire in the old silent films about to devour her victim body and soul. Their faces are close as her voice joins that of her co-star for the chorus.
Is that all there is?
Is that all there is?
If that's all there is, my friends,
Then let's keep dancing.
Let's break out the booze
And have a ball
If that's all there is.
Now Fritzie steps around Nita, lingeringly caressing the other woman's waist in the process, with an audible, snarling little purr in her ear. Looking out at the audience, Fritzie's mask of decadent, haughty indifference and frustration makes the paste and glass costume jewelry she wears look absolutely genuine as she takes each piece off one by one during the verse and throws it here and there, sending them all skidding on the stage floor.
Fritzie's voice parts from Nita's and she continues in a husky growl,
"And when I was sixteen years old I went to my first cabaret, I was really excited,
and there were bored looking bankers dancing with beautiful chorus girls, and there were boys with dyed hair
and lipstick dancing with each other. And as I sat there watching, I felt as though something was missing...I dunno what.
But when I headed home, I said to myself: "IS THAT ALL THERE IS TO A CABARET?!'"
Together again for the chorus, Fritzie slings an arm around Nita's middle and curls herself to conform to Nita's back. NIta sidles up close to Fritzie, pushing her knee in between the other girls' legs suggestively.
Is that all there is?
Is that all there is?
If that's all there is, my friends,
Then let's keep dancing.
Let's break out the booze
And have a ball
If that's all there is.
They part, each lightly shoving the other away with a dirty smirk.
Fritzie turns to the audience, cynically grinning.
"Then I fell in love with the most wonderful boy in Berlin.
We would take long walks down by the river, and he'd beat me black and blue and I loved it.
I'd of killed for that guy. Then one day, Peter went away.
And I thought I'd die, but I didn't.
And when I didn't, I said to myself,
'Is that all there is to love?'"
Nita joins her in the chorus, her girlish voice gone and growing to a husky growl to match her co-star's.
Is that all there is?
Is that all there is?
If that's all there is, my friends,
Then let's keep dancing.
Let's break out the booze and have a ball,
if that's all...there...is!
Fritzie's clothes, such as they are, come off the same way her jewelry did, flimsy garment by flimsy garment, like the next verse causes her to lose more and more hope with each word as it leaves Nita's mouth, until there's nothing left and she's standing there, entirely nude and despairing. Some of the sailors hoot and holler but it's tired-sounding, like it's done by rote.
Nita turns to the crowd, gesturing at the naked girl at her side. She is her other, yet entirely separate. The girl at her side stands, revealing herself naked to the jeers of the audience. The audience grows uncomfortably silent, as if embarrassed by its earlier rowdiness. Instead of suggestiveness, the girl in front of them stands fully exposed. A flawed and nude human being alone on the stage and battered like a naked plaything tossed to the gutter. Nita growls contemptuously as she speaks to the audience, gesturing at Fritzie...
"I know what you must be saying to yourselves.
'If that's the way she feels about it why doesn't she just slit her throat and shut up?'
Oh, no. Not me. I'm not ready for that kind of a come down.
For I know just as well as I'm standing here talking at you,
when that final moment comes and I'm breathing my last breath,
I'll be saying to myself..."
Is that all there is?
Is that all there is?
If that's all there is, my friends,
Then let's keep dancing.
Let's break out the booze
And have a ball
If that's all there is.
The two women dance around each other in a lazy figure 8 pattern, Nita playing away at her accordion and Fritzie's hands catching once in a while at her dress as they circle and turn and their singing gets throaty, labored.
Is that all there is?
Is that all there is?
If that's all there is, my friends,
Then let's keep dancing.
Let's break out the booze
And have a ball
If that's all there is.
Is that all there is?
Is THAT all there is?
If that's all there is, my friends,
Then let's keep dancing.
Let's break out the dope
And have a ball
Cause that's all there is.
Between the end of the song and the lights going out, there's a heavy thud - Fritzie dropping to her knees at Nita's feet, her cheek almost-but-not-quite pressed to the bodice of Nita's dress.*