CABARET at the Kit Kat Club Previews- Page 11

[tagiunagi]

Posted: 4/7/24 at 9:48am

Considering this is a transfer from London, I imagine more Brits have an idea of the Berlin clubs than Americans do. 

[Kad]

Posted: 4/7/24 at 9:52am

The production has wanted to maintain its mystique and sense of place, that’s all. I’m not sure it’s anything deeper than that. 

[aislestorm2]

Posted: 4/7/24 at 12:44pm

The pre-show is underwhelming at best. Lots of what sounds like Klezmer music and bad dancing.

[aislestorm2]

Posted: 4/7/24 at 12:51pm

BINGO!

[dramamama611]

Posted: 4/7/24 at 3:24pm

Did you just give your own post a "bingo"?

 

tagiunagi - yes, I realize this is a Brit transfer, but it would make no sense, as you suggest, that it was to remind the audience, of Americans, of a specific Berlin club.

[east side story]

Posted: 4/7/24 at 5:47pm

aislestorm2 said: "The pre-show is underwhelming at best. Lots of what sounds like Klezmer music and bad dancing."

The ghost of Todd Haimes.

[GottaGetAGimmick420]

Posted: 4/7/24 at 7:03pm

dramamama611 said: "Did you just give your own post a "bingo"?

tagiunagi - yes, I realize this is a Brit transfer, but it would make no sense, as you suggest, that it was to remind the audience, of Americans, of a specific Berlin club."

They forgot to switch to their other account

[nativenewyorker2]

Posted: 4/9/24 at 1:37pm

People are really spending their life savings on a show where the only direction choice in Act 2 is put everyone in suits?

[everythingtaboo]

Posted: 4/9/24 at 1:49pm

henrike said: "I caught the show tonight, and overall, it's solid. But given that Cabaret is produced everywhere (colleges, community, regional), it's been explored to death. And this production wasn't revelatory for someone who has seen multiple productions of it.

One thing must be said: Ato Blankson-Wood gives the most amateur acting I've seen in a principal role on Broadway.

His book scenes with Sally in act 2 were just truly awful. Basically ruined the emotional impact of the show at the end. Giving no hint of "the moment before" the scene, running with generic emotions at 60% intensity, speaking with the 2024 contemporary affect/cadence, and gesturing in a distracting manner.

I'm guessing he was an offer-only for the role. But the producers should really hold auditions for it. They'll find over 500 actors in New York City who can bring the same level of intensity that Gayle Rankin is bringing in Act 2. But I'm guessing that could lead to bad publicity (akin to Mandy Patinkin/Oak Onaodowan debacle)."

When I saw the show in London last spring, the weakest link in the cast was the actor who played Cliff, for many of the same reasons mentioned here. Surely, I thought, this is just an understudy who's never gone on before. Imagine my shock when I checked later and he been in the role at least six months. Hearing this, I'm wondering if it's just some bizarre directorial choice.

[east side story]

Posted: 4/10/24 at 8:29am

What's the scuttlebutt as to whom is replacing ER/GR at the end of summer?  Seeing that cast before the end of the month, but also just got tickets for December, so I am truly curious.  

[Auggie27]

Posted: 4/10/24 at 9:23am

Hearing this, I'm wondering if it's just some bizarre directorial choice.

I found Cliff on the West End recording to be the oddest, if not the weakest, link. The role has been described as thankless by some, and of course, losing "Why Should I Wake Up?" Cliff is barely a participant in a musical. But he's always been the "I" who served as the camera, the reliable narrator, and the show is severely compromised if he's poorly cast. John Benjamin Hickey was quite wonderful opposite Richardson, offering chemistry and that leading man charisma that made his presence count in those sequences wherein being a sturdy and dependable camera - our point of access, after all - defines him.  

Updated On: 4/10/24 at 09:23 AM

[dramamama611]

Posted: 4/10/24 at 10:20am

Love your reference to the source material!​​​​​​

( A play I've never seen or heard of being produced, in the last 40+ years! Play Sally was my first leading role, a billion years ago, so I have very fond memories of her.)

[jkstheatrescene]

Posted: 4/10/24 at 9:18pm

Any word on Lottery seats so far?

