Review from LOU 27th October posted on Theatre site

 

Quote:

Saw Cabaret last night. It wasn’t at all what I was expecting but I thoroughly enjoyed it. Its more of a play with music than a musical and it’s a thinking man’s show rather than happy clappy. It gets progressively darker and ultimately very sad, with some terrific performances by Sian Phillips, Linl Haft and Harriet Thorpe. I can see why people criticise Michelle Ryan, although I think the criticism is harsh. She can belt out a tune, and I liked her portrayal of Sally Bowls, although I think her lack of musical experience affected her connection to some of the songs and I think that’s what people are missing. Matt Rawle was fine as Cliff, but didn’t really connect with Michelle. The real romance was between Sian and Linl as Fraulein Schneider and Herr Schultz. I hadn’t seen Will Young before. Wow, what a voice! But not only that, what a musicality he has about him! He sings with honesty and purity and straight from the soul. He can also act, and the changes he portrays as the story unfolds and events take over are extraordinary. He’s the one to watch, and I expect to see more of him in the future because producers should be fighting to get him. I’m giving the show 5 stars because I think everyone should see it. It has something important to say

 

Thanks to Mary on Baby D for finding this.

Another great review - thanks to Bumblies on Baby D for finding this one:

 

Wilkommen, Bienvenue, Welcome,” smirks a maniacal Will Young as he transports us to Weimar Germany in Rufus Norris’ Cabaret. The curtain is raised, the gin is poured and we find ourselves in a hedonistic Berlin on the brink of brutality. “Here, life is beautiful,” Young insists. But life here, we are reminded, is an act, old chum.

 

The show has certifiable moments of genius – mostly those orchestrated by Young’s twisted Emcee. Unfortunately, it also falls flat, particularly whenever Michelle Ryan takes to the stage. It is, I know, extremely unfair to pit Ryan against the inimitable Liza Minnelli, whose Sally Bowles ignited the streets of Berlin with equal measures of seduction and self-delusion. But the comparison is inevitable and the fact is that Ryan’s attempts to seduce the American novelist Clifford are about as rousing – and arousing – as Princess Fiona’s moves on Shrek down the road. And just as green.

 

Meanwhile, Clifford’s descent into divine decadence is swift and unimpressive – a blink-and-you’ll-miss it- experience that leaves the audience cold. He sings “Why should I wake up?” as he passes from bed-mate to bed-mate, but always looks slightly terrified as to what to actually do with them. His sexual subconscious, it seems, cares more about chorus than coitus.

 

Indeed, Berlin’s noxious mix of shagging and champagne is mostly underwhelming. Bar the full-frontal flap of a male dancer running across stage, the sexual depravity of the Kit Kat Klub flickers but never erupts. Though Young is gleeful and depraved, he lacks the latent sexual menace I know the Emcee can muster, whilst the entourage merrily gyrate around him. Indeed, the only people who really seem to get their rocks off are the elderly Fräulein Schneider and Herr Schultz. Schneider’s excitement, having been gifted a pineapple by her gentleman caller, proves it isn’t cocaine but chemistry that sparks the flames of passion. And this is something Sally and Clifford are ultimately lacking.

 

Nevertheless, the show’s decline into Nazi power is hauntingly pervasive. Norris employs Cabaret’s mise-en-abyme to convey the theatricality of fascism in abundance – something that is necessary when the true, bitter reality is far too shocking to possibly be real. By the end of the first half, the Nazis’ presence is unwavering. Young appears as a puppet master, manoeuvring the entourage that hang in front of him like lifeless marionettes. Singing “Tomorrow Belongs To Me” with unbridled brutality, he manipulates the dancers using his Swastika-shaped control bars.

 

The message Norris leaves us with is undeniably clear. Inside the Kit Kat Klub, it is the Emcee who is conducting Germany’s reckless hedonism, vaudevillian mania and grotesque depravity. But outside on the streets, the true Master of Ceremonies is swiftly gaining favour, gathering the masses and expertly pulling the strings of the German people to rise up in arms and “Heil Hitler” with a Nazi salute. “Wilkommen, Bienvenue, Welcome,” he smirks.

 

http://www.theharker.com/2012/11/07/theatre-cabaret-2/

 

 

Thanks munchkin, another really good and honest review, a lot of reviewers seem to pick out Michelle Ryan as the "weakest link" don't they?

Another goodie - thanks to Janet on Baby D for finding this: :dance:

 

A LETTER FROM LONDON: Much Ado in India, Cabaret and I Am a Camera, Alan Ayckbourn's Chorus of Disapproval

By Ruth Leon

03 Nov 2012

 

 

Michelle Ryan in Cabaret.

