September 5, 201212 yr One last tweet with a review, I hope it hasn't been posted, I have to leave in a mo... Listed Magazine @Listed_Mag @will_young31 @mayflower Check out Listed's verdict of last night's Cabaret The Musical:#cabaretSorry the link doesn't post for me on here..I'll post the relevant bit about Will... Will Young stars as Emcee, the puppeteer of the theatre that is Berlin and its inhabitants. Pulling the strings and orchestrating the cabaret, Emcee reveals the different levels operating in the musical. He showcases the political undercurrents and the poignancy of love interests within the story. No doubt much of the audience were enticed to the theatre last night by the mention of Will Young and they would not have been disappointed! Both his theatrical performance and his musician-ship were faultless. His velvet voice resonated around The Mayflower to rapturous applause. With the exception of one highly inappropriate wolf-whistle when Will removed his trousers, his musical theatre debut went down a storm; it was very easy to suspend any ‘Pop Idol’ connections and believe whole-heartedly in the devilish and flamboyant character he was playing. Luv.Diz.X.
September 5, 201212 yr Site here asking for reviews of Will's performance in Cabaret. http://www.britevents.com/whats-on/hampshi...8/?page=reviews None posted yet.
September 5, 201212 yr Word of mouth seems to be boosting ticket sales at the Mayflower. Capacity is around 1,600 so that's a huge amount of tickets shifted over the week. :D https://www.ticketsouth.co.uk/mayflower/Per..._utmk=145172148
September 5, 201212 yr Here is the whole review from the Southampton news. Thanks Diz for the snippet earlier. September 5, 2012 It’s divine decadence darling! Set in Berlin, the capital city of Germany in the late 1800s, ‘Cabaret’ charts the tale of a group of people who feel they are under no obligation to conform to discipline, order or frugality. Instead, they choose a life of remarkable extravagance and independence. With a ‘devil may care’ attitude and cocaine very much in fashion, the prostitutes and topless dancers found themselves swiftly flourishing in the highly popular cabarets and bars. Currently showing at The Mayflower Theatre in Southampton (for one week only!) prior to the West End, Will Young and Michelle Ryan make their musical theatre debuts in ‘Cabaret.’ This is a seriously impressive rendition of Kander and Ebb’s landmark musical! Will Young stars as Emcee, the puppeteer of the theatre that is Berlin and its inhabitants. Pulling the strings and orchestrating the cabaret, Emcee reveals the different levels operating in the musical. He showcases the political undercurrents and the poignancy of love interests within the story. No doubt much of the audience were enticed to the theatre last night by the mention of Will Young and they would not have been disappointed! Both his theatrical performance and his musician-ship were faultless. His velvet voice resonated around The Mayflower to rapturous applause. With the exception of one highly inappropriate wolf-whistle when Will removed his trousers, his musical theatre debut went down a storm; it was very easy to suspend any ‘Pop Idol’ connections and believe whole-heartedly in the devilish and flamboyant character he was playing. Michelle Ryan of Eastenders fame, met Will’s vocal abilities and combined Liza Minnelli-esque ‘va va voom’ with unique charm and vulnerability. Despite her tough exterior, Sally Bowles is a lady desperate to hold onto any man willing to love her, but eventually she gives it all up for a life of (supposed) glamour, cocaine and partying. It is the love story between Sally and Cliff which propels the narrative forward and twists and turns through the political undercurrents of the Berlin setting. Make sure you get your tickets! ‘Cabaret’ will be showing at The Mayflower until Saturday 08 September before moving to a handful of other UK venues and then finally moving to London’s Savoy Theatre in October. Simply go to www.mayflower.org.uk or call 02380 711811 to book. Posted on: September 5, 2012 By: Alice Rook
September 5, 201212 yr Author Ooh, the mayflower theatre has tweeted: Tune in to BBC Radio Solent at 1.20pm Cabaret fans, Siân Phillips (Fraulein Schneider) will be on the Katie Martin show 1 hour ago
September 5, 201212 yr Thank Ros. More publicity to shift even more tickets. :cheer: Off to find the station. :) Edited September 5, 201212 yr by truly talented
September 5, 201212 yr Thanks everyone for the reports, reviews and snippets. :D Sounds as if Will is really going down a storm. :dance:
September 5, 201212 yr Lovely interview with Sian Philips. Rehearsing 2 hours everyday before the shows. :o Rufous is a perfectionist.
September 5, 201212 yr Author Enjoyed that too. It kept buffering but it's all there when I've listened back! :D So she was only approached four weeks ago to do the part.
September 5, 201212 yr This is a good one from the Southern Daily Echo - "perfectly cast" :dance: Cabaret opens at The Mayflower in Southampton 9:17am Wednesday 5th September 2012 in Stage News Photograph of the Author By Lorelei Reddin, Entertainments Editor Michelle Ryan and Will Young in Cabaret Michelle Ryan and Will Young in Cabaret IT’S Willkommen, Bienvenue, welcome to Southampton for Will Young. The celebrated singer/songwriter turned successful actor made his musical theatre debut last night on The Mayflower stage ahead of a West End run in Cabaret. Perfectly cast as the enigmatic Emcee, he cuts a camp yet menacing figure as he oversees the transformation of early 1930s Berlin into a sexually charged haven of decadence each night as the master of ceremonies at the infamous Kit Kat Klub. Former EastEnders star Michelle Ryan also makes her first foray into musical theatre, recovering from a disappointing stint in Hollywood as the Bionic Woman to put in a stunning performance as leading lady Sally Bowles. A sultry, dark and somewhat disturbing reimagining of the double award winning production, Cabaret runs until Saturday. A week-long Southampton stint is the first in a limited four-week run at a handful of UK venues before the show transfers to London’s Savoy Theatre in October.
September 5, 201212 yr Lovely interview with Sian, just listened on 'Listen Again', thank you for posting. Can't believe they waited so late to cast her! Last night was brilliant again, partial standing ovation, looked very full and appreciative audience. Slightly spoilt earlier by wolf whistle and ensuing laughter but didn't last long when they realised what was happening in the story. New clothes had been delivered so there were a couple of new bits around (very small changes for Emcee). Lady next to me was there with her husband. They had seen Cabaret a few years back with Anna Maxwell Martin. They couldn't remember who was the Emcee as he was I think the word they used was 'flat'. Not like Will - they thought he played the role perfectly and were very impressed with his acting :) We agreed that Michelle was great but just lacked that little something (I called it 'X-factor').
September 5, 201212 yr Thanks for your review Abbie. Great to hear Will is impressing people outside of his fanbase. :D
September 5, 201212 yr Author Thanks Abbie! :cheer: I think the Emcee was James Dreyfuss then who was a lot darker I think.
September 5, 201212 yr Thanks to Janet. The Edge Cabaret at The Mayflower, Southampton (04/09/2012) Josh CoxNo Comments 5 September 2012 01:30 pm I went to the theatre slightly apprehensive as I wasn’t quite sure what to make of a musical with a cast consisting of an ex Eastenders actress and the winner of a pop star reality show. Most shows that go down the route of having famous faces as their headline stars tend to go down badly, but it is safe to say that Cabaret has done the complete opposite, offering an excellent rendition of the Kander and Ebb classic, Cabaret! Cabaret takes place in Berlin, Germany, during 1930 and 1931 depicting the uprising of the Nazi’s and the unfortunate demise of cabaret with many directors and performers of cabaret actually being taken to concentration camps. This does not mean, however, that Cabaret is a morbid and depressing story - it is a show of great comedy, flamboyance and love. Will Young does a fantastic job in catching the audiences’ attention and making them focus solely on him while cast and crew work in the background creating a phenomenal set. It was the job of an MC in cabaret to show wit and be masters of improvisation and Young’s depiction of Emcee, the MC at The Kit Kat Club draws you in to a false feeling of truly being at the cabaret. Young also adds an excellent comedic value to the performance and I sit waiting for his next arrival. Young plays an excellent transition between scenes, and this brings me on the point of how amazing the scenery and lighting was for the performance. Space was used excellently and, although simple, the set depicted mood and setting brilliantly. The use of cast members to move pieces of set, limiting members of crew on stage, truly creates the ambiance of this being a trip to the cabaret as opposed to a trip to see a musical at The Mayflower. The transitions are slick and I only noticed a few problems in the symmetry of set and the movement during one number but apart from this you could not fault the work of the design and technical team. The lighting compliments the set with bright bulbs used where appropriate. To add to the feel of being at the cabaret the band were situated behind a movable screen and were only uncovered when scenes took place in The Kit Kat Club. This takes away the fourth wall and draws the audience in to the performance. In the words of Emcee ‘even the orchestra are beautiful’. At times there were a few sound issues with Young’s voice being drowned out at the beginning but this was soon rectified and was fine throughout the rest of the performance. Michelle Ryan was the only person who disappointed me slightly. There is no doubt that her acting skills are excellent but I believe her lack in vocal talents were shown in places. I expected a lot more from her