[Ensemble1712787014]

Posted: 4/10/24 at 11:16pm

Does anyone have a Seatgeek code that would work for this.   After reading the discussion here I've decided I need to make a trip to NYC to see it for myself, probably in mid-May.  

The ticket prices are a bit crazy, and any kind of discount would help.

Also, for the many folks who have seen it already, is there a consensus on whether they play more to the (original) front of the house than the new backstage seats, or does it not make much difference.

Thanks!

[TaffyDavenport]

Posted: 4/11/24 at 8:57pm

[Quinn Wilson]

Posted: 4/11/24 at 9:17pm

dwhit7 said: "AJ88 said: I haven't logged into or been on BroadwayWorld in quite some time, but I did get a chance to attend the Invited Dress that happened this past Saturday so I figured I would hop on to share my thoughts.

First of all, I am definitely a huge fan ofCabaret.I saw the original cast of the '98 revivalon my very first trip to NY. It was the first musical at a very young age that made me realize that so much more could be done in terms of darker material. I ended up seeing various incarnations of that production 3 more times, plus I saw the 2014 revival with Emma Stone...and various community and regional productions. It is a musical I am very fond of and for the longest time, I considered it my favorite.

Seeing something so early on in the process could be slightly detrimental as things could very well be fixed in the next couple of weeks, but on the whole, I was very pleased with this production.

The whole atmosphere of the Wilson is glorious and it was nice seeing the various performers sprinkled throughout the space. And yes, this did make for some long lines and crowding around but I do think some of this will be smoothed over in the coming weeks. Offering a complimentary shot of Peach Schnapps at the door was also a nice touch.

The space is quite impressive and it is hard to believe that it is the same theater I have seen stuff likeJersey BoysandSlave Playin. I sat in the original mezzanine in the center and it was a glorious view. I did get the sense that there were times that our side got more of the focus in terms of blockingbut maybe that is something that will be tweaked as well. Regardless of those little glitches, I was very fond of the round stage and how the space reflects something of a crazy sensual Art Nouveau circus.

Performance wise, I can see why some would not take to Eddie Redmayne but I think his distinct vocal style works very well for the MC and I found him to be a lot of fun....and creepy when he truly needed to be. I actually found his rendition of "Tomorrow Belongs to Me" to be very chilling and beautifully arranged. I do think he will be win-competitive for the Tony.

I wouldn't be shocked if Bebe Neuwirth actually WINS the Tony. I found her to be a wonderful Fraulein Schneider and her rendition of "What Would You Do" is certainly the best I have seen anyone do live...and the audience responded very well to it. To go along with that, Steven Skybell didn't disappoint as Herr Schultz. Considering that character is the bittersweet heart of the show, it is hard not to like whomever plays him but I still think Skybell is luminous. I feel like "Married" is such an unsung moment from the show and he absolutely breaks your heart with it.

Nastascia Diaz gets the task of playing Fraulein Kost, who comes in and out of the show so quickly that in the wrong hands, the role can basically end up being nothing. Thankfully, she has a glorious presence.

Ato Blankson-Wood...I have to admit, he was the weak link here. Now, there is no denying that Cliff is a difficult role considering he is basically the, ahem, straight man...but I still just feel like he hasn't found the hooks to it yet. That nature definitely affects his scenes with Rankin.

Speaking of Gayle Rankin, I think there is ENORMOUS potential here. There is no doubt that she is a great actress and singer and she had some truly wonderful moments, particularly with "Maybe This Time"...which I found on par with that of Natasha Richardson's. This might seem like an odd nitpick, but I do wish she would work more on making her voice sound less "good" in her singing moments. In the grand scheme, it is simply a role I think she needs to grow into a little more but the framework that is already there is quite good.

I do think this production may lack a little bit of the emotional punch that others have managed, but I would argue that I found it a bit more chilling at times. In fact, I got literal chills in quite a few moments.

So yes, I was quite pleased with what I saw. In many ways, it might be my favorite production ofCabaretthat I have seen.

I agree with almost everything you said! The only quibble Ihave with your post is your desire forRankin's voice to not be as good. I realize Sally is not supposed to be a great singer but it has always irked me when actresses arecast over actress-singers in this role. It is a musical, after all, and I want to hear good (at least!) voices."

Going off this, I’ve noticed a trend with the UK production’s casting that their Sally’s are typically overall more capable singers than the Mendes production. Jessie Buckley, Amy Lennox, and Rebecca Taylor are obviously all fantastic singers. Madeline Brewer is quite good, as is Maude Apatow. Cara Delevigne has proven she has a nice enough indie style voice, better than many would actually expect. I also enjoy it. As much as I love this show in all its iterations, I do think it’s refreshing to have a Sally who doesn’t sound like she’s getting a colonic during her solos (looking at you Brooke Shields). 

[Skip23]

Posted: 4/11/24 at 11:26pm

Saw this tonight
 

Thoughts

- Gayle Rankin kind of blew me away once she could stop fighting the overblown direction and choreography. Her understated Maybe This Time and Cabaret totally worked for me and gave me chills. She’s a fine fine actress -  get her away from that stupid staging.   

- Eddie Redmayne didn’t leave any impression on me. It was just a lot of handwaving.  But then Allen Cumming and Joel Grey are hard acts to follow  

 

- Ato Blankson-Wood Isnt the disaster everyone is saying he is  He just doesn’t have the enigmatic persona needed for the role  He does everything he needs to do. He’s just not special enough.

 

- Surprised that Bebe and Steven didn’t really work for me. Bebe was doing a lot of extra hand motions.  I felt that Skybell was a little too sexy and young for the role.


- Choreography more of the modern style. lots of quirky jerky moves with no real purpose or build

 

- the pre-show setting/set up wasn’t really impressive or even needed. Was that just so they could tack on another hundred dollars To the ticket price?

 

- in all , it doesn’t match the Mendes or Prince versions - a pale overdone whiff. 
 

A nice moment - they brought Joel Grey up on stage and it was his birthday and John Kander happened to also be in the audience so they brought him up on stage too -  that was the best part of the night. 

[BorisTomashevsky]

Posted: 4/11/24 at 11:55pm

“A pale overdone whiff.” Couldn’t have put it better myself. 
People are seeing through this production. 

Updated On: 4/12/24 at 11:55 PM

[lopside]

Posted: 4/12/24 at 12:08am

Skip23 has called everything a dud this season, including the wildly acclaimed Stereophonic. 

[Skip23]

Posted: 4/12/24 at 12:22am

lopside said: "Skip23 has called everything a dud this season, including the wildly acclaimed Stereophonic."


I haven’t seen everything new. And I did like Water For Elephants. 
 

and yes - Stereophonic was dud-ley IMHO. And was it really widely acclaimed? I know at least four people who are scratching their heads. 

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

[tomwsjr]

Posted: 4/12/24 at 6:56am

Does anyone know the running time?

[MemorableUserName]

Posted: 4/12/24 at 7:59am

tomwsjr said: "Does anyone know the running time?"

I posted this earlier in the thread:



 

I believe with the intermission it was about two hours and 45 minutes. It started around 8:05 or so, and according to my phone, I took a photo outside the theater at 11:01. It did take about ten to get out of the theater from the stage mezzanine.

[MemorableUserName]

Posted: 4/12/24 at 8:11am

Ensemble1712787014 said: "
Also, for the many folks who have seen it already, is there a consensus on whether they play more to the (original) front of the house than the new backstage seats, or does it not make much difference."

I was in the stage mezzanine, which I purchased based on the comments earlier in the thread (around page six or so?) that a poster had sat there and recommended it. I did feel they played slightly more to the front of the house, but not an excessive amount. I thought the tradeoff was worth it for the price, and I agreed that the onstage mezzanine felt a lot closer than the regular mezzanine would have been so that was a plus. I took a seat on the right (the higher numbers) since that was what was available, and I did sort of feel like the left would have been a slightly better choice. If I were to go back, I might try for left mezz 4 instead of right. But it may not be a huge difference.

 

[WiCkEDrOcKS]

Posted: 4/12/24 at 10:56am

I'm selling 1x single rear orchestra ticket to the 4/24 8:00 performance for ~$130.

If interested, shoot me a DM!

[Broadway Flash]

Posted: 4/12/24 at 11:09am

The wonderful Stellene Volandes posted many pics of the birthday party at Cabaret on her Instagram account.  So much for the sticker