Cabaret- Page 3

[b-way buff]

Posted: 9/7/04 at 12:18am

the 2 times i saw cabert was 1st with alan the with adam and i have to honestly say adam was just as good as alans tony award winning performace

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 9/7/04 at 12:22am

WOOO! Go Adam! Even months later, that's so great to hear.

[Chrysanthemum62001]

Posted: 9/10/04 at 2:38am

I'm sorry I dug this out from way back, but I missed it somehow the first go around. Here is my thoughts on Cabaret my favorite musical in the world.
When it comes to some things about theatre's current state of being, such as casting, people are often left puzzled.
I think Cabaret's best asset, and a fact that most people did not realize, was that the actors in the show made up the orchestra. They all played one instrument, and many of them played even more. There were a few dedicated cast members who actually stayed in the company throughout the show's entire run including the wonderful Michael O'Donnell-who played a character named Bobby(he also happen to be one of the best Emcee's I ever saw, and if I remember correctly, he only got to play the part twice-a Sunday matinee and evening performance.) He's in Wonderful Town now, so go see it...
Another cast member who was involved with the revival since the beginning was Vance Avery(who also happens to be one of the best Emcee's I ever saw). He is actually still involved with the shows current Asian tour. From day one he was Alan Cumming's understudy, and it's quite striking how much they actually resemble each other. I never understood why he never got to be the Emcee for a certain amount of time other than inbetween B-list celebs. There were a few other original cast members who closed the show but I'm having trouble recalling any others without glancing at my Playbill. During the show's run, castmembers included Alan Cumming, Michael C Hall, Matt McGrath, Natasha Richardson, Ron Rifkin, Hal Linden, Tom Bosley, Jon Secada, John Stamos, Adam Pascal, Raul Esparza(twice), Brooke Shields,Molly Ringwald, Jane Leeves, Susan Egan, Melina Kanakeredes, Joeley Fisher, Debbie Gibson, Neil Patrick Harris, Norbert Leo Butz (he was only involved in the tour) and a whole bunch more that I can't remember of the top of my head.
I think their biggest mistake was they tried to get people to see the show for all the wrong reasons. The show was origionally supposed to make you think, "Whoa, what just happened here?" But because people were paying their 65 bucks to see a certain person they liked watching as a teen, the show lost a lot of dignity. Audience members always laughed at very serious points in the show that really are not funny at all, but just becasue they see someone like John Stamos walk out on stage wearing a beautiful dress and high heels, they feel the need to laugh.
May it rest in peace!
Sorry this is so long-I just always felt very passionate about this show.

[Marquise]

Posted: 9/10/04 at 3:21am

this is an interesting show. i'm only familiar with fosse's 1972 movie.

i know there are differences within the original "berlin stories", the play "i am a camera", the original 1966 show, the 1972 movie and the 1998 revival.

one of the differences is the way sally is portrayed. in the movie she's played by liza minnelli. liza (as we all know) can sing, so sally in the movie is a cabaret performer with alot of singing talent. i recently read somewhere that the part wasn't originally written that way, that sally was supposed to be a singer of minimal singing talents and that jill haworth and natasha richardson's portrayals were closer to what the character was supposed to be.

was anyone here fortunate enough to see the original production starring jill haworth?

i would love to read some opinions on this. i love the show but unfotunately didn't get to see the revival.

Updated On: 9/10/04 at 03:21 AM

[Marquise]

Posted: 9/10/04 at 3:32am

caught this error on sony music's web site:


In 1966, the team of John Kander and Fred Ebb hit the big time with Cabaret, a show stemming from John Van Druten's play, I Am A Camera, as well as stories by Christopher Isherwood. Set in Berlin on the eve of World War II, this landmark musical painted a grim picture as it contrasted the forced exuberance of a seedy nightclub performance (led by lecherous emcee and Tony Award winner Joel Grey), with the soberingly ominous signs of the Nazi encroachment. Against this vivid backdrop, the musical focused on the brief romance between an American would-be novelist and one of the featured attractions at the cabaret, a British singer with illusions of stardom. Both "Willkommen" and the title song became highlights in a score that teemed with sensational tunes, with the show, masterfully choreographed by Bob Fosse, enjoying a long run of 1,166 performances, following its November 20, 1966 premiere. A screen version (also directed by Fosse) further confirmed its success, with the show receiving numerous stage productions around the world, and most recently on Broadway in a highly celebrated revival.

Ronald Field choreographed the original 1966 Broadway production of "Cabaret", not Fosse.

[popcultureboy]

Posted: 9/10/04 at 5:21am

I realise that I am letting myself in for a cyber asskicking here, but I have to say that Alan Cumming as the EmCee gets on my last freaking nerve. I saw the Donmar production when it was televised and I have the Cast Recording with him on, and I find him tedious and repetitive. All three EmCees that I saw perform the role live were infinitely superior, I thought.

[Chrysanthemum62001]

Posted: 9/10/04 at 12:01pm

Wow, that hurts. I love Alan Cumming. However, I respect your opinion. May I ask what three Emcee's you saw?

"Cabaret really has three stories in one: that of Sally and Cliff; the tragicomedy of Fraulein Schneider and Herr Schultz; and the rise of Nazism, as reflected in the smoky, noisy, garish cabaret." I watched the original production that was directed by Hal Prince at Lincoln Center for a report I had to do. Even at the time, it was a very "raunchy" show to go see. Joel Grey originated the role of M.C (I think the spelling EMCEE didn't come in till the revival) and mananged to shock audiences but stay in their favor the whole time.
Just in case anyone is interested, there is a really informative series of books titled The Great Broadway Musicals and there is one on "The Making of Cabaret" by Keith Garebian. It's a really informative, interesting book. I highly recommend it.

[My Fair Lady]

Posted: 9/10/04 at 3:30pm

Adam was great. I fell in love with him the moment I saw Cabaret.

[popcultureboy]

Posted: 9/13/04 at 9:00am

My EmCees were:

Matt McGrath
Vance Avery
Neil Patrick Harris

[etoile]

Posted: 9/13/04 at 11:15am

Now certainly you realize, Popcultureboy, that the televised Domnar production was like night and day from the actual B'way production. And to judge someone's taped performance against other actors' live performance who were literally in a different, and I feel superior production, really isn't a fair comparison.

[popcultureboy]

Posted: 9/13/04 at 11:17am

I do indeed realise that etoile, and I included the Broadway Cast Recording in my Alan argument too. Which again I know, is not the same thing, but the same tics that made me want to gouge my eyes out in the Donmar production made me want to burst my eardrums listening to the recording.