When is it?

Isherwood mentions that Sally's suitor Klaus leaves for England in mid-January, and that shortly afterwards, he writes to Sally breaking off their relationship. Isherwood continues to describe how, in the weeks following this, he and Sally spent much of their time together. During this time, Sally expressed that she thinks she may be pregnant but dismisses the topic when encouraged to see a Doctor. It seems to be soon after this that the pair meet Clive and the heavy drinking ensues so I can only deduce that this all takes place around the end of February. Nearing the end of winter, the trees would still be bare and and the weather still particularly cold, in fact, when I looked up the temperature of Berlin at this time of year it seems that it is generally around 10 degrees at it's highest. 

Although it doesn't mention anything about Sally being unwell, I know that she is pregnant at this point and that pregnant women are more prone to cold and flu like viruses. Add to this the cold weather and Sally's heavy drinking and I think her appearance would be suffering considerably. Her skin would be dry, her nose perhaps as red as her bloodshot eyes. Clothing would still be heavy to keep out the cold and in a previous scene, Sally is described as wearing a canary yellow beret and a shabby fur coat. 

I feel this photo I took last winter (right) reflects the gloomy atmosphere of winter in Weimar Berlin, as well as the poor-disguised melancholy of the troubled Sally. 

I also would like to try and find a yellow beret to include in my image as I feel that this would not only link back to the story, but would add to Sally's aura of obsession. As Patti Bellantoni states in her book on colour:

"Bright yellow is associated with obsession, whereas the more orange-amber is welcoming and comforting"

Bellantoni, P. (2005). Innocent, Cautionary and Idyllic Yellows. In: Actipis, E. and Anderson, C. If It's Purple, Someone's Gonna Die. Oxford: Elsevier. p71.

Sally Bowles: Setting the Scene

The extract I have chosen to inform my design occurs after Isherwood and Bowles visit the Troika and meet a heavy-drinking Millionaire named Clive, whom they begin to spend almost all of their time with. Though the scene isn't really much of scene, more of an overview of events, I found this to be the more interesting description of Sally:

"She was drinking nearly as much whiskey as Clive himself. It never seemed to make her really drunk, but sometimes her eyes looked awful, as though they had been boiled. Every day the layer of make-up on her face seemed to get thicker."

Isherwood, C. (1939). Sally Bowles. In: Goodbye to Berlin. 10th ed. London: Hogarth Press. p70.

Though my initial inspiration for Sally comes from an excerpt from the novel, I have found a scene in the play which I feel corresponds. Act One, Scene Nine set in Cliff's room at Fraulein Schneider's residence, makes several references to Sally's heavy drinking; though in the play her tipple of choice is gin as opposed to whiskey in the novel. In the scene from the play, we see the theme of obsession running throughout. Sally is obsessed with herself, obsessed with fame, men, gin... 

This is also the scene where Sally tells us she believes she is pregnant and declares that she's having an abortion which she claims, rather flippantly, to have done "thousands of times before" whilst laughing off Cliff's desires to keep the child. This is a darkness to Sally's character which shows her up as selfish and uncaring, I feel she comes across as very cold in this scene, something I will consider reflecting in the harshness of her features. 

I think this shows us a darker side of Sally but not in the kinky sense that the lascivious yet childish portrayal by Jane Horrocks does. It shows that grittier side to the glamour and brings to mind the modern celebrity life of excess. Sally has come upon Clive who has the financial wherewithal to support the lifestyle she desires and it makes her greedy, not just in the sense of material things, but gluttonous; constantly smoking and drinking. Clearly this lifestyle affects Sally's well polished façade because the overly-heavy application of make-up is contrary to the refined image of glamour that Sally wants to put across. Though Sally's hair is not described in this scene, I should imagine it is suffering similarly from her continued intoxication. I love this more gritty interpretation of the character, I feel the glamorous side to her is a little "been there, done that" so I would love to show her darker side. 

Isherwood doesn't necessarily set a scene for this incarnation of Sally, but I feel that they would have spent a large amount of their time at Clive's hotel. It doesn't state a name for the hotel, but given Clive's millionaire status, I assumed it was somewhere grand so I looked up Berlin hotels of the 1930s and came up with the Hotel Excelsior which was built in April 1908 and destroyed in the second world war, making it a perfect setting for our drunken Sally. Weimar Berlin was a bleak place and could see how Sally would be drawn in by the glamour of a hotel like the Excelsior. 

I imagine a hotel such as the Excelsior would have fine furnishings, both new and antique. A grand hotel would probably want to give the experience of a home from home, only better. The image to the left shows a 1930s home according to the Holocaust Centre website. I have also found an image of a modern Parisian hotel suite with an interior inspired by 1930s starlet Marlene Dietrich. I think this image gives a more realistic view of the grand surrounding Sally Bowles would have found herself in, albeit adapted for the modern day. I can just imagine Clive on that piano and Sally singing along in her intoxicated state, feeling as though her performance is impressive just as she often talked about being world-famous within the text. 

Focus Character: Sally Bowles, Who is she?

For my first design within a historical context, I have chosen to interpret the character of Sally Bowles. Initially, I was eager to avoid producing a design for this character because she has been so well-interpreted in the past, however, upon further consideration, I realised that beyond university I may be expected to produce fresh designs for characters who have previously been represented in an iconic form so I decided to face this challenge now and see how my research can inform and inspire an original take on the Kit Kat Club singer. 
Looking at the assignment brief, I have found that our designs are to be informed by the original text, not any subsequent adaptation of it. I feel that in my quest to be original, this factor is advantageous. 

As previously outlined, Bowles is inspired by a woman named Jean Ross whom Isherwood knew during his time in Berlin. From the text we gather that Sally is 19 years old, a well-groomed young lady who relies on the financial support of her parents back home in England to sustain her life in Berlin. This information would suggest that Sally's background is reasonably well-to-do, though you wouldn't necessarily think so given much of Sally's flighty behaviour. Isherwood introduces Bowles at Fritz Wendel's flat in early October:

"She was dressed in black silk, with a small cape over her shoulders and a little cap like a page-boy's stuck jauntily on the side of her head"

Isherwood, C. (1939). Sally Bowles. In: Goodbye to Berlin. 10th ed. London: Hogarth Press. p4.

Wearing silk would have been an expensive choice which further supports the idea that her parents were reasonably well off. Isherwood continues in his description of her:

"As she dialled the number, I noticed that her finger-nails were painted emerald green, a colour unfortunately chosen, for it called attention to her hands which were stained by cigarette-smoking and as dirty as a little girl's. She was dark enough to be Fritz's sister. Her face was long and thin, powdered dead white. She had very large brown eyes which should have been darker, to match her hair and the pencil she used for her eyebrows.

'Hilloo,' she cooed, pursing her brilliant cherry lips as though she were going to kiss the mouthpiece..."

Isherwood, C. (1939). Sally Bowles. In: Goodbye to Berlin. 10th ed. London: Hogarth Press. p5-6.

This description gives us a definite idea of what Bowles looked like to Isherwood's mind and is a good starting point when considering a makeup design for her, however, in order to stay original, we must look further into the book for information on Sally's appearance and behaviour as the story progress. A good example of an alternative image for Sally, is the Jane Horrocks' take on her in the Broadway revisit of the stage musical Cabaret. In this performance, the character has much more sinister facets, appearing as if child-sized on a large chair, licking a lollipop; an appearance it is said was chosen to represent the character as appealing to certain perversions of the 1930s Berlin audience. Though this is not an idea I can consider given the fact that I have to remain true to the text, it is interested to see that the character can be interpreted many ways. 

Cabaret: Character Overview

Goodbye to Berlin is a 1939 semi-autobiographical novel by Christopher Isherwood. Set in 1930s Weimar Berlin, during the time when the Nazi-party were gaining power, Goodbye to Berlin explores the daily lives of characters who are in, in various ways, outcast by society. The characters in the novel were inspired by real people who Isherwood encountered during his time there. Although my final designs will be informed by the characters as they were originally written in Isherwood's novel, it is important to show an understanding of how these characters have been interpreted and adapted for use in stage and screen scripts. Below is a breakdown of the characters as they are presented in the musical adaptation of the novel, Cabaret. 

Emcee- Emcee is the gender questionable master of ceremonies at the Kit Kat Club. A sexually free, appealing and comedic character, Emcee is often portrayed as wearing a lot of makeup in an almost clown-like fashion, an idea it would be best to deviate from if choosing him as the focal character for final designs. He is also described as an inviting, appealing       and entertaining character with a kind of celebrity status; all interesting qualities one could explore if designing a makeup for him.

