What better way to celebrate Oktoberfest than with a visit to decadent, pre-WWI Berlin? Especially as conceived by Christopher Isherwood and imagined by Kander and Ebb in Cabaret. So if you love the show—and strapping blond boys in Nazi uniforms—you soon will have a double dose with two productions. First out of the gate (pictured here) is Cabaret at the Metropolis Centre for the Arts in downtown Arlington Heights. This handsome, intimate facility is launching its first complete season of self-produced plays and musicals with the Broadway classic, running through November 2. (847) 577-2121; $27-$37.