CABARET at the Kit Kat Club Previews — Page 13

lopside said: "You might not remember the Mendes cabaret, but clearly it colors your perception about what the cabaret venues could look like. There was nothing like the Kit Kat Club anyways, it is an amalgam ofmany places. It is meant to capture something of the time,a mirror image of the way we live now, and a something of a Groszrenderingcome to life; so many of these establishments catered to the middle class too. If you saw the documentary on Eldorado on Netflix, with its recreation of that, you'll notice this one would look nary out of place. And there were plenty others. The whole point is the interplay between reality and unreality, the extent to which a whole society can become captive to a hallucination."

Reportedly when Hal Prince saw the Mendes/Marshall revival, he said, "What kinda club is this?" In that the Mendes/Marshall had a club so seedy and low rent, it would be downright disgusting. Many of the clubs at the time were indeed quite nice and everything in between.

BJR said: "Reportedly when Hal Prince saw the Mendes/Marshall revival, he said, "What kinda club is this?" In that the Mendes/Marshall had a club so seedy and low rent, it would be downright disgusting. Many of the clubs at the time were indeed quite nice and everything in between."

And IMO something between the completely low rent and ridiculously high end would make more sense for these characters and this story. They don't need to be in a place completely seedy, but the kind of place the design team has created here makes no sense for an unemployed writer to frequent. (Famously Stephen Spender said none of the people in Isherwood's cohort could have afforded the food or places depicted in the movie. So I don't know how this production's setting makes any sense either.)

It's a bare stage with some tables around it. Not sure what makes it 'high end'. Just adding a lamp goes a long way in making a place look beautiful. And Cliff has money sent from his family, and does smuggling for Ernst. He's not quite Isherwood as well.

Sorry, but you need to go and look at images. Making a circular playing area does not make it high end. It seems entirely period accurate, more so than I imagined. It's also supposed to be the 'hottest spot' where wannbe 'political' players like Ernst frequent.

Mendes might have gone too far with what he put on the stage, but his theater was very much like this.

Updated On: 4/15/24 at 03:54 PM

Jay Lerner-Z said: "How is John Kander these days? Well, I hope. Will he see this?"

The article about Joel Grey's birthday celebration there last week stated that John Kander was one of several celebrities in attendance.

https://playbill.com/article/photos-broadways-cabaret-celebrates-joel-greys-birthday

Caught this production over the weekend. Cabaret is a solidly constructed musical so the fact that this production succeeds is not surprising to me. I can’t say I loved it though.

The theater was transformed very beautifully but the playing space itself was rather lacking in design elements. I understand that they were not able to bring out chairs or other furniture because of sightline issues the but it was hard not to feel as if the entire show were taking place in a hallway. I wish they had utilized the fly space to bring in light fixtures and drapes to differentiate the scenes a bit more. Loved the “reveal” of the kit kat girls during Willkommen with the emcee attaching their cloaks to wires from flies and having them pulled off. The concentric turntables and lifts on the platform are used effectively and seamlessly. I did get a bit tired of Eddie coming out of the trap in the center of the stage over and over again. Very delightful the first time, less so the third.

Costuming was a mixed bag. Eddie looked wonderful in his costumes, especially his death look, but Sally was very drab. I wish she was allowed to be a little more glamorous in the beginning of the show to contrast where she ends up in act II. It is difficult to believe that the “fur” coat she wears is really worth all that she has. The suits in the second half did not work for me. I feel that this choice unintentionally implicates the dancers at the club as fascists when they are the inevitable victims of fascisms rise. I believe the intent is to depict Berlin as having no beauty anymore to Cliff (and Sally, though she feels like a bit of an after thought in this production). I also need to add that American Utopia only a few years ago had the same design idea of oversized gray suits. I liked it in 2020 but feel it is rather overplayed right now.

I agree with what others have said about casting. Nobody is embarrassed here but there are no unmissable performances. Bebe Neuwerth and Steven Skybell easily steal the show. The lack of chemistry between Cliff and Sally is palpable and odd. I heard several couples discussing it leaving the theater. I wonder if this an acting issue or a directing issue. Kermit voice aside, Eddie is a fine Emcee but is missing the sense of danger and nastiness that made Joel Grey and Alan Cumming so interesting in the role. His transformation into an ideal Aryan specimen in act II is disturbing but doesn’t lead anywhere meaningful for his performance. Rankin is fine as Sally but feels swallowed up by heavy handed directorial choices, especially in her vocal performances. She is not able to overcome the chest beating, body contorting choreo she is asked to do while singing Cabaret. Ensemble is strong throughout, though I wish wardrobe and costuming had taken the time to fit their costumes better, especially their suits for the end of act II

Overall a serviceable evening but could be better. I am perplexed as to why this production is labeled as somehow uniquely immersive. The tables in the orchestra provide basically the same effect as the Mendes production and the less that is said about the “preshow” the better. They give you a shot the second you walk in the door for a reason.

Kindly, are there multiple door entrances to the August Wilson for this show? My ticket entrance is Door 1 so I wasn’t sure if that was a different entrance than the main entrance on 52nd Street.

Has Eddie Redmayne been stagedooring after evening performances? And if so, has there been any policies like no photos or a separate entrance for ticket holders?


Thank you!

I don't know about entrances, but I have seen pictures on social media of Eddie signing. Please note he is not required to and this is not guaranteed. I don't think I've seen him take pictures. You're so lucky-I wish I could see him in the role! Enjoy the show!


Thank you so much!!

lyceum said: "Overall a serviceable evening but could be better. I am perplexed as to why this production is labeled as somehow uniquely immersive. The tables in the orchestra provide basically the same effect as the Mendes production and the less that is said about the “preshow” the better. They give youa shot the second you walk in the door for a reason."

I thought it was just me.......... couldn't agree more. Extremely over-hyped and very over-priced. I did think Bebe was fantastic, and Gayle was very strong and will only get better.

glad i went, but won't be rushing to return anytime soon.

GiantsInTheSky2 said: "Any merch? Is the album available at the theater?"

The merch was underwhelming. I didn’t see the CD in the cabinets they were selling it out of. I think this is all of it:

https://aracaeventmerch.com/collections/cab-shop-all

Does the pre-show cast feature in the actual show at all?

Jay Lerner-Z said: "Does the pre-show cast feature in the actual show at all?"

Not a lick. Never see them again.