rendition of Maybe This Time but she redeemed herself when she sang Cabaret as she belts out many a note. I cannot fault her ability to portray the character of Sally Bowles I just wish her vocals were slightly stronger and in places it did look like she was lip syncing although this cannot be confirmed. I don’t know if the reason for being so critical of her performance is due to the familiarity of her Eastenders character but I do believe this detracts from simply analysing her performance on the night. She did please the crowd and received a tremendous cheer in the finale. I can safely say that this was a well structured performance with little fault. I wanted more from the accents but you can understand the difficulty in singing with the German accent. It was actually Will Young who had the best accent from the whole cast. A mention must go to Sian Phillips for playing the instantly loveable Fraulein Schneider and I admire her portrayal of a lonely widow who just so happens to fall in love with someone society does not accept. Cabaret touches on some sensitive areas but this is done well and is depicted well as to not cause offence to any member of the audience. Cabaret has a limited run at The Mayflower Southampton with performances carrying on until 8th September 2012. It then moves directly to the Savoy Theatre for a limited run on the West End stage. Knowing this, my expectations were high when I entered the theatre and I did not leave disappointed. Cast and crew worked effortlessly to produce a marvellous piece of musical theatre and I urge everyone to see it before it’s too late. 8/10 Tickets can be purchased from The Mayflower Box Office or on their website and Cabaret’s run ends on 8th September 2012. http://www.theedgesusu.co.uk/culture/2012/...mpton-04092012/ Edited September 5, 201212 yr by truly talented
September 6, 201212 yr Thanks TT. I just noticed you have changed Will's forum info. I did wonder if you would. :D
September 6, 201212 yr Thanks TT. I just noticed you have changed Will's forum info. I did wonder if you would. :D That was me munchkin, I thought it was time I did a bit instead of poor TT having to do everything. :blush:
September 6, 201212 yr Thanks to Rosie. The News (Portsmouth) Sponsored byCabaret at the Mayflower Theatre, Southampton Will Young and Michelle Ryan star in Cabaret By Rachel Jones Published on Thursday 6 September 2012 08:02 You have to hand it to Will Young. Not only is he playing one of the most responsible roles in musical theatre, he’s doing it in tight leather shorts. The singer is donning the saucy apparel and hitting the high notes as Cabaret’s Emcee. The show relies on a fabulously flamboyant master of ceremonies and Young puts in a great performance as the outrageous host of Berlin’s seedy Kit Kat Club. He’s matched by Michelle Ryan as Sally Bowles – the flighty singer who is right at home in this city of sexual freedom. And a host of other characters, including writer Clifford Bradshaw, landlady Fraulein Schneider (Sian Phillips), and night worker Fraulein Kost are excellently delivered. In this production the regime’s rise creeps up on the audience as the swastika and other chilling reminders gain momentum in satirical cabaret numbers and ‘real life’ scenes. The clever blend of flamboyance and foreboding leaves you cold but with those great songs still ringing in your ears. Simply wunderbar! http://www.portsmouth.co.uk/lifestyle/the-...mpton-1-4226039 Edited September 6, 201212 yr by truly talented
September 6, 201212 yr Thanks TT, great reviews coming in for Cabaret, I'm so happy for Will and the cast. :cheer:
September 6, 201212 yr More high praise for Will :yahoo: thanks to Janet. The Salisbury Journal Powerful production at the Mayflower 2:39pm Thursday 6th September 2012 in Entertainments CABARET needs two particularly strong performances to carry it off. The roles of Sally Bowles and the Emcee are not for the fainthearted, not least because there is no escape from the comparison to Liza Minnelli and Joel Grey. Rufus Norris’ revival of his multi award-winning 2006 production opened at the Mayflower this week at the start of a four-week tour before heading to the West End. In the role of Sally Bowles is former EastEnders actress Michelle Ryan, while pop star Will Young plays Emcee. Ryan has a strong singing voice and puts in a good performance, but doesn’t quite have the presence to make it brilliant. Will Young is a revelation, taking ownership of the stage from the moment the opening spotlight falls on him. You could almost hear the audience smile each time he appeared. Stage stalwarts Sian Phillips and Linal Haft and Harriet Thorpe provide excellent support. And Matt Rawle as Cliff Bradshaw deftly portrays the bright-eyed, eager American’s growing realisation of the horrors hiding just behind the scenery of Berlin’s 1931 Kit Kat Kabaret. Along with Bradshaw, the audience is pulled into the desperate decadence of a city already on its knees and a people clinging to the hope that it could not get worse. A powerful production. Morwenna Blake http://www.salisburyjournal.co.uk/leisure/..._the_Mayflower/ Edited September 6, 201212 yr by truly talented
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