September 6, 201212 yr 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 Great reviews but I particularly loved this bit about Will :dance: - where have I heard him "taking ownership" before!! :lol:
September 6, 201212 yr More great reviews. Hope he reads them - he doesn't usually :P Suggy... :lol: so he says. ;)
September 11, 201212 yr Back from my first of my two shows. I can only echo what many of the reviews have said that this role was made for Will. The star of the show and loving every minute of it. :yahoo: The show at times made difficult viewing, such a such a contrast to many of the more lightweight fluffy musicals. Loved the simple but effective staging and brilliant choreography. Jury is out for me with Michelle Ryan. She sang and danced well but lacked some spark in the role. Wondered at times as well if she had a backing track behind some of her vocals as on occasions her voice seemed to project even more than Will's and that was a criticism of her from earlier shows. The rest of the cast put in strong performances, although I found the scenes between Fräulein Schneider and Herr Schultz a little drawn out. Enjoyable isn't really a word you can use for this production, more deep and thought provoking. Looking forward to seeing it again to help take everything in. Thanks for more excellent reviews Sunday.
September 11, 201212 yr Author Back from my first of my two shows. I can only echo what many of the reviews have said that this role was made for Will. The star of the show and loving every minute of it. :yahoo: The show at times made difficult viewing, such a such a contrast to many of the more lightweight fluffy musicals. Loved the simple but effective staging and brilliant choreography. Jury is out for me with Michelle Ryan. She sang and danced well but lacked some spark in the role. Wondered at times as well if she had a backing track behind some of her vocals as on occasions her voice seemed to project even more than Will's and that was a criticism of her from earlier shows. The rest of the cast put in strong performances, although I found the scenes between Fräulein Schneider and Herr Schultz a little drawn out. Enjoyable isn't really a word you can use for this production, more deep and thought provoking. Looking forward to seeing it again to help take everything in. Thanks for more excellent reviews Sunday. Thanks for the review TT, I can identify with your comments. I thought Michelle Ryan was at least as good as the previous Sally Bowles I saw, but to be honest I wasn't focussing on her so much. I found the whole show very absorbing, Will was a delight and amazing to watch, and I definitely need to see it again! I am hoping that it filters out that Will is playing an absolute blinder in this role and he gets the plaudits for it he deserves! The signs are certainly good as the reviews have been excellent!
September 11, 201212 yr Thanks TT. My turn tomorrow. :dance: You didn't wait at the Stage Door did you? Apparently he didn't come out tonight. Anne over on Baby D said that Rufus reckons they sometimes have a party after a performance.
September 11, 201212 yr Thanks for the latest and the tweets coming up on Twitter for Will are getting more amazing every day! :cheer:
September 12, 201212 yr Thanks TT. My turn tomorrow. :dance: You didn't wait at the Stage Door did you? Apparently he didn't come out tonight. Anne over on Baby D said that Rufus reckons they sometimes have a party after a performance. No I didn't wait munchkin.
September 12, 201212 yr Glad you have all enjoyed the performances. Sounds amazing. :dance: If I ever get back to London before the end of Will's run, I'll certainly try to see him at the Savoy.
September 12, 201212 yr Glad you have all enjoyed the performances. Sounds amazing. :dance: If I ever get back to London before the end of Will's run, I'll certainly try to see him at the Savoy. Hope you do manage to see it chrysalis.
September 13, 201212 yr Oh my. What can I say. Will was stupendous. I know I'm an oldie too but there were a lot of OAPs there :lol: I would much rather have gone to an evening performance but that was the only time that suited for my son to be able to go. I recall someone saying that her friend thought Will "didn't have much to do". Mein Gott!! He was in almost every scene and had 'bit' parts as the Border official and that rage scene before introducing Sally at the end was :o "All this anger is so exhausting". Cracked up at Two Ladies - how bloody good was that - the audience were in fits with so many people and animals popping up - even though it was just "Two Ladies and just One Man" :rofl: And the sausages :lol: The Money Song was another highlight for me - absolutely cracking. We were in the Dress Circle so couldn't really see all the facial expressions as well as those who sat in the stalls but , by god, he projected the character so well that you didn't need to see his face close up, and we had a view of the whole stage. In hindsight I should have invested in the opera glasses . Tomorrow Belongs to Me - what to say! Bloody hell. :o We did 'titter' a bit after If You Could See Her but the portrayal that Jews were not considered as human beings but nothing less than 'animals'. :( Michelle was OK as Sally but didn't really project the character as dynamic. Her vocals were less than perfect in the quieter parts of her songs but she coped better when she was able to belt. My son reckoned she had a great pair of legs but wasn't so enamoured with her vocals :lol: I wasn't sure if we were supposed to call out Happy New Year - what do others think? And he had to call out a second time from the window before he got a response :lol: Also when he asked a question of the audience no-one replied but I called out "No" along with a few others the second time. :lol: Can someone tell me what he replied in return after that - didn't catch it? I thought it was all very well cast, very basic backdrops with nothing to detract from the actors. Loved how the orchestra had their own balcony - and the entr'acte was great. The last scene was received with absolutely total silence by the audience - no titters or laughter - who, given their age would have fully realised the significance of it. I could feel my skin 'tightening' with emotion :cry: He didn't get a full standing ovation (people didn't stand until the last encore) but I certainly did stand up from the start along with a couple of others in the Dress Circle and they took four encores at the end. Although perhaps not as 'enthusiastic' an audience as other performances they were certainly an appreciative one. Someone called out "Bravo" after If You Could See her.... or was it TBTM. Sorry I can't recall now but the call was certainly there. I think the audience were totally moved by the whole thing - even if it didn't include standing up :lol: My mind's in a whirl so I may have mis-remembered some of it. I think I shall have to go again :yahoo: P.S. Oh... the willy scene raised a laugh or two :P And there is absolutely no need to mention Will's vocals...... sublime as ever. :wub: Oh and his German was very good when he was the Border guard. All good stuff to add to his CV :cheer: ... and our boy got the loudest cheer of all - so well deserved :wub: :heart: Edited September 13, 201212 yr by munchkin
September 13, 201212 yr It was great :yahoo: . I'm hoping they may reduce the ticket price in London as, on top of train fares etc., it would prove a very expensive night out, unless we go for the cheapest at £35. and sit up in the gods. I can't really see that happening though as it's only for a limited period but *fingers*.
September 13, 201212 yr It was great :yahoo: . I'm hoping they may reduce the ticket price in London as, on top of train fares etc., it would prove a very expensive night out, unless we go for the cheapest at £35. and sit up in the gods. I can't really see that happening though as it's only for a limited period but *fingers*. Would definitely entice me to a do a third outing but I can't really see them being reduced. Part of me doesn't want it to happen as would like to see Will play to a packed house every night. :unsure:
September 15, 201212 yr Thanks to griff. Pop Idol Will Young impresses in Cabaret Michelle Ryan and Will Young in Cabaret By By Jackie Derbyshire Published on Saturday 15 September 2012 07:00 WILL Young steals the show in this production of Cabaret that stopped off in Nottingham as part of a whistle stop nation-wide tour before it takes up residence in London’s West End. While the former talent show winner of Pop Idol has proved his worth, in the decade since he won the show, with his singing and songwriting prowess, this will be his West End debut. With numerous number one albums, sell-out tours and a couple of film and stage credits already under his belt, it seems there is no stopping this 33 year-old who can now boast a commanding stage presence. Critics might claim that his crude beginnings in TV and the Will-Gates contest was not the best of foundations in which to build a career beyond the initial hype and publicity, but he continues to prove his critics wrong. Young plays Emcee in this stage show that first hit Broadway in 1966 before being transformed into an Oscar-winning film in 1972, starring the legendary Liza Minnelli as Sally Bowles. Even if you have never seen the film or experienced the show before and are unaware of the Cabaret beginnings, its songs have become iconic through the decades. This latest production will appeal to a new generation as alongside Young is former Eastenders actress Michelle Ryan. It’s a far cry from her Zoe Slater days as she takes on the role of an English cabaret singer attracted to the American writer Cliff Bradshaw. The show is based in the Kit Kat Klub of Berlin in the 1930s in the lead up to the Second World War just as the Nazis begin their rise to power. The story switches between the relationship of the young couple and its sexual complications to the much deeper problems faced by the later-in-life love of Fraulein Kost (Harriet Thorpe) and Jewish fruit vendor Herr Schultz (Linal Haft). Sentimental scenes of courtship and seduction between the two couples are played out against a simple backdrop. This acts to heighten the crude contrast to the club scenes where the dancers present a sexy,sensual,stimulating and provocative performance wearing sequinned hot pants, lederhosen and little else. The high kicks, impressive leaps and carefully choreographed routine is highlighted by the sultry lighting and dark shadows creating an atmosphere of titillation. Cabaret delivers on many levels. It has the humour, the romance, the sex and the anticipation of the inevitable as history is retold. Michelle Ryan, although an impressive CV and vocal talent not seen before, I felt there was something missing from her performance. In her raunchy scenes, especially in the beginning, she looked a little uncomfortable. But this didn’t matter as inevitably, Will Young was as masterful an MC as Billy Smart at the circus. He kept the audience transfixed throughout his scenes with his punchy delivery, over the top expressions and showed total confidence in his character. It was a real treat being exposed to all the delights of the Cabaret so close to home. But even if you missed it, it would be well worth the trip to the bright lights of the big city when it struts into the West End in October. http://www.chad.co.uk/lifestyle/stage/pop-...baret-1-4927617 Will couldn't have received better reviews. :yahoo: Edited September 15, 201212 yr by truly talented
September 16, 201212 yr Author The great comments Will is getting are brilliant! :yahoo: I can't believe how fast the provincial tour is going, only Norwich and Salford to go now before the West End! :cheer: Edited September 16, 201212 yr by ros
September 17, 201212 yr TheatreRNorwich @TheatreRNorwich Busy busy backstage as we get ready for the opening night of Cabaret, starring Will Young and Michelle Ryan..and full houses all week! :yahoo:
September 18, 201212 yr Norwich Review: Cabaret by Kander and Ebb, Norwich Theatre Royal Andrew Clarke Tuesday, September 18, 2012 11:52 AM Review: Cabaret by Kander and Ebb, Norwich Theatre Royal, until September 22 Cabaret is one of the great musicals. Not only does it have spectacular musical numbers but it is also a show of real substance offering audiences something to think about as it gives us a conducted tour of a decadent Berlin during the early 1930s. In many ways it offers us three shows in one. On the surface we have the recreation of the KitKat club presided over by the grotesque Emcee, the second is the tragic story of English cabaret performer Sally Bowles and finally there’s Cliff Bradshaw’s outsider’s view of the rise of Nazi Germany. The three elements combine with a stonking score to provide us with a show of real substance – a show which can withstand real scrutiny, repeated viewings and any number of varied interpretations. The latest reworking, currently wowing capacity audiences at the Theatre Royal Norwich, stars Will Young and Michelle Ryan and will be heading into the West End on October 3. The show has been startlingly imagined by director Rufus Norris as beds, cages and ladders sweep across the stage, virtually doing a dance, as the characters perform in a twilight world telling us how Germany is changing. Cabaret works because it is a show about people rather than spectacle. It’s a dark show but also a hugely engaging one. We care about what happens to the characters we meet. Will Young has tremendous stage presence as the white-faced Emcee. At the start of the show, he provides us with a visual reminder of the show’s origins – Christopher Isherwood’s novel I Am A Camera – as he emerges from the letter ‘O’ in the word Wilkommen. The ‘O’ has been set up to resemble a camera lens. Although the Emcee functions as a guide through the story, Will invests the character ,not only with lashings of eccentricity, but with some welcome flashes of vulnerability. Michelle Ryan successfully steps out of Liza Minnelli’s vast shadow to create a flighty, needy Sally Bowles who appears to be on the run from a stifling home counties life. She yearns for freedom but what is it that she really wants? Michelle skilfully brings out Sally’s real tragedy – her inability to emotionally commit to anything or anyone. Sian Phillips makes a touching Fraulein Schneider, who has is forced to choose between her room-renting business and her love for Jewish greengrocer Herr Schultz, played with tender understatement by Linal Haft. It’s a terrific re-imagining of a stunning show which will undoubtedly grow more nuanced as it settles into its London run. The highlight for me was the chilling Tomorrow Belongs To Me with the Emcee as a grotesque puppeteer. The only slight niggles I had were that Michelle Ryan needs to have more confidence in her vocals and Cliff’s bi-sexuality is given more prominence than in previous productions and I’m not sure that helps the Cliff/Sally elements of the story. But these are only minor quibbles. Cabaret remains a stunning, moving piece of musical theatre. Andrew Clarkehttp://www.eadt.co.uk/entertainment/review...royal_1_1520324 Don't Miss Cabaret, Say Critics18 September 12 Only returns are available for the hit show, which is at Norwich Theatre Royal until September 22. Check out the critic's views. From the glitzy, gaudy, sleazy opening you wouldn't guess what unfolds in Cabaret. But this is a story - and a production - that runs the full gamut from cheeky humour to unspeakable horror with the only constant delight the superb performances of a top notch cast. Many in the sold-out auditorium will have been attracted by Will Young's starring role as Emcee, and he strikes a strong and distinctive note as an archly-camp ringmaster turned unspeakable cipher as the dying spasms of the Weimar Republic give way to the rise of Weimar Germany. But the real surprise of the night was Michelle Ryan in her first musical lead. Her voice and presence in her first number alone will silence any critics, embodying with charm and panache - and the sweetest undertone of frailty - showgirl Sally Bowles. Henry Luxemburg, drafted in late to take on the part of Clifford Bradshaw, dropped into the role with ease and Sian Phillips as Fraulein Schneider and Linal Haft as Herr Schultz provided a grounded foil to the main story. The musical accompaniment, led by Tom De Keyser, was exemplary, matching the action as well as designer Katrina Lindsay's creative and stunning set. Rufus Norris's direction deftly handles the two very contrasting strands of the piece, the extravagance and decadance of the first half serving only to intensify the inhumanity of the latter strands of the tale. A remarkable achievement. JAMES GOFFIN (EASTERN DAILY PRESS/NORWICH EVENING NEWS) http://www.eadt.co.uk/entertainment/review...royal_1_1520324 Have posted these great reviews in the pinned thread too. We've yet to hear a bad word about Will's performance. :D Edited September 18, 201212 yr by truly talented
September 19, 201212 yr Whatsonstage have posted up the production pix: http://www.whatsonstage.com/photos/theatre..._medium=twitter Edited September 19, 201212 yr by munchkin
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