Photo by Keith Pattison

Interesting to see, in the same month, a small theatre production of John Van Druten's I Am A Camera, based on the "Berlin Stories" of Christopher Isherwood, and a major new West End production of the Kander and Ebb musical, Cabaret, from the same source material. They're both very good indeed. The play is performed in an old wine vault, musty and dark, perfect for this evocation of the decadent Berlin '30s, leading to the catastrophe that was World War Two. Splendidly acted, directed and designed, this version is well worth the trip to the Southwark Playhouse.

 

Rufus Norris' new production of Cabaret is shockingly good. I had misgivings when I heard that Will Young, the first winner of television's "Pop Idol," was to play the Master of Ceremonies in Cabaret. This is an iconic role, as specific to Joel Grey as Yul Brynner was to The King and I, and I doubted whether Young had the dramatic chops to carry it. Wrong, again. He's really creepy in a disgustingly playful way, just as he should be, and Rufus Norris' dark production pays proper attention to the seedy and sordid side of Sally Bowles' Berlin life.

 

The score soars as always, Sian Phillips and Linal Haft are affecting as the older couple in '30s Berlin who simply can't be together because he is Jewish and she isn't, and, although young Michelle Ryan in her first major role, is no Liza Minnelli, her Sally Bowles has just the right touch of louche sexiness to carry her.

 

Javier di Frutos disjointed, spasmodic choreography is a true metaphor for a fragmented decadent society fast descending into goose-stepping Nazi chaos. The underlying menace, intentioned by its authors, leads to a terrifying final scene, which I won't spoil for you, but which confirms Rufus Norris, along with Jamie Lloyd whose Cyrano has recently won plaudits on Broadway, as the best of the young British directors.

 

 

(Ruth Leon is a London and New York City arts writer and critic whose work has been seen in Playbill magazine and other publications.)

Check out Playbill.com's London listings. Seek out more of Playbill.com's international coverage, including London correspondent Mark Shenton's daily news reporting from the U.K.

 

http://www.playbill.com/news/article/17185...Disapproval/pg3

Thanks for the latest reviews munchkin. I've added them to the pinned thread. :D

All I can say about this is wow: Thanks once again to Janet on Baby D for finding this.

 

http://daily-norm.com/2012/11/08/cabaret-r...-savoy-theatre/

 

Cabaret returns in style to London’s Savoy Theatre

by delacybrown on November 8, 2012

 

I’ve always adored Cabaret and I really don’t understand why it has taken so long to come back onto the London stage. With its unforgettable score, including classics such as Wilkommen, Maybe This Time, and the title song Cabaret, and a vivid, contrasting, and unsettling historical setting of 1930s Berlin just before the Nazi stranglehold on the city made its sinister debut, the musical is one of the all time greats. Of course, the spectacle is engrained upon the minds of most musical-lovers in the guise of Liza Minelli’s show-stopping performance of Sally Bowles in Bob Fosse’s 1972 film spectacular, but as a theatrical showpiece, it is every bit as enjoyable. Why then isn’t Cabaret a long-running favourite like the composing team (Kander and Ebb)’s other musical great, Chicago? The mind boggles.

 

The current showing, directed by Rufus Norris, is sadly only set to run until 19 January – so when I heard that the show was making a swift return to London’s Savoy Theatre, I bought tickets as soon as I could get myself onto ticketmaster. The main attraction for many will be the 2001 Pop-Idol winner, Will Young, cast in the role of Emcee. Will Young was born to play this role. He was nothing short of superb in the overtly exaggerated, flamboyant and at times menacing role of the Cabaret’s Master of Ceremonies. Young’s voice, which shot him to fame as the winner of the first major talent contest of the current millennium, was predictably mesmerizing – he didn’t sing a note out of tune. His performance played notable homage to Joel Grey’s famous imagining of the role in the Fosse film version, but also brought the character to life with fresh and abundant energy, with greater versatility in adapting the role of cabaret host into an effective historical narrator of the social changes happening outside of the Cabaret’s doors but whose poisonous potency was leaking more and more into the lives of the Cabaret’s showmen as each day of the Nazi uprising went on.

 

Indeed, while Will Young was easily the star of the show, the other real success of Norris’ direction was his use of the pre-existing score and story line to import an altogether more menacing historical narrative into the piece. The terror which was trickling and then stampeding onto the once sexually liberal, permissive and hedonistic Berlin streets was tangible throughout the show, and this allowed the audience to partake in the very real tension which pervaded the age, climaxing in a stunningly poignant ending which, while not giving it away for those of you who may still have an opportunity to see the show, hinted at the terrorising fate which lay in store for the “alternatives” of Berlin’s Cabaret underworld once the Nazis took control. It left one both chilled, moved and surprised at the end of a show which, in previous manifestations, had maintained a fairly light-hearted atmosphere throughout. In fact in Fosse’s film, the only tangible reference to the fate of the Cabaret is the presence of a swastika armband subtly reflected in the mirror of the Kit-Kat club as the film’s credits come down. Here, the impending doom of Nazi destruction is far more prevalent. My favourite scene was probably Will Young’s performance of the Hitler Jungen marching song, Tomorrow Belongs to Me, in which Young, latterly affixed with the emblematic moustache of Hitler, controls all the surrounding dancers on huge puppet strings, the handles of his puppetry manifesting into large red swastikas which can only be viewed at the climax of the scene, when Young’s singing moves from a demure politicised aria into the increasingly erratic screams of Hitler’s rally rantings. Meanwhile the puppets’ choreography swings from sexualised movement to the regimented marching of gun-wielding soldiers – a brilliant testimony to the mass manipulation of the Nazi propaganda machine and the social changes which swept through the nation.

