Adam Lambert -Cabaret- Page 6

[PipingHotPiccolo]

Posted: 9/22/24 at 8:51pm

Jarethan said: "Kad said: "Per Rob in a PM, Flash has been banned."

Why has he been banned? I find him annoying as hell, but do t remember reading anything truly offensive…mostly stupid and hyperbolic."

Its anyones guess what broke the proverbial camel's back, but off the top of my head, Flash has accused The Outsiders of being appealing only to gay men who want to ogle the young case, complained about too many Orthodox Jews in their neighborhood, and claimed a NYT critic was only hired because hes Latino.  None of these comments merited any rebuke, to my knowledge, from the moderators, so I imagine it was along these lines but even more overtly offensive.

[VintageSnarker]

Posted: 9/22/24 at 9:16pm

inception said: "VintageSnarker said: "Is there a good way to get affordable tickets (that aren't all the way in the back) in October besides TKTS? "

What do you consider affordable?"

Under $100 because it would be for three people. This and Sunset Boulevard are the shows I'm unlikely to get tickets for that my parents would probably most enjoy. If those fail, there's always Mattress and Gatsby.

Updated On: 9/23/24 at 09:16 PM

[inception]

Posted: 9/22/24 at 10:10pm

VintageSnarker, I don't know about Cabaret, but I see Mezz seats for Sunset Blvd at $88 or Balcony for $66.

[Kad]

Posted: 9/22/24 at 10:15pm

Jarethan said: "Kad said: "Per Rob in a PM, Flash has been banned."

Why has he been banned? I find him annoying as hell, but do t remember reading anything truly offensive…mostly stupid and hyperbolic."

I don’t want to re-litigate this, but they continually posted racist, homophobic, antisemitic, and xenophobic statements. They were even temporarily banned  earlier this year because of it. Most of their worst offenses were deleted, leaving little trace unless you’re a very active member and saw it in real time. 
(To say nothing of them baiting people into circular arguments and derailing many threads). 

[jpbran]

Posted: 9/22/24 at 10:21pm

You know he (tho profile said “she”) will be back with a different user name. 

For now we’ll just have our memories — and BWW in-boxes full of creeper messages. 😅🤦🏻‍♂️

[Huss417]

Posted: 9/23/24 at 9:08am

jpbran said: "You know he (tho profile said “she”) will be back with a different user name.

For now we’ll just have our memories — and BWW in-boxes full of creeper messages. 😅🤦🏻‍♂️"

At first I thought I was the only one getting the messages but felt better when others mentioned they were receiving them as well.

As far as a new profile I felt they already had one or two while they were still here. Time will tell.

But staying on thread I was trying to figure out when Cabaret will be reviewed again and if I should wait till then to purchase tickets.

[ColorTheHours048]

Posted: 9/23/24 at 9:38am

I wonder if they will be reviewed again. Since this is intended to be a long-running revival (though I doubt the staying power without genuine star casting), they’ll likely hold off until at least a few years down the line. At least from any genuine critics.

Shame on me, but I saw it again the other night and left at intermission. Adam and Auli’i are certainly warmer and more inviting performers than their predecessors; but the production is still an over-directed, over-shouted, under-paced slog. Accent work? Nuance? Scene to scene coherence? Don’t know her; never met her.

[Huss417]

Posted: 9/23/24 at 12:15pm

ColorTheHours048 said: "I wonder if they will be reviewed again. Since this is intended to be a long-running revival (though I doubt the staying power without genuine star casting), they’ll likely hold off until at least a few years down the line. At least from any genuine critics.

Shame on me, but Isaw it again the other night and left at intermission. Adam and Auli’i are certainly warmer and more inviting performers than their predecessors; but the production is still an over-directed, over-shouted, under-paced slog. Accent work? Nuance? Scene to scene coherence? Don’t know her; never met her."

This is why I have been on the fence about seeing this production. I saw the Mendes production more times than I will admit and thought that was brilliant.

