FANtomFollies said: "TotallyEffed said: "I….thought this production was quite remarkable."
Care to elaborate? The folks who liked this seem outnumbered so I'm more curious to hear from those who enjoyed it. I don't see it until June..."
Where to even begin? Just a note, I haven't read any of the reviews on this board or what the critics said, I wanted to go in fresh because I have avoided reading about this production for years and have been very patient waiting for it to finally transfer. It became clear to me this week that the reviews were less than favorable and now that I've seen the production I am very interested to read them...
It is clearer than ever after seeing it last night that this is one of the best musicals ever written. I hope it is staged for centuries to come. The score, the book, these characters... is it just stupendous. I feel very lucky this is playing in New York right now, it is really a fantastic experience.
The physical production is remarkable. The transformation of the theatre is jaw dropping. The lighting on the stage as well as in the theatre during the pre-show is so well done. The costumes, especially the Emcee's, are stunning and truly walk the line between costume and legitimate fashion which I find quite rare in the theatre. I always cringe when costume designers try to be "edgy" and end up looking super dated and lame. The costume and make up design in this is flawless and visually stunning.
Eddie has an undeniable star quality. He just looks so amazing up on that stage in those costumes and what he is doing physically. He brings a disturbing and menacing quality that is absolutely magnetic. His singing voice is extremely bizarre at times (I thought he sounded just horrible in Les Miserables) but I can forgive the Kermit quality to his voice because he is the anchor of this production and his presence makes it feel like even more of an event.
Bebe blew me away. I became overwhelmed with emotion and started crying quite intensely before she even sang the first note of "What Would You Do?" because I felt so deeply for her character. This production is disturbing in a way that made me feel suffocated even as I walked through that strange garbage strewn alleyway. When the threat of Nazism starts to creep in, the feeling of a claustrophobic fight or flight sensation bubbles up and I just wanted to yell at the characters on stage to hop on a train and escape as soon as they could. The theatre even feels a little dangerous in the sense that I have been in it many times, and I legitimately had no idea where I was. It was very exciting but quite discombobulating. It really enhanced the feeling of being in a strange, sexy environment but feeling a sense of unavoidable, impending doom. Bebe was the emotional centerpiece for me. A woman who is simply trying to survive and who has to make brutal decisions to ensure her survival. I'd give Bebe her third Tony.
Casting a Sally who isn't a Hollywood star made the show feel like much of an of ensemble piece. It evened the playing field a bit and I thought all the leads were very good.
There are a few coup de théâtre moments in this production that made me gasp. The costume design and new take on 'I Don't Care Much" made me sit up in my seat and gasp. I have my own interpretation of it and it's what solidified my enthusiasm for this production. I don't want to spoiler for anyone but I can elaborate if someone is curious. The ending of "If You Could See Her" elicited a reaction from the audience that was so authentic and ultimately so deeply disturbing that I felt a lump immediately seize my throat and tears filled my eyes. I'll never forget it.
If the Mendes production is definitive (I saw it twice and was absolutely obsessed with it), this one subverts the material even further and made me see some of the songs as if for the first time. I know the show and score intimately, so to be feeling like I was seeing a legitimately new take on it, and having it resonate so effectively, was very exciting.
Are tickets to this production obscenely overpriced? Yes. Is it a perfect production? Maybe not.
But this is the first show since Here We Are that made me sit up in my seat and marvel at the miracle of theatre. This production feels absolutely unmissable to me and I would give it Best Revival in a heartbeat (I love this production of Merrily and saw it in London a decade ago, off-Broadway and on Broadway). This season was jam-packed but mostly a let down. This spring the only musicals that I felt were truly special were Illinoise and now Cabaret.
Updated On: 4/28/24 at 03:05 PM
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