Cabaret - gender roles

#1

Cabaret - gender roles

Posted: 2/17/06 at 12:35pm

this past summer here in Dallas we had a production of "Cabaret" with the Emcee played by a woman, kind of a Marlene Dietrich thing.

but, why couldnt Sally be played by a man as a woman?

it makes sense to me, it would heighten the sleaze factor and the ambiguity of weimar germany and how dangerous things really were in the wake of rising nazi-ism - or have sally played by a black woman.

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Don't f*ck with me fellas. This ain't my first time at the rodeo.

Updated On: 2/17/06 at 12:35 PM

#2

re: Cabaret - gender roles

Posted: 2/17/06 at 12:50pm

i think a man in drag would make really interesting plot lines with the naziism and her whole relationship with cliff. sort of like a hedwig type thing. also, what if the emcee was really in love with sally (as a man) and they were playing cliff while being played by the nazi's.

oh you can do so much with that show.

#3

re: Cabaret - gender roles

Posted: 2/17/06 at 1:13pm

Except that Sally gets pregnant and has an abortion ...

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"I am open, and I am willing, For to be hopeless would seem so strange. It dishonors those who go before us, So lift me up to the light of change." Holly Near

#4

re: Cabaret - gender roles

Posted: 2/17/06 at 1:17pm

It could be played as Harvey played Edna in Hairspray - without "winking" at the audience - just play the role straight, as a woman.

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"High time we made a stand and shook up the views of the common man" - Tears for Fears

#5

re: Cabaret - gender roles

Posted: 2/17/06 at 2:23pm

oh yeah, that whole abortion thing. hmm, but otherwise it would work, right?

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Don't f*ck with me fellas. This ain't my first time at the rodeo.

#6

re: Cabaret - gender roles

Posted: 2/17/06 at 2:25pm

It would work if Sally didn't have an abortion, but since the entire climax of the play hinges on it, it's not possible.

On a somewhat related note, I did play a Kit Kat Girl in a production of few years ago.

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"How do you like THAT 'misanthropic panache,' Mr. Goldstone?" - PalJoey

Updated On: 2/17/06 at 02:25 PM

#7

re: Cabaret - gender roles

Posted: 2/17/06 at 2:27pm

I think, with the exception of the EmCee, all the main roles have to be played by someone of the correct gender. But as Kringas highlighted, with the ensemble, it's all to play for.

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#8

re: Cabaret - gender roles

Posted: 2/17/06 at 2:28pm

As already said, she's got to get pregnant, so it can't be played by a man in drag. It could be played by a male actor playing a female (a la Edna Turnblad) but... I dunno, what's the point?

The gender-bend works with the Emcee because it's already such an ephemeral role -- can be anyone, anything. No identity, almost.

Also, if Sally were a man in drag, that'd take away from the point made by fact that Cliff is with Sally, yet also exploring with men -- he'd be far less ambiguous if he were with no women at all.

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A work of art is an invitation to love.

#9

re: Cabaret - gender roles

Posted: 2/17/06 at 2:32pm

kost, the whore, could be played by a man as a woman easily.

i do like the idea of a "non wink" man as sally, but i think especially in "mein herr" and "mama" she would need that winking.

oh yeah, and the whole cliff and bobby thing wouldnt make sense if sally were a man.

part of the problem i have is that the emcee is so ambigious, if you do decide to do something avant garde or strange with that role and everything else stays as is, then it disjoints the mood.

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Don't f*ck with me fellas. This ain't my first time at the rodeo.

#10

re: Cabaret - gender roles

Posted: 2/17/06 at 2:35pm

Well certainly, you could do almost anything, but the question isn't necessarily what you could do, it's why? I mean, I don't necessarily believe in doing things just simply because you can. You've got to have a purpose and a point in doing so.

I think that the Emcee's ambiguity, if anything, lends itself to many different sorts of possible moods, rather than hindering or disjointing. But why would you change him/her that drastically and keep everything else status quo? I mean, he's got to have SOME cohesion.

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A work of art is an invitation to love.

Updated On: 2/17/06 at 02:35 PM

#11

re: Cabaret - gender roles

Posted: 2/17/06 at 2:38pm

well i guess im just going back to this cabaret with a woman as the emcee, i saw it as a stunt without any real motivation and thats where my disconnect came from.

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Don't f*ck with me fellas. This ain't my first time at the rodeo.

#12

re: Cabaret - gender roles

Posted: 2/17/06 at 2:40pm

See, but that's one bend that I don't think is such a "stunt" or a stretch. Because it's already so ambiguous, what's throwing in something like that? Especially something sexual. It fits, to me. I mean, making the Emcee is a woman isn't like putting him in a space suit and still have him romping around Weimar Germany.

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A work of art is an invitation to love.

Updated On: 2/17/06 at 02:40 PM

#13

re: Cabaret - gender roles

Posted: 2/17/06 at 2:40pm

Well - even if it's not directly addressed, there is still a specific energy and implication that would come from a man playing a woman's role...Like Donna Lynn Champlain in Sweeney Todd right now for a vice versa example....

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"High time we made a stand and shook up the views of the common man" - Tears for Fears

#14

re: Cabaret - gender roles

Posted: 2/17/06 at 2:45pm

oh wait, didnt i mention it was a woman IN A SPACE SUIT as the emcee, ala "Quantum Leap"... just joking.

thanks luvtheEmcee for your opinion, it's nice to have a discussion about something like this. it's such a maleable show that a director can either make it great or horrid.

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Don't f*ck with me fellas. This ain't my first time at the rodeo.

#15

re: Cabaret - gender roles

Posted: 2/17/06 at 2:46pm

LOL.

Anyway, yeah. That's one of the things I like about it.

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A work of art is an invitation to love.

#16

re: Cabaret - gender roles

Posted: 2/17/06 at 2:56pm

I was not sold on the idea of a woman playing the Emcee when it was first announced at the aforementioned Dallas theater, and, after seeing the production, I am still not sold on the idea. (No reflection on the talents of the actress playing the role.) I just don't think it worked.

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"I am open, and I am willing, For to be hopeless would seem so strange. It dishonors those who go before us, So lift me up to the light of change." Holly Near

#17

re: Cabaret - gender roles

Posted: 2/17/06 at 2:59pm

I did a production where I (a man) was cast as a Kit Kat girl and did the role in drag. It was very fun. The song "Don't Tell Mama" actually references one of the girls in the line as Sally's brother. That's how we played it.

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"Oh Link...your pork is ready..." - Edna Turnblad

#18

re: Cabaret - gender roles

Posted: 2/17/06 at 3:00pm

DBillyP - i totally agree with you that actress is one my faves in town, but i wasn't really too keen on her as the emcee - she has the talent to pull it off, but i think the direction might have been the problem.

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Don't f*ck with me fellas. This ain't my first time at the rodeo.

#19

re: Cabaret - gender roles

Posted: 2/17/06 at 3:59pm

cheeze, this production also used a make Kit Kat girl. Again, nothing against the actor's talent; he is a very good dancer. However, physically, he is definitely a guy. Again, it didn't quite work.

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"I am open, and I am willing, For to be hopeless would seem so strange. It dishonors those who go before us, So lift me up to the light of change." Holly Near

#20

re: Cabaret - gender roles

Posted: 2/17/06 at 4:16pm

When I played a Kit Kat Girl, people in the audience knew one of us was a guy. In almost all cases, people guessed that a different girl (one of the real girls) was the guy. She wasn't too happy about that.

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"How do you like THAT 'misanthropic panache,' Mr. Goldstone?" - PalJoey