[TaffyDavenport]

Posted: 9/25/24 at 7:51pm

[ColorTheHours048]

Posted: 9/25/24 at 9:34pm

I’ll agree with David Gordon that the tempos in act one were, indeed, better. And Calvin Leon Smith is an improvement over Ato Blankson-Wood in every aspect (the sexual tension between him and Henry Gottfried is palpable).

Updated On: 9/26/24 at 09:34 PM

[Jonathan Cohen]

Posted: 9/25/24 at 11:48pm

I caught the new cast this afternoon. Of the additions, I was most impressed with Calvin Leon Smith, with the caveat having a person of color play Cliff makes no sense to me. Why would a Nazi go out of their way to befriend a Black American?

With Adam Lambert and Auliʻi Cravalho, I thought they were fine. I generally like them but they are executing the same artistic vision as Redmayne and Rankin were. So for instance, if having Sally Bowles scream/sing at the audience seems like an off choice for the character, it's just as true if Cravalho is doing it.

Updated On: 9/25/24 at 11:48 PM

[bwayobsessed]

Posted: 9/26/24 at 8:42am

I saw it last night:

Bebe is still the star standout

I liked Eddie more than Adam I think. I think this production really wants Emcee to be an idea/force more than a person. Adam definitely brought more of himself and his personhood to the part. Tho He was good and had some lovely vocal moments particularly during I don’t care much and Tomorrow belongs to me

I liked Auli’i more than Gayle. I think she is allowed to sing more. I liked many of Gayle’s acting choices but it almost seemed like she was singing off rhythm. Auli’i has a sorta brash confidence in Act 1 that works well and justifies the big belty moments she takes.

I still think some moments are weird choices but I definitely caught things on this viewing didn’t catch on first viewing.

Also I sat at the partial view cabaret tables in the mezz on the side (I believe 401/02) they were much better than I expected. It’s really only a few entrances (particularly during Kost’s Sailor bit) and verse or two where people are on the extreme side of the stage that I was missing things. You are leaning forward the whole time but you are quite close to the actors which was nice 

[Jonathan Cohen]

Posted: 9/26/24 at 11:18am

bwayobsessed said: "I liked Eddie more than Adam I think. I think this production really wants Emcee to be an idea/force more than a person. Adam definitely brought more of himself and his personhood to the part. Tho He was good and had some lovely vocal moments particularly during I don’t care much and Tomorrow belongs to me"

I actually thought Lambert sang the most hauntingly beautiful rendition of Tomorrow Belongs To Me I've ever heard. 

The Alan Cummings version, where he's listening to the song on a record player, which makes both fascism and the Emcee sound terrifying, works better narratively. But for this interpretation of Cabaret, Lambert sounds way better than Redmayne singing like a frog. 

[binau]

Posted: 9/26/24 at 11:26am

Im dying to hear Adam lambert in the role. This is a unique, expressive and powerful voice that is not commonly found in male theatre performers. CAN WE GET AN EP PLS???

[WiCkEDrOcKS]

Posted: 9/26/24 at 12:12pm

Coming on here to say that many of my issues with the production still stand, but it is much improved with these two new leads. Definitely worth a return visit, if you're tempted. Adam and Auli'i are both haunting (with stunning voices, of course) and Bebe/Stephen's chemistry has only deepened over time.  Calvin Leon Smith is also a marked improvement over Ato Blankson-Wood.

All that said - what is going on with audience behavior these days? Especially for a production like this one, where the audience is more or less a "part" of the entire conceit, can we PLEASE be cognizant of the fact that the theater is a shared space and should be treated with some level of decorum and respect for your fellow audience members.

We are all adults and shouldn't need a pre-show announcement or an usher intervention to remind us how to behave.  