Pictured right: Alan Cumming as Emcee in the Broadway production of 'Cabaret' for which he won a Tony award.

Pictured left: Liza Minnelli as Sally Bowles in the movie adaptation of 'Cabaret'


Sally Bowles- Sally is a singer at the Kit Kat Club who has a quirky nature and is ordinarily a flighty character, though she does have episode of darkness. She is based on a lady called Jean Ross who Isherwood knew during his time in Berlin. The character is notable for her continuing efforts to dazzle and shock but this is seen to be a façade after having an abortion. Makeup is a device in her success as she is keen to make it in the world of showbusiness and makeup allows her to assume a role which is contrary to her real personality.

Clifford Bradshaw- An American novelist and English teacher, Clifford Bradshaw is represented as a closeted gay who represents morality and social conscious amongst a lineup of characters who are often deeply flawed and immoral in their behaviour. 

Fraulein Schneider- The landlady of the accommodation where several of the main characters reside. Schneider keeps a low profile, an attitude which informs her relationship. The main theme of character is survival; she creates no controversy, preferring to live a quiet life. 

Herr Schultz- A fruit shop owner who resides with Fraulein Schneider, he is a foolishly optimistic character, representing a misguided hope within the line-up. Schultz does not believe the Jews will be persecuted. 

Ernst Ludwig- A friendly and likeable character who is taking English lessons from Clifford Bradshaw. Though he appears nice, he is secretly a Nazi  sympathiser. 

Fraulein Kost- Though never specifically confirmed as a prostitute, Kost's profession involves offering favours to sailors which indicates that she is selling her body to survive in the tough economic times of Weimar Berlin. Another of Frl. Schneider's tenants, she is a strong sexual character with a commanding nature. 

Kit Kat girls- Best described as beautifully grotesque, these entertainers at the Kit Kat club have settled for less than their social standing with regards to their moral behaviour

Alan Cumming's rendition of 'Wilkommen' in the broadway musical 'Cabaret'

Goodbye to Berlin: An Introduction

'Goodbye to Berlin' is a novel by Christopher Isherwood set in 1930s Weimar Berlin, during the period when the Nazi Party was gaining power and the glamour of the past was being lost to the grip of Adolf Hitler’s regime. The story itself is partially autobiographical, detailing the experiences Isherwood had of pre-Nazi Germany; the characters he builds within this work are based on real people Isherwood encountered at the time. The focal characters of the story are all, to some degree, outcast by society; Peter Wilkinson and Otto Nowak are in a homosexual relationship which they are struggling with due to the prejudice in Germany at the time. Sally Bowles is a singer in the local cabaret who battles with her own identity, sometimes appearing flighty and at other times dark; as we progress through the story, she succumbs to the latter following an abortion. Finally, Bernhard Landauer is a wealthy Jewish man, his daughter Natalia forms an unlikely friendship with Sally Bowles but the family, though influential, are marginalised due to the increasing power of the anti-semitic Nazis. Though the novel itself is inspired by real people, Goodbye to Berlin has also inspired many adaptations itself; the play and subsequent film adaptation titled ‘I am a Camera’ and the stage musical Cabaret which was also adapted into an award-winning film in 1972.

Throughout the course of this project, I will be looking at all of the characters within this story and exploring the social, economic, political and environmental factors which impact upon them. Once I have established the background of each of the main characters, I will choose two to inspire my final designs- one to be produced in the style of the 1930s and the other to be reflected in contemporary design. My designs will be informed by my research into Weimar Berlin as well as the period leading up to this. I will look carefully at use of colour throughout the time, as well as in the film adaptations of the novel and I will use what I find to inspire my final outcomes during timed assessments.

I feel that this project presents a challenge in that the characters have been so thoroughly covered in previous adaptations of the text but I believe that with the full and proper use of research, I can create original interpretations of my chosen characters. I think it will be much more challenging to remain original with the authentic 1930s design because I will be more restricted to the techniques, colours and styles I can use; however, this could be to my advantage as with the contemporary incarnation of a character, it is easy to get carried away and lose much of what has inspired the design. Ultimately, I am hopeful that through fully understanding the text and its adaptations, I can achieve a fine balance between sticking to the boundaries set by the text and keeping my designs original.