I sat in the first row of the mezzanine a few seats from the house right aisle -- and I picked that exact spot on purpose. I love the front mezzanine because you're about eye level with the second level of the stage and you get to see some stuff that you might not from a few places in the orchestra. And house right gets you some good up-close Emcee time, if you care about that.
Anyway I have nothing to say other than that it was weird and it's all still sinking in, but I wish I could have captured the way I felt last night and put it in a bottle forever. I want to see it every night. I'm still getting used to the fact that it wasn't just a one and done, but it's back.
Saw this 04/12 matinee. Michelle Williams was out.
Bottom line: if you haven't seen this before, absolutely go. It is still a glorious representation of brilliant lighting, scene design, staging, and costumes for the theatre. Alan Cummings is, of course, magnificent. Truly a privilege to watch him work.
The only thing, I think, that was different from the original revival was I remember it all seemed to have more gravitas back then. The stakes seemed higher. This is what gave it the "edge" that some people are saying is missing (I think.)
Having said that, this is a great show done well so go. Alan's "I Don't Care Much" was stunning.
Great. Didn't miss a beat. Confident and great voice. Especially impressive considering it's previews and according to the playbill she has a whole other onstage track.
I wish they hadn't dyed Cumming's hair and tried to make him look younger. I think that's indicative of the overall attempt to recreate his original performance instead of an attempt to find an interpretation that is new and reflective of the time that has elapsed.
"I think that's indicative of the overall attempt to recreate his original performance instead of an attempt to find an interpretation that is new and reflective of the time that has elapsed."
You're assuming they ever considered a new interpretation, which seems to have never been the case, though.
I saw Andrea as Sally this weekend as well. She has a great voice, which is great to listen to but not necessarily right for the character. She had a dark bob-- not sure if it's her real hair or a wig. I was in the mezz.
Anyway, I enjoyed Andrea but would like to go back and see Michelle.
Updated On: 4/14/14 at 10:35 AM
I'm seeing it Tuesday evening. I haven't been this jazzed about seeing a show in quite some time. The first Broadway show I ever saw was this revival back in 2002, with Raul Esparza and Heather Laws stepping in for Molly Ringwald. Sadly, I remember too little.
Watched it on March 27th. Alan Cumming was fabulous, but he played to safe, in my opinion. Of course his earlier version was terrific enough, but I expected more. However, I was overwhelmed by Linda Emond's calm yet emotional performance. I have to agree that she actually stole the show. It's rare to see an actor immerse him or herself in the character and dig deep. Hope she can get a nod on Tony this time.
Can anyone who has seen the show from the Bar Rail Obstructed seats along the sides (BR 1- comment on the view? I'm interested in seeing the show when I come in May, but all of the orchestra seats on the days I'm looking are either obstructed or require a $2,500 VIP contribution. Thanks in advance!
I'm seeing the show in the rear mezz tonight. For anyone who has sat up there before, how is the sound quality? I remember seeing Drood up there, and most of the lyrics unfortunately were drowned out up there. Hoping the same thing does not happen tonight.
I was at the 4/9 evening performance and sat in the front row of the Rear Mezz (EE) almost dead center. I thought the seats were excellent (both in terms of sightline and acoustics). I would have preferred the Front Mezz but they weren't available for any of the dates that I looked at many months ago.
I saw this evening's performance. The production is damn near perfect. I adored Cumming, and not simply because I was one of two audience members brought up onstage before Act II. Williams seemed nervous at first, but ultimately...she is sublime. And I was surprised to see that the ending of "Mein Herr" was seemingly truncated for her. All supporting players delivered, but I found myself wanting more from Fraulein Kost.
I saw this for a second time tonight. I've never sat through a show and immediately wanted to sit through it again. I could study this performance over and over again. Michelle Williams is sublime and I hope she ends up being eligible for a nomination. The audience seemed a bit rowdy in the mezz though.
I'm curious if anyone around here saw the '87 revival, and can compare the differences in the Emcee character a little more in depth for me. I've seen Joel Grey in the movie, but I wish I had the standard to contrast the two interpretations.
So many of us were there tonight! I was up in the rear mezz with givesmevoice, and I loved it and am already desperate to go back again. The audience in the mezz was a bit rude though, there were two girls in front of us who were on their phones quite a bit and at the beginning of the second act when the orchestra was playing a gentleman a couple rows back told them to turn off their phones.
I've been in love with the recording of this revival since I was in high school, so getting to see it with Alan Cumming and have it be everything I imagined it would be was really special. I thought Michelle Williams was great, and I'm sure she'll only get better the more she does it; her last few scenes and "Cabaret" were exceptional. I also loved Linda Emond and Danny Burstein, they were both so grounded and worked beautifully together. I knew what the ending was going to be (as most people do at this point, I think), but it still left me shaking as I walked out of the theatre. I can't wait to see this again, and hopefully from a little closer than my Hiptix seats in the way back (which were actually fine, but I would have liked to have seen facial expressions a little better).
Also, as much as people say Cliff is kind of a nothing role (and he is, I guess, in the sense that he's the lens through which we see everything and he's sort of the "straight" man), I thought Bill Heck did a lot with it. I loved him in Angels in America at Signature a few years ago, and he's doing great work here as well.
Definