Cabaret-- a Discussion
Cabaret-- a Discussion
Emcee4ever
Leading Actor Joined: 7/27/05
#0Cabaret-- a Discussion
Posted: 7/27/05 at 3:07pm
Although Cabaret isn't on Broadway for now, it's still a favorite of many. (Including me!) ^__^
This is the thread to talk about it! :)
#1re: Cabaret-- a Discussion
Posted: 7/27/05 at 3:18pm
You've gotta jump-start it better than that! What shall we discuss?
There are a lot of fans on here, though. I miss it.
#2re: Cabaret-- a Discussion
Posted: 7/27/05 at 3:23pmQ: Is the Emcee a victim or a conspirator? And is the answer different for Joel Grey's Emcee and Alan Cumming's Emcee?
"One no longer loves one's insight enough once one communicates it."
The opposite of creation isn't war, it's stagnation.
The opposite of creation isn't war, it's stagnation.
AmandaJ
Understudy Joined: 4/19/05
#3re: Cabaret-- a Discussion
Posted: 7/27/05 at 3:25pmIn the Alan Cummings version - the emcee is a victim.
#4re: Cabaret-- a Discussion
Posted: 7/27/05 at 3:27pmHad I seen it live, this would be my second favorite show.
Emcee4ever
Leading Actor Joined: 7/27/05
#5re: Cabaret-- a Discussion
Posted: 7/27/05 at 3:27pm
What was the scariest part of Cabaret, in your opinion?
Mine was the Finale mostly because I had no clue what was going on (I only have the soundtrack). The discordant music and the rumbling made it even scarier. Even the drum roll and cymbal clash at the end seemed oppressive.
Coupled with Cliff, the loudspeaker voice, and the Emcee's lines, I thin it's the scariest finale to a play ever!
But that's just me. :)
#6re: Cabaret-- a Discussion
Posted: 7/27/05 at 3:30pm
"She wouldn't look Jewish at all" followed by the scary grin/run offstage.
#7re: Cabaret-- a Discussion
Posted: 7/27/05 at 3:31pm
To Priest's question, it differed. Joel Grey once compared his Emcee to an incarnation of Hitler. The revival's Emcee was a victim - a representation of everything that would be destroyed.
The scariest part? The finale, no doubt. Those bright lights, and the rumbling... it sounded like a train was going to crash into the theatre. And if it was played well, the actor playing Emcee *actually* looked like he was going to die, which tore my heart out. One of THE most unforgettable moments of theatre I've ever experienced, and just as impactful, even on repeat visits.
#8re: Cabaret-- a Discussion
Posted: 7/27/05 at 3:35pmI really liked the part when Sally was taken off somewhere at the very end, looking like the Grim Reeper, what with her hood and all.
Emcee4ever
Leading Actor Joined: 7/27/05
#10re: Cabaret-- a Discussion
Posted: 7/27/05 at 3:38pm
The Master of Ceremonies is a commentator. He is very Puckish. Playing both victim and instigator. Everything that takes place inside the club comments on what is happening beyond its walls.
Now, if you are referring to the ending, it has always been implied even if subtly, as in the original that he would die. The last revival just took it to the next level.
One of the beautiful things about this show is that it is often left to the audiences interpretation.
"For me, THEATRE is an anticipation, an artistic rush, an emotional banquet, a jubilant appreciation, and an exit hopeful of clearer thought and better worlds."
~ an anonymous traveler with Robert Burns
#11re: Cabaret-- a Discussion
Posted: 7/27/05 at 3:39pmSounds a bit like Streetcar, Thenardier...
#12re: Cabaret-- a Discussion
Posted: 7/27/05 at 3:40pmFor those of you who saw it, who was your Emcee and Sally? I saw Adam Pascal and Susan Egan -- BRILLIANT!!
"I wish the stage were as narrow as the wire of a tightrope dancer, so that no incompetent would dare step upon it." Goethe
#13re: Cabaret-- a Discussion
Posted: 7/27/05 at 3:42pm
Same actress....same theatre....same ceiling fans....
Sans tables, chairs...but same bar....
#14re: Cabaret-- a Discussion
Posted: 7/27/05 at 3:44pmWhen I saw Cabaret, the Emcee was actually wearing a Nazi camp uniform at the end. Is he not usually wearing one?
Finish each day and be done with it. You have done what you could. Some blunders and absurdities no doubt crept in; forget them as soon as you can. Tomorrow is a new day; begin it well and serenely and with too high a spirit to be enbered with your old nonsense. ~ Emerson
#16re: Cabaret-- a Discussion
Posted: 7/27/05 at 3:46pm
Thenardier - heh. Re: the venue. I know... I know. And the same giant martini glass, to boot!
His outfit seems to depend on the production. In the revival, he did wear that.
I saw Susan Egan each time - once with Jon Secada (ugh.) and twice with The Adam. Loved every minute of the latter.
#17re: Cabaret-- a Discussion
Posted: 7/27/05 at 3:47pmThe scariest part to me has always been Tomorrow Belongs To Me beause it's such a beautiful song -- but SO tinted with evil.
Hi, Shirley Temple Pudding.
#18re: Cabaret-- a Discussion
Posted: 7/27/05 at 3:47pmIt is not written in the script that way but many productions use it. Especially ones that occurred after the last revival. When I played The Master of Ceremonies I wore one.
"For me, THEATRE is an anticipation, an artistic rush, an emotional banquet, a jubilant appreciation, and an exit hopeful of clearer thought and better worlds."
~ an anonymous traveler with Robert Burns
#19re: Cabaret-- a Discussion
Posted: 7/27/05 at 3:48pm
Yes, the martini glass.
I was going to say "over-sized wine bottle"....but that's where I work...
I'd love to drink a Chili's 'El President' out of that glass.
#20re: Cabaret-- a Discussion
Posted: 7/27/05 at 3:48pmTomorrow... was scary too, but I guess pretty dependent on who the Emcee was - and how many chances he took in being really... playful, for lack of a better term, with the audience. You know, on just *how* sinister he wanted to make it. VERY, very creepy.
Emcee4ever
Leading Actor Joined: 7/27/05
#23re: Cabaret-- a Discussion
Posted: 7/27/05 at 3:54pmI never looked at the Emcee as being an instigator, mainly because, in the production I saw, you saw him being dragged off to the camps. And in the film, I never saw him as anything more than a performer, but it's an interesting point of view.
Finish each day and be done with it. You have done what you could. Some blunders and absurdities no doubt crept in; forget them as soon as you can. Tomorrow is a new day; begin it well and serenely and with too high a spirit to be enbered with your old nonsense. ~ Emerson
#24re: Cabaret-- a Discussion
Posted: 7/27/05 at 3:59pmNard's kidding. We saw Natasha Richardson in Streetcar at Studio 54 - same place where she originated Sally.
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