At first glance, the controversial musical “Cabaret” doesn’t seem far-removed from the seedy nightclub it portrays. Lingerie-clad women saunter in to dance and sing, bawdy sexual references pervade every situation and a freakish emcee guides the audience through what appears to be a fun-filled romp.

Yet the over-the-top sleaziness of “Cabaret,” which played at the Des Moines Civic Center from Tuesday through Sunday, evolves into a poignant statement of the depths to which people will sink in order to escape reality during a time of conflict and extreme anti-Semitism.

“Cabaret” revolves around the Kit Kat Club in Berlin at the beginning of World War II. The seedy nightclub’s star, English woman Sally Bowles, begins a relationship with American writer Clifford Bradshaw, who has just arrived in Berlin. The tired yet caring Fraulein Schneider is their landlord, and she becomes engaged to Jewish store owner Herr Schultz.

The majority of the crotch-grabbing gala that is the first act leaves the audience wondering if there is a purpose to the excessive displays of promiscuity, drug use and prostitution. Overt displays of sexuality are so common that the audience becomes desensitized to them.

However, subtle references to Judaism, such as Herr Schultz greeting Clifford with a Yiddish word, hint at the conflict that is the crux of the musical. The second act takes a darker turn as the characters become aware of the rise of the Nazi Party.

“It’s all so terribly tedious,” Sally says airily when politics is mentioned. She vainly struggles to cling to her wild, responsibility-free lifestyle, and Clifford can’t seem to open her eyes.

“I was dancing with Sally Bowles, and we were both fast asleep,” Clifford says.

In this production, Sally Bowles is played by the 1998 Miss America, Kate Shindle. The first song performed by Shindle, “Don’t Tell Mama,” gave the impression that this might be the watered-down, bubble-gum pop version of “Cabaret.” Shindle gave an extremely girlish, perky performance that only produced thoughts of child pornography.

However, Shindle gave depth to the mercurial character with her chilling performance of “Cabaret” and with the amazing emotion of “Maybe This Time.”

Although Sally tries to be as shallow as possible, the Cabaret women, with their ripped stockings, smudged makeup and sloppy dancing, truly have no personality – they are little more than objects. However, this just demonstrates how empty the women become to get on with life.

“Here life is beautiful,” the emcee says at both the beginning and the end of the musical. It is the perfect ending to contrast the tacky allure of the first act with the ending’s shattering despair.