Updated On: 9/26/24 at 12:12 PM

[communitytheatergal88]

Posted: 9/26/24 at 12:38pm

I saw this a few days ago.  I thought the cast was terrific.  Agree with those who have said Adam's Tomorrow Belongs To Me and I Dont Care Much were gorgeous.  His acting was good too -- this role is right up his alley.  I also though Auli'i did a rousing Cabaret.  It was an enjoyable evening, and I would see it again.  That being said, I did not love the production.  I am a huge fan of the Sam Mendes production (RIP Natasha Richardson) and this was really different.    I don't understand an aggressive/shouty Sally. I did not like how the last 25% of the show was staged and costumed.  After a few emotional high points, it just didn't make sense to me and lost its power.  I don't know how long this show can keep running given its running costs -- soooo many people working the house.  But again, a stellar cast (bebe, adam, auli'i et al), plus an all time great score makes for an enjoyable night.

Updated On: 9/26/24 at 12:38 PM

[Kad]

Posted: 9/26/24 at 12:58pm

I'm glad to hear the positive reports for Lambert and Cravalho. However, Rankin and Redmayne weren't really what I had an issue with with this production- if anything, their performances were more indicative of Fracknell's indulgent and incoherent vision. I can't fault Redmayne too harshly for what he was doing because he was committed to it and wasn't doing it poorly, but the conceit behind it was (imo) unsuccessful and Fracknell needed to be the one to rein it in. The buck stops with her as director on this. As long as Fracknell's machinery for the production remains in place, I'm not sure replacements will be anything but switching out parts, and that just makes me extremely reluctant to go back.

Updated On: 9/26/24 at 12:58 PM

[TheQuibbler]

Posted: 9/26/24 at 5:51pm

bwayobsessed said: "I think this production really wants Emcee to be an idea/force more than a person."

I always find this criticism interesting because I feel like the Emcee always functions in this way.

I can't necessarily imagine Cumming's or Grey's Emcee existing in the real world any more than I could Redmayne's. If anything, I could picture Redmayne's little weirdo version being a person who's finally able to land a job because the cabaret is the one place he can be himself (until he cant, of course). 

[PipingHotPiccolo]

Posted: 9/26/24 at 8:38pm

Kad said: "I'm glad to hear the positive reports for Lambert and Cravalho. However, Rankin and Redmayne weren't really what I had an issue with with this production- if anything, their performances were more indicative of Fracknell's indulgent and incoherent vision. I can't fault Redmayne too harshly for what he was doing because he was committed to it and wasn't doing it poorly, but the conceit behind it was (imo) unsuccessful and Fracknell needed to be the one to rein it in. The buck stops with her as director on this. As long as Fracknell's machinery for the production remains in place, I'm not sure replacements will be anything but switching out parts, and that just makes me extremely reluctant to go back."

Havent seen this production, but i take your point that if the production is meh new actors wont save it. That said, as someone who could not be cajoled into plunking down $250 for what seems like a trying-way-too-hard mess, i COULD be cajoled to spend $100 if the emcee isnt singing like kermit the frog.  Meaning, there might be something worthwhile in at least enjoying Lambert's vocals and Im probably gonna wind up seeing it relatively soon.

[bwayobsessed]

Posted: 9/26/24 at 11:54pm

TheQuibbler said: "bwayobsessed said: "Ithink this production really wants Emcee to be an idea/force more than a person."

I always find this criticism interesting because I feel like the Emcee always functions in this way.

Ican't necessarily imagine Cumming's or Grey's Emcee existing in the real world any more than I could Redmayne's. If anything, I could picture Redmayne's little weirdo version being a person who's finally able to land a job because the cabaret is the one place he can be himself (until he cant, of course)."

I did not get to see Joel Grey do the role on stage but on film to me he reads pretty literally as a guy in a club who just happens to be commenting on the action. Alan Cumming’s Emcee I think had more of an emotional arc in the show-being more present onstage, I don’t care much, the ending. It seems a bit more like he is representing the human experiences of people in the time. Eddie (and this production’s take) seems like a person removed from the action and one who is the physicalization of the themes rather than an individual. 

