CABARET at the Kit Kat Club (2024) Opening Night Critics' Reviews — Page 18

I think Lily Collins would make a great Sally

Saw this tonight on a comp and had a blast — this has the makings of a long-runner with some smart stunt casting.

Eddie Redmayne is doing the best work of his career and is the reason to see this ASAP. The audience ROARED upon his first entrance and he took it from there. I want to live inside his “Money” costume.

Understudy Paige Smallwood was on for Sally and did a fine job up until her too-deranged rendition of the title song (though I would assume it’s how Frecknall directed Rankin, and Buckley in London). I didn’t see Bad Cinderella so I was pleased to see her, and she didn’t disappoint. And she’s a fantastic flirt ;)

An apt performance from Ato Blankson-Wood, I didn’t think he was a weak spot at all.

Bebe Neuwirth is a national treasure, and her early scenes with Skybell were among the funniest of the night in a show that got pretty, pretty dark.

This whole ensemble serves the most c*nt I’ve seen in a Broadway musical since Lempicka, and it’s all for the better. (Shoutout to stage veterans Colin Cunliffe, Ayla Ciccone-Burton, and Gabi Campo, I see you!) Five swings were on, including two for the pre-show entertainment, and Corinne Munsch understudied Fritzie / Kost.

WOW WOW WOW the transformation of the Wilson!!! Tom Scutt has done some mesmerizing design work and I’m glad he won the Tony for his set.

Come to the Cabaret, old chums. You won’t regret it.

TheatreFan4 said: "So I've seen it in promo, but could someone tell me why Sally randomly sings with a modern hand held mic like she's in Spring Awakening? I know the reason for that was the juxtaposition between the music and the play and how the sound of the show is different than the aesthetic of it. But... I don't see anyone else doing that and the music isn't out of place..."

If there is an explanation, it is not within the production itself. It’s one of the many incoherent (imo) decisions comprising this production.

Don't have much tos hare about the show itself, but I wanted to share a wild experience I had today. At the matinee of Cabaret today I was seated between an older man on my left and a younger man on my right. During the first act the older man to my left, who appeared to be with his family, took out his phone and started scrolling. Don’t get me wrong, I HATE when people are on their phones, but generally I don’t want to cause a scene so I didn’t say anything. The man to my right, however, leaned over to me and loudly “whispered” “I guess something more interesting is happening on his phone.” The older gentleman heard and put the phone away. 
For a few minutes at least. A few minutes later he took it out again, and again the man on my right loudly whispered to me “Someone needs to tell him he’s at a BROADWAY SHOW.” The man on his phone said sorry and put the phone away, but the man on the right said he needed to turn it off. The phone guy said okay but did not turn it off, prompting the other guy to continue to ask him to turn it off, which he didn’t do (he said “calm down.”)

At intermission the man on my right got up and the older man apologized for being on his phone - He said his daughter was in the hospital and he was checking to see if she had messaged him. I was like… okay. Whatever. The younger guy comes back and the older man tries to explain his excuse, and the younger guy immediately gets combative. He was saying there’s no excuse, etc, and the guy on the left was getting pretty pissed.

At this point, honestly, I was lowkey siding with the younger guy. I understand he had circumstances where he wanted to check his phone, but tbh I think if you are in a situation where you cannot be away from your phone you simply should not see a show. That’s my opinion.

But then things got REALLY ugly.The younger guy started mocking the older one’s excuse, saying “Oh, you’re daughter’s in the hospital? And you’re not there? You’re a piece of ****.” To which I audibly said “Oh my god.” They proceeded to start screaming at each other, both telling each other to **** off, spitting IN MY FACE because I was right between them. Younger guy said after the show he’d take him outside and “teach him some respect in front of his lady.” Ushers came over at this point and told him to calm down, and he said he would if that guy stayed off his phone. It was honestly crazy.

The tension between them was crazy, and it stressed me out for all of Act 2. I was nervous the guy would take his phone out again and they’d start yelling or something.

On one hand, I think people need to be called out. On the other hand, the whisper screaming match was definitely more distracting to me and everyone around me than the phone.

Also figured I’d put it in here in case anyone was there and was wondering WTF was going on lol.

This reminds me of being at the closing of Harmony and someone was on their phone in the mezz for almost the entire first act with the brightness all the way up when someone said "get off your phone" and the person said "my daughters on her way to the hospital" and the guy responded "then why are you still here go be with your daughter"

Theatrefan4, YOU are the problem constantly on your phone recording $hit. People on their phones in the theatre are losers. Please stay home

I wanted to make sure grizabella sounded as terrible as I remember. But it’s okay, I don’t care that much. I don’t listen to any of that garbage anyway. It’s always terrible quality. Nobody should be recording anything except for the professionals for the library.

You have your phone at at the theatre with ur bright screen on, you are the joke.

Jordan Catalano said: "What is this thread?"

Entertaining.

Broadway Flash said: "You have your phone at at the theatre with ur bright screen on, you are the joke."

Hate to break this to you, but people who do this regularly are not stupid enough to have the screen lit and visible, let alone a tiny red light. People have been doing this for decades without bothering people. The last four shows I didn’t even have a phone out. You’re not mad at the concept of bootlegging, you’re mad at basic tourists and TikTok losers who don’t know the first thing about hiding anything.

For what it’s worth, you can also feel free to never PM me again. No one on this board agrees, likes, or is entertained by you. Buzz off.

Broadway Flash said: "Then why is theatre fan defending people with bright lights on their phones?? He’s saying people who are bothered by it can go fvck off. U agree too?? Why are u coming after me?? It sounds like you really give a $hit. I think YOU need to buzz off"

I wasn't defending people with their phone screens on, I was criticizing someone trying to escalate a situation to near violence because someone had their phone out a few times. There are official channels they could have taken with ushers and security instead of making all of the second act wildly uncomfortable for those that had to be there for that entire exchange so some straight guy can posture how much of a man he is in front of his date.

People do **** that annoys me all day everyday. They walk slow, they stop in the middle of the subway steps, etc. Do I think it's worth confronting every person that annoys me? Hell no, just move on with your life. If an audience member is annoying you, go tell an usher. Don't engage with that person because I ASSURE you, your interaction with from 5 seats away, 2-3 aisles away, is going going to be a lot more annoying for those around you than whatever they're doing.

TaffyDavenport said: "GiantsInTheSky2 said: "No one on this board agrees, likes, or is entertained by you. Buzz off."

The only reason I didn’t putFlash on ignore a long time ago is that she’s very entertaining, and I’ll bet a lot of others agree with me."

Like a car crash with a high body count.

Has anyone sat in the side mezz partial view cabaret seats. Specifically 401 and 02 I think next to the band?