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Cabaret is set in the dark nights of post-World War I Berlin and begins during the rise of the Nazi Party. So get ready to leave your inhibitions behind as you travel back in time to the Kit Kat Club and watch the romance unfold in a night of upbeat jazz. So relax, let go and be yourself in this blissful and eccentric celebration of song, dance, and seduction.
Cabaret is one of the most successful musicals of all time. It features the songs Wilkommen, Don’t Tell Mama, Mein Herr, Maybe This Time, Money, and the title number. Guests are given a “club entry time,” so they have time to check out the Kit Kat Club, but the fun starts when they enter.
It’s Monday, October 3, 2022. I’ve scored tickets to the Kit Kat Club. At the same time, there was another significant cast change, giving the audience the third EmCee – Callum Scott Howells from the television series It’s A Sin – and the third Sally Bowles.
Redmayne (the 1st EmCee) was awarded the Olivier for Best Actor for his role in this production, which offered “a very physical performance.” In contrast, his replacement Fra Fee offered “a warmer singing voice mixed with a desire to make sure everyone in the audience felt welcome, at least at the beginning of the show.”
Callum Scott Howells made me laugh more than his predecessors. He showed more skin, including his butt, during the racier Two Ladies. He has a warm Welsh tone in his singing voice despite his German accent.
Like Redmayne, he is topless in Two Ladies and is more revealing than his predecessors. However, any concerns he might be out of his depth here are immediately dispelled. I’m looking forward to seeing him early next year in his next West End role at the National, which was recently announced.
It’s A Sin star Omari Douglas co-starred in the original cast, and it’s nice to see that staff continue in this third main cast.
Jessie Buckley lent a sharp bite to Sally Bowles. Sally is often portrayed on stage as a moody and brittle “Manic Pixie Dreamgirl.” Still, she was deluded, manipulative, and often unsympathetic in Buckley’s hands. It was an original and intriguing take on the character, making Bowles’ constant gin swaying even more disturbing.
With the new cast, Madeline Brewer takes over the role of Sally. One of the original highlights of the show for me was Jessie Buckley’s or Emily Benjamin’s growly rendition of the theme song. Unfortunately, I was not as taken with Madeline Brewer’s -Sally- performance. Unfortunately, her acting and delivery of the character Sally just fall flat.
Sid Sagar as Clifford Bradshaw was well cast and held his own against Douglas and Omar Baroud.
One of the most marvelous things about this production is the emphasis on the second, older romance between the Jewish Mr. Schultz (played here by the reticent Richard Katz) and the troubled Miss Schneider, again beautifully drawn by Vivienne Parry.
As the cost of living continues to rise, the decadence of the establishment, with its emphasis on champagne and leaving your troubles outside, becomes ever more apparent.
If you have yet to see this classic, don’t let the significant cast change scare you away because the product is still just as good, if a bit different, as it ever was.
What’s the point of sitting alone in your room when there’s such a magical cabaret in the West End where you can lose yourself completely?
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