CABARET at the Kit Kat Club (2024) Opening Night Critics' Reviews — Page 7

Green has slammed every Holocaust-themed show in recent memory. Apparently, he feels that they have not properly nuanced the theme, or overly played the hand in a clumsy way. There is also the attitude in America of wishing to kill the messenger and the message at this time.

BJR said: "sinister teashop said: "Owen22 said: "A London theatre website tries to make sense of it all:

https://www.whatsonstage.com/news/what-is-going-on-with-the-cabaret-reviews_1594068/"

"But I think there’s something more artistically significant going on here. Frecknall’s vision, influenced more by continental theatrical trends, interprets the material quite clearly through a class lens – the rise of fascism is tied to the acquiescence of the middle classes (the company all don greige suits as the show comes to a close, desaturating the earlier extravagance).”

I do think this is a really interesting point, but I don’t totally agree with it. I think the way this production deals with class is actually somewhat confused. Perhaps the Emcee, as the ringmaster and potentially part-owner of the club, would be solidly middle class. But the fact they lean so hard into Sally being a second-rate performer and how visibly queer much of the ensemble is makes the club feel quite underground and seedy. I can’t imagine that many of performers at this club are well-off, and they seem like a bunch of societal outcasts.

Thus, having them all end up in conformist, fascist-y suits doesn’t track for me. Yes, some closeted, ”respectable” queer people did conform and sublimate themselves to the Nazis. But visibly queer, gender non-conforming, non-white (etc. etc.) individuals did not have the luxury to blend in and became victims. Whether it intends to or not, this production seems to suggest that all these people could and DID assimilate. It also, as a result, places a fair amount of blame on them. To me, this muddles the message of the production.

Owen22 said: "It is also weird that Adam Feldman does not seem to understand the concept of color blindcasting..."

But is it colorblind? I think every actor who has played Cliff in Frecknall's production has been an actor of color. It feels like color-intentional casting.

MemorableUserName said: "Kad said: "A production with an average ticket price of $231 and whose marketing involves doing things like hosting parties for Anna Wintour is certainly saying something about class."

I was reading it as an acknowledgement that Brits and Americans view class differently, which may be one reason the audiences are reacting differently to the same production that's saying the same thing. "

That may be true- and the writer of that piece doesn’t really go much into depth- but complacency, denial, and self-interest of average people are what Cabaret is explicitly about. It’s not even subtext.

SonofRobbieJ said: "Owen22 said: "It is also weird that Adam Feldman does not seem to understand the concept of color blindcasting..."

But is it colorblind? I think every actor who has played Cliff in Frecknall's production has been an actor of color. It feels like color-intentional casting."

They only saw actors of color for Cliff. It is an intentional choice by the director. All the Cliffs in London have been actors of color as well.

It sounds like there's some audience confusion as to how "literally" to take the Emcee and Kit Kat Chorus. Hal Prince saw them as metaphors. Bob Fosse as sex workers and pimps. Sam Mendes as queer artists who were victimized. This production seems to be going back to the "metaphor for Berlin." If a chorus person dresses flamboyantly in act one and then conservatively in act two, it's not saying Fritzi the showgirl suddenly embraced fascism on her day off.

Updated On: 4/22/24 at 12:24 PM

Yep, including understudies.

SonofRobbieJ said: "Owen22 said: "It is also weird that Adam Feldman does not seem to understand the concept of color blindcasting..."

But is it colorblind? I think every actor who has played Cliff in Frecknall's production has been an actor of color. It feels like color-intentional casting."

MrsSallyAdams said: "It sounds like there's some audience confusion as to how "literally" to take the Emcee and Kit Kat Chorus. Hal Prince saw them as metaphors. Bob Fosse as sex workers and pimps. Sam Mendes as queer artists who were victimized. This production seems to be going back to the "metaphor for Berlin." If a chorus person dresses flamboyantly in act one and then conservatively in act two, it's not saying Fritzi the showgirl suddenly embraced fascism on her day off."



Intellectually I understand that, but emotionally it didn’t hit me quite right. I think it’s that the transition in what the club performers represent happens so abruptly in this revival. We spend nearly the whole show with them as these extremely counter-culture queer performers, and suddenly they’re Aryan poster children. It’s supposed to feel like a gut punch, but to me it just feels disconnected. Not to beat the dead horse of comparing this to the Mendes production, but the transition between “degenerate” artist to concentration camp victim just reads much clearer to me.

Sally Bowles is based out of Jean Ross, who Charles Isherwood met when he moved to Berlin. Jean was educated and you'll find her upbringing details on wikipedia.

From reading all the reviews, most mention that the doors open 75 minutes before curtain. Does that mean these actors and ushers at the Kit Kat Club all get overtime? If so, I can see how this production weekly nut would be quite high.

Wick3 said: "Sally Bowles is based out of Jean Ross, who Charles Isherwood met when he moved to Berlin. Jean was educated and you'll find her upbringing details on wikipedia.

From reading all the reviews, most mention that the doors open 75 minutes before curtain. Does that mean these actors and ushers at the Kit Kat Club all get overtime? If so, I can see how this production weekly nut would be quite high."

The pre-show is a different set of performers who aren’t part of the actual Cabaret cast, so I don’t think it any performers are going overtime, but I could be wrong.

Matt Rogers said: "And am I crazy, but aren’t we supposed to find out that Sally had an abortion BEFORE she screeches thetitle song and not after? So we know why she is so unhinged while singing it?"

I saw the production in London, and I agree with all of your points, but this is inaccurate. That scene has always been placed after the title song.

Your other criticisms are 100% valid though.