 

For me, the only real disappointment was Eastenders actress Michelle Ryan in the role of Sally Bowles. Minelli’s shoes are big ones to fill, and the role of Sally Bowles must be a daunting prospect for even the most adroit of singer-actresses. And yet such is the complexity of the role – a second-rate show star with an overtly familiar manner hiding a destructive, and at times desperate personality – that it would come as a challenge which most actresses would relish. But in Ryan’s interpretation, that depth and complexity of character was insufficiently prevalent. The eccentricity of the characterisation appeared a little forced and contrived, while the emotional breadth of the role was only scantly explored. Sally’s big ballad, Maybe This Time, lacked the integral desperation of the character who gives the audience this rare glimpse into the true insecurities lying beneath the bravado. Ryan’s performance seemed more concentrated on hitting the high notes – which she failed to do with any confidence. And while her singing was not at all bad, it appeared to be heavily reliant on amplification so that it could carry with anything resembling gusto. I understand that theatres want to attract audiences by casting celebrity stars, but Will Young will have been enough to pull in the crowds here. Sally Bowles is a superb opportunity for a budding actress to make it big, and I think it’s a real shame that this opportunity was not afforded to a deserving young star in the making.

 

Overall, Norris’ Cabaret is a brilliant reimagination of this piece of classic musical theatre which is given new life and a potent historical re-examination. Its success is however highly dependent on the captivating role played by Will Young, and for that reason is inherently unstable as an ongoing production, with a quickly evaporating shelf-life and a near disaster if Mr Young catches the flu. Let’s hope he keeps on pleasing audiences right through to January 19th.

Edited November 9, 201212 yr by munchkin

Thanks munchkin (and Janet). That really is one hummdinger of a review. :w00t:

Its success is however highly dependent on the captivating role played by Will Young, and for that reason is inherently unstable as an ongoing production, with a quickly evaporating shelf-life and a near disaster if Mr Young catches the flu. Let’s hope he keeps on pleasing audiences right through to January 19th.

Let's all hope so.

 

Editing. :doh: Just popped in this morning. I meant to say Let's all hope not i.e I hope Will doesn't catch flu.

Edited November 10, 201212 yr by chrysalis

The reviews just get better and better. :yahoo:

Thanks to Jackie.

 

I'm not surprised he has such a creative mind.

 

 

I’m afraid I can’t take the full credit for Wills look. It was definitely a cooperative effort involving Will, Katrina Lindsay, (the shows designer) and what I knew I was creatively capable of. The Emcee has always been portrayed as a vampire, creature of the night, type figure and when Will brought this doll- like image to the table I was very excited! I immediately thought of Illamasqua, as I am a huge fan of the foundations and lipsticks. It was only a matter of minutes before I pulled Eurydice out of my personal make-up bag and immediately; we knew it was what we needed.

 

http://www.illamasqua.com/socialise/illama...t-diana-hudson/

 

He seems to always go that further yard no matter what the project. I admire him so much. :wub:

Edited November 12, 201212 yr by truly talented

when Will brought this doll- like image to the table I was very excited!

 

Explains a lot. I wondered what the paint across his forehead was about. Along with the slicked down hair it's to give him a look like a painted doll's head. Very clever.

 

Thanks TT. Love reading about what goes on behind the scenes.

Well, Will's wonderfully successful run as Emcee in Cabaret ends on Saturday night! Bet he's had an amazing time, and I hope it's recharged his batteries for new music sooner rather than later. :dancing:

Well, Will's wonderfully successful run as Emcee in Cabaret ends on Saturday night! Bet he's had an amazing time, and I hope it's recharged his batteries for new music sooner rather than later. :dancing:

 

I do hope so ros, I really do. I know he's done extremely well in Cabaret, but it's the music I want.

Yes, it's been great seeing him in Cabaret, and local for me! ^_^

 

But I'm hoping for a new album end of this year! -_-

Last day folks :cry:

Last day folks :cry:

 

Ah don't be sad munchkin.

 

Glad I managed to see it once more last night. Really enjoyed it but now I'm ready for new music.

Ah don't be sad munchkin.

 

Glad I managed to see it once more last night. Really enjoyed it but now I'm ready for new music.

 

And me! :cheer: