Cabaret previews - Page 11

[darquegk]

Posted: 3/23/14 at 4:39pm

His Macbeth and Nightcrawler are just about the only thing I've ever felt was "different" from him. Everything else is just variations on the trash-camp, epicene poseur. Which he does, admittedly, better than anyone else.

[ClydeBarrow]

Posted: 3/23/14 at 4:53pm

any advice for stage dooring?

Don't do it.

Updated On: 3/23/14 at 04:53 PM

[oasisjeff]

Posted: 3/23/14 at 6:23pm

I did feel the undeserved comments about Williams being underwhelming I heard at intermission were from people who think Sally=Liza, and not even her performance as Sally, but that those have fused into one thing by now. Williams plays the role beautifully, though, and similar to our prior discussions, this seems to fall under the audience baggage banner more than anything else.

If you don't like AC, then you know enough that this show won't be your bag... or stay tuned for him to call out some night. I don't think he has any vacation dates on the books as of yet, though.

[oasisjeff]

Posted: 3/23/14 at 6:50pm

Speaking of stagedooring, does anyone know if Roundabout tends to participate in BC/EFA?

I'd prefer to get a tax deduction AND a signed Cabaret poster without standing outside the theater.

[ethan231h]

Posted: 3/23/14 at 7:27pm

are there entrance applauses??

[BwayBuff2]

Posted: 3/23/14 at 7:55pm

Has anyone rushed the show yet? I know Roundabout has a general and a student rush policy. What time did people get there to start rushing?

[Michael Bennett]

Posted: 3/23/14 at 8:08pm

The Roundabout doesn't hold special seats for each performance for rush -- they only offer rush tickets on seats that haven't been sold -- since the first week of CABARET appears to be sold out, it's unlikely that anyone has purchased a rush seat.

[Kad]

Posted: 3/23/14 at 8:16pm

There was entrance applause for Cumming, Williams, and Burstein on Friday, if I recall correctly.

[oasisjeff]

Posted: 3/23/14 at 8:28pm

Roundabout has its Hiptix program for students, which lets you to book tickets for its shows in advance online, so not sure what the benefit of waiting til day-of might be. If a great table seat up close were to become available, I imagine they would let it sit online at full price all day for someone to scoop up before selling it for rush, no?
HipTix info

[Kad]

Posted: 3/23/14 at 8:33pm

Roundabout would not sell a prime seating location for this show for rush.

[theatreguy]

Posted: 3/23/14 at 8:47pm

Rush seats at Studio 54 are almost always in the far side sections of the rear mezzanine.

[Bettyboy72]

Posted: 3/24/14 at 12:50am

I was there tonight. I never saw the last 54 production so I am gold this one exists. Cumming is far from phoning anything in. Deliciously alive and on pointe-a performance for the ages. The audience adores him.

Williams, in her third preview, was sublime. I prefer an actress over a singer any day. She is acting with every muscle in her body and her interpretation will only get richer with time. Her Cabaret was chilling and heartbreaking. If Sally can really belt, to me, it doesn't fit the character.

Burstein and Edmund are divine. Sweet and age appropriate. Mary Louise Wilson always seemed a bit too old.

Production was a stunner. I'll love to go back later in the run.

Drink service was a mess and only 2 of the people rushing got in.

[LucyEth]

Posted: 3/24/14 at 1:36am

Saw the show tonight, went with friends from out of town. Can't say I was particularly eager to revisit this production -- this came under the heading of "been there done that" for me -- but had a great time. I will admit that the show has lost most of its chill -- the shock value it had 16 years ago just isn't there -- but there's no denying what a brilliant, landmark staging this is. The ideas that made it a revelation in 1998 are still there, and still work beautifully. Cummings, though, who was creepy and mesmerizing back then, is now a little too schticky and crowd-pleasing for my taste. I don't remember his emcee being so audience friendly.

Linda Emond is remarkable as Fraulein Schneider, this is truly one of her finest performances. The voice is more than solid, and the acting, particularly in her solos, is unimpeachable. Danny Burstein is marvelous, as always. Bill Heck, although perfectly fine, I wish were Patrick Wilson. Michelle Williams is…well, I actually think she's the best Sally I've ever seen on stage. I do think she's pushing a bit in the book scenes, but the musical numbers are pretty amazing. Without implying that she is giving a second rate performance, she really makes us see how second rate Sally herself is. That said, "Cabaret" itself was extraordinary. She's turned it into a complete 3 act play and it's unlike anything I've seen in a long, long time. Special mention to Gayle Rankin, who's a superb Fraulein Kost.

All in all, recommended.



Updated On: 3/24/14 at 01:36 AM

[dramamama611]

Posted: 3/24/14 at 5:09am

I won't see this for a few more weeks yet, but I daresay that anything that is 15+ years old, could barely be expected to still feel cutting edge. I doubt that anyone expected that it would.

I am glad that most reports so far are encouraging and positive.

[Mark-o]

Posted: 3/24/14 at 9:18am

Saw last night's preview and I totally agree with what LucyEth said above.
Saw the original three times, will definitely catch this again later in the run.
Enjoyed it immensely!

[RW3]

Posted: 3/24/14 at 10:09am

Pics from Daily Mail
Michelle Williams in Cabaret

[disneybroadwayfan22]

Posted: 3/24/14 at 10:29am

Thanks for posting: She looks fantastic!

