Kinky sex, drugs and hookers are sauntering into Iowa in the midst of an anti-semitic atmosphere filled with violence and oppression.

“Cabaret,” known around the world as a successful, powerful and controversial musical, is gracing the stage of the Des Moines Civic Center.

“Cabaret” tells the story of an English woman’s romance with an American writer and is set against the background of crumbling Germany during the fall of the Weimar Republic, the rise of Adolf Hitler and the Third Reich.

“`Cabaret’ revolves around Sally Bowles [played by Miss America 1998 Kate Shindle] and her love affair with Clifford Bradshaw,” said Jeff Morgan, public relations manager at the Civic Center of Greater Des Moines. “There is a love affair between a Jewish grocer and a German woman, Nazis, kinky sex and drugs. The question asked is how and why ordinary people turned to escapism as a means of coping with Hitler’s rise to power.”

“Cabaret” reveals the clandestine nightlife of the Kit Kat Club in Berlin. The musical struggles with the clamp-down on entertainment and cultural expression by the Nazis, Morgan said.

This production stars Jon Peterson as The Emcee and is directed by Sam Mendes, Academy Award winner for “American Beauty.”

“It is seen as very provocative,” said Morgan. “[Mendes] took `Cabaret’ back to more of its original format. He stripped away a lot of the elements from other productions, making it grittier and darker than it has been in previous productions.”

“Cabaret” has stood the test of time in various formats, playing across the world on the stage and on film.

Mendes first directed the musical at the Donmar Warehouse in London to critical acclaim and sold out houses in 1993. The Broadway production of “Cab-aret,” which is still running in New York at Studio 54, received four Tony Awards, including Best Revival of a Musical.

John Kander and Fred Ebb, who wrote the music and lyrics of “Cabaret,” won the 1998 Kennedy Center Honors for achievement in the arts. “Cabaret” features some of the best-known songs in musical theater, including “Wilkommen,” “Tomorrow Belongs to Me,” “Money,” and of course, “Cabaret.”

The current tour started in 1999 and will continue well into next year, Morgan said.

“This new production elevates `Cabaret’ to legendary status,” Morgan said. “It also showcases the remarkable quality and caliber of Broadway-level talent that exists today.”

The musical started Tuesday in Des Moines and will run through Saturday with shows at 8 p.m. In addition, there will be matinees on Thursday, Saturday and Sunday at 2 p.m. The Thursday afternoon performance is being offered to college students for a 50% discounted price.

“Cabaret is simply one of the legendary shows to come out of Broadway,” Morgan said. “It is truly inspiring to see.”