[TheQuibbler]

Posted: 9/27/24 at 9:09am

bwayobsessed said: "I did not get to see Joel Grey do the role on stage but on film to me he reads pretty literally as a guy in a club who just happens to be commenting on the action. Alan Cumming’s Emcee I think had more of an emotional arc in the show-being more present onstage, I don’t care much, the ending. It seems a bit more like he is representing the human experiences of people in the time. Eddie (and this production’s take) seems like a person removed from the action and one who is the physicalization of the themes rather than an individual."

Thanks for elaborating! 

[Seperite]

Posted: 9/27/24 at 9:22am

What is it that people find so off-kilter about this production? I saw both of the two most recent revivals (in the 90s and 2010s) as well as the current production,  and while the staging and costuming is certainly different, I did not get the sense that the thrust or focus of the show, or of the message the director was trying to impart, was substantively different.

I do think that the marketing is...queer. I have always understood the point of Cabaret to be an indictment of complacency and ignorance -- those who party while the world burns. Depicting the Kit Kat Club as raucous and sexually vibrant/open/fluid in the face of the darkness outside the Club serves to underscore how self-involved and deeply oblivious to the real world the masses were.

But the point of the show, in my view, is not to *celebrate* the bachanalia...it's to condemn it. The entire Kit Kat Club crew, aling with Fraulein Schneider, Kolst, Sally Bowles, and even Herr Schultz, try to live their lives in complete ignorance of the world around them, with the denizens of the Club representing the most extreme dedication to self-indulgence. And eventually, all of that burying of the collective heads in the sand leads to their, and society's downfall. For contemporary productions to emphasize, and joyously celbrate, in theirnl advertisimg, the spirit of the Club, is to miss the point of the piece altogether.

Cabaret is timeless, in part because it's warning to contemporary audiences is timeless -- don't be so consumed by your own desire to live a selfish, hedonistic life, oblivious to what is going on in the world around you. The troubles you want to leave out the door will find a way to creep in. Ignoring injustice is not an option.

The advertising for this show seems to suggest it's a great and joyous choice.

[MemorableUserName]

Posted: 9/27/24 at 1:51pm

If you're really interested, it's been widely discussed in the original thread, and the reviews that ripped this production to shreds:

https://forum.broadwayworld.com/thread/CABARET-at-the-Kit-Kat-Club--2024Opening-Night-CriticsReviews

[chrishuyen]

Posted: 10/1/24 at 4:22pm

I don't know if it's officially a review, since they include a bunch of other stuff in this and it's not formatted like standard review, but TheaterMania did a write up of the new cast (and MD): https://www.theatermania.com/news/story-of-the-week-adam-lambert-and-aulii-cravalho-ignite-divisive-cabaret-revival_1751514/

Notably this part sounds quite promising: 

"Lambert sounds especially lush on his big solos, “I Don’t Care Much” and “Tomorrow Belongs to Me,” and in calming down the histrionic twitches that befell Redmayne, the arc for this Emcee becomes much clearer: he’s both a representative of average German complicity and a queer nightclub performer doing what he must to survive, even if that means hiding his true self and becoming a brownshirt.

Cravalho’s Sally is also a survivalist, shacking up with a man she knows is queer, but assumes the American money he gets regularly from his mom back home will keep her safe. She’s a little screamy, but less so than Rankin, and her take on the title song is a testament to a person who will dance as fast as she can until she can’t anymore.

Moreover, her chemistry with Smith is palpable, and they make us root for their relationship, even though we know it isn’t going to work. I’ve always felt that Cliff is virtually an unplayable role — could someone really be that naïve? — but Smith might be the best Cliff I’ve ever seen. Finding the heart in a cypher of a character, his Cliff is taken in by the spell of Berlin, until it’s all pulled away, and you can feel the pain. I should also note that there’s a touchy flirtation between Smith’s Cliff and Henry Gottfried’s Ernst, and their chemistry is palpable, also. It’s the first time I’ve ever wondered if those two were secretly sleeping together."

 

[Melissa25]

Posted: 10/1/24 at 4:36pm

I have not seen Cabaret yet. I was excited to hear Paul Wontorek's take on Lambert and Cravalho.