When Weehawken Creative Arts Theater Director Colin Sullivan and Ouray School District Superintendent Tod Lokey put their heads together to pick a musical for the reintroduction of the theater program at the school, they came up with a very different selection than what’s on the playbill this week.

They took their idea to the upper-class students, who instead suggested “Cabaret.” Sullivan’s first thought? This is crazy.

That’s because “Cabaret” can be a difficult play...