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.
Men don't even belt.
