CABARET at the Kit Kat Club (2024) Opening Night Critics' Reviews — Page 13

I wonder if they’d consider (or be allowed to, from a union standpoint) doing away with the pre-show at a certain point to cut costs.

TheQuibbler said: "I wonder if they’d consider (or be allowed to, from a union standpoint) doing away with the pre-show at a certain point to cut costs."

That would kind of ruin the novelty of it, wouldn't it?

I honestly could have done without the preshow. The transformation of the theatre was enough for me. They’re just hoping people will purchase those $29 cocktails.

TheQuibbler said: "I wonder if they’d consider (or be allowed to, from a union standpoint) doing away with the pre-show at a certain point to cut costs."

Isn’t that exactly what they did in London?

Another review by a woman, the ever insightful Helen Shaw for The New Yorker. She didn't like it either.

https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2024/05/06/stereophonic-theatre-review-cabaret

"Kander and Ebb’s musical about the guises of Fascism relies on a slow build from seeming liberation to revelation: an American named Cliff (Ato Blankson-Wood) bumbles his way through Weimar Berlin, intoxicated by the permissive night life and oblivious of the growing political horrors all around him. It was last on Broadway in 2015, with Alan Cumming playing the mischievous m.c.—a certain Puckish reserve is crucial to the role. The director of this revival, Rebecca Frecknall, approaches the material as if she’s exploring hidden meanings in a Jacobean text for people who have never heard a “thou” before. Hers is the subtext-as-atmosphere version of an auteur director’s treatment, offering at every moment the darkest, grungiest interpretation possible. From the outset, she has the cabaret dancers slither like demons in some medieval vision of Hell, which, paradoxically, renders the show both dull—oh, look, it’s the half-naked tubercular imps again—and a bit prudish. By shifting the early parts of the musical toward menace, Frecknall has made sexual licentiousness coincident with evil. Surely this is not her intention.

All is not ill: Gayle Rankin, whose voice is a big angry miracle, plays Sally Bowles, the cabaret’s down-at-the-heels star, and she scream-sings with such total conviction that she almost sells the show as her own personal nightmare. But Frecknall chooses Redmayne as her production’s centerpiece, and it’s been clear since he performed in “Red” on Broadway, in 2010, that he is most affecting when his impulses are reined in. When they aren’t, he can careen into absurdity, as he does here—inventing a German accent so pernicious (“Tomowwoar belongs toor me,” he sings) that you can’t always understand him, and an overly ornate physical vocabulary that’s one part silent-film Pierrot and one part Igor from “Young Frankenstein.” I have never felt so far from other audiences as I did knowing that this incarnation was beloved in London. Perhaps British viewers, familiar with stylization from Christmas pantomimes and music-hall tradition, enjoy a broader mode of performance than I do."

She did, Tony nominations came out two days ago.

https://www.vulture.com/article/tony-awards-2024-welcome-to-the-phonys.html

own Sara Holdren and Jackson McHenry. These two critics have spent the past few months cramming their schedules with previews and spinning out reviews of all the big shows (and a clutch of small ones too). Now that they’ve seen it all, they’re ready to hand out some honors of their own — in categories the Tonys voters never dreamed of. Welcome to our awards show. Go ahead and call it the Phonys.

...

Best Performance As the Emcee From Cabaret

And it’s not from the actor who is currently playing the Emcee in Cabaret.

Sara: The best current performance as this kind of character is not the one by Eddie Redmayne, who’s in Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club on Broadway — it’s George Abud as Marinetti in Lempicka. He’s playing an artist who was the real-life father of futurism, historically shoehorned into the play. But that doesn’t matter, because he does what the Emcee in Cabaret is supposed to do: He guides us along as the world tumbles toward fascism. The opinions he expresses are explicitly ugly, but Abud does it with so much successful charm without giving away any of the menacing. Whereas Redmayne’s Emcee is just a mess, wiggling his fingers.

Jackson: He totally tips his hand. It’s odd to watch Cabaret and never feel like you’re being seduced by the Emcee. Redmayne’s Emcee is just going, “Welcome to Berlin, it’s evil,” and hopping around. There is meant to be a complicated dynamic with the Emcee where he’s both sort of queer and luring you into fascism. But this production seems to tell you, “All of this expression is going to lead to being a brown shirt.” It seems un-thought-through and un-nuanced. Abud is much more convincing.

I really don't understand how anyone could describe this production as 'immersive'. In my mind, an immersive production is something like Guys and Dolls in London or Here Lies Love where you can truly be part of the action and the actors/set actually interact with the audience. This production of Cabaret, from what I recall, is a traditionally staged musical with some pre-show entertainment. It does add to the 'immersion' but I wouldn't say it's immersive.

It likely feels immersive in those crazy expensive table seats

My issue with the preshow was how totally disorienting it was. It was very unclear which way to walk and there was really no comfortable place to just stand, take in our surroundings, and get recentered. It was overwhelming and a little uncomfortable. God forbid there was an emergency because it would be mass chaos. My friend and I went up to the mezz to look at the remodel then to our seats in the orchestra and that was honestly more enjoyable than standing around trying to find a place to watch the performers.

TotallyEffed said: "My issue with the preshow was howtotally disorienting it was. It was very unclear which way to walk and there was really no comfortable place to just stand, take in our surroundings, and get recentered. It was overwhelming and a little uncomfortable. God forbid there was an emergency because it would be mass chaos. My friend and I went up to the mezz to look at the remodel then to our seats in the orchestra and that was honestly more enjoyable than standing around trying to find a place to watch the performers."

Spot on about an emergency. My first thought was also God forbid any type of emergency happened do any of the audience members have a clue on what to do. First thing I looked for were exits. This has been instilled in my head from when I was a kid.

I could have done without the preshow as it was a major cluster****. The show was fine but I was looking for more than just fine.

I was at the matinee Yesterday. I was a fan in London and I loved it here too!

Loved the new bars and would echo what others have said that, despite it being crowded, there was significantly more freedom of movement than in London. You didn't have to follow one path.

I'd echo a lot of what Taffy said about the performances. I thought Gayle was amazing. I'll admit that I was a bit worried about her because I did not like her Don't Tell Mama at all. But then her Mein Herr was fantastic and she was wonderful for everything after that. Her Cabaret was outstanding. Agree that it was a huge highlight. Agreed about Eddie for sure as well. I'd disagree that Bebe was just fine. I thought she was wonderful. But, I would agree that Stephen was the star of the whole afternoon. He was just oozing with kindness and sweetness. A perfect performance.

I sat in the 4th row of the West (new) mezz. It was really cool to go up there and be able to see some of the structures of the theatre. The view was fantastic. We felt very close and could make out facial features. There was an awesome moment in Willkommen where Gayle came through the first row after her etrance moment. She was climbing over people and saying hello to everyone. It was a ton of fun! As far as the staging, it was mostly sufficiently-in-the-round. The ensemble numbers were very well staged and made great use of the space and most scenes and duets were done with characters facing to the side or so we could see some faces, even if we couldn't see them all. The solos were more challenging, especially in the second act. What Would You Do and Cabaret felt VERY off balance in the way Bebe and Gayle faced. They turned throughout nthe song, but spent most of their time facing "front" and it felt like all the big moments and notes were towards the "front." I still think all the technical aspects of this production are superb, but I appreciated the lighting more this time.

The first Tommorow Belongs to Me is still my absolute favorite moment in the production. Some other favorites were Mein Herr, Married, the little Married reprise and glass breaking, What Would You Do and Bebe's little monologue afterwards, and Cabaret.

Updated On: 5/12/24 at 02:50 PM

Broadway Covers Twitter posted that Gabi Campo is making her debut today as Sally.