[east side story]

Posted: 3/24/14 at 12:14pm

Michelle looks fantastic. My only gripe would be that her costumes are not nearly sexy enough for her first two numbers at the Kit Kat Klub.

[Michael Bennett]

Posted: 3/24/14 at 12:24pm

At the first preview, Michelle's take on "Don't Tell Mama" and "Mein Herr" was more kittenish than naughty - her take on the character is more girlish than risque - and I think the costumes were redesigned with that in mind.

But I do think those numbers work a bit better when they are a little more sexually charged; not only is it more fun and interesting, it creates a better juxtaposition to the vulnerability in "Maybe This Time" which is the internal counterpart to Sally's stage life.

Updated On: 3/24/14 at 12:24 PM

[Kad]

Posted: 3/24/14 at 12:34pm

So I guess The Daily Mail snuck a photographer into the mezz for those shots?

[PalJoey]

Posted: 3/24/14 at 1:12pm

How my friends who have also seen it have described it sums it up best for me: it seems by rote.

The parts are all there, and put together, and everything is as it should be. But it's missing a spark.

How odd to hear this, as that's exactly what I thought in 1987, when the 1966 production was revived with Joel Grey reprising his role as the Emcee.

[beltingbaritone]

Posted: 3/24/14 at 2:36pm

I saw this show last night and this one is a real toughie for me. It's probably the most interesting night of theatre I've ever had, because I literally walked out of the theatre not knowing what to think. I was dumbfounded. I couldn't make up my mind: Did I like it? Did this move me? How were the performances? Was it fresh and shocking? I spent the entire train ride home (probably looking like a bumbling idiot) trying to form some sort of opinion, which never came. So I decided to sleep on it, and now I'm rambling about it here.

Full disclosure: I've never seen a professional performance of Cabaret. I've seen the movie in high school many times. I own the recording of the 1998 revival, but I don't think I've ever gave it a listen straight through, start to finish, only listening to select tracks every now and then. I did sort of feel like I was the intended audience going in; someone new and fresh who had never experienced this time capsule performance and who had no real precedent to compare (let's face it, comparing the movie to the original is no good).

Two things I am certain about: I felt terribly sad after the show, and Michelle Williams broke my heart. Now, I can't speak of how shocking this performance was compared to the original run. I'll also throw out that I'm a millennial, so maybe I'm a little desensitized to the shock value. What I did feel the entire night was that seedy club atmosphere. It sort of left a gross tinge in the pit of my stomach. I don't know if this was a part of the last revival, but I was sitting very close to the stage on the left, and there were ensemble members stretching, talking to the audience members and offering spankings in exchange for dollar bills. The girl I talked to was very committed to her character, and it made me feel incredibly uncomfortable to talk to her (Me: I'm just here by myself. Her: Well that way you can always go home with someone. Me: Oh, no, I have a roommate. Her: They can join) . Maybe other people would have just taken it as good fun, but from the moment sat down, I felt like I was in Berlin's Kit Kat Club, not Studio 54.

Being used to Liza, when Michelle Williams began, I thought, she seemed kind of bratty, and that was it. Which ended up being the genius of it all. Her Sally had this sense of youthful entitlement, and even as the circumstances around her changed and the characters grew, there was the same old Sally. As the show moved on, it wasn't a just a young girl looking for a place to crash, but someone much more disturbed. I thought it set up the title number beautifully. I know the song very well, but it happened so fast, and completely swept me away that before I knew it, it was over and I had chills that wouldn't go away.

Alan Cumming was excellent. He was engaging, he was entertaining, he was funny, he had charisma to burn, and charm in the bank. He was exactly what I wanted in an Emcee, but…something was missing. I can't even put my finger on exactly what it is, but I didn't get that "click" of satisfaction until he sang 'I Don't Care Much'. Maybe it's pathos? Whatever it is, I wish it had been a constant undertone of the entire performance instead of just that one song.

In the end, of course I have to say I loved Cabaret. This is what good theatre is supposed to be anyway. It's supposed to make you think and leave you conflicted. And certainly all I can think about is when I can go back and see it again, and compare.

Oof. Sorry for rambling.

[oasisjeff]

Posted: 3/24/14 at 2:41pm

I have to imagine that reading this site beforehand led to some of the confusion, since you were seemingly trying to find answers to questions you didn't need to have... such as whether it was fresh or shocking? If you never saw it before, you could have just gone in and let whatever happen happen to you, without the two camps argument on here, etc. No?

[beltingbaritone]

Posted: 3/24/14 at 2:50pm

^Certainly Oasisjeff, that's a fair point, but it was really only a jumping off point. It was the first question I asked myself, but was quickly dropped in favor of the intricately woven performances, that, yes, left me conflicted, but ultimately, made for one of the best evenings in the theatre to date. It's a really a wonderfully strange feeling to have leaving the theatre. I dig it.

Updated On: 3/24/14 at 02:50 PM

[oasisjeff]

Posted: 3/24/14 at 2:54pm

It's reasonable to be conflicted by what is happening onstage, as long as you don't bring all this unnecessary BWW baggage with you.

I tend to stay out of threads for shows I didn't see yet, unless I'm on the fence about going. If I already have a ticket sorted, I'll check in later and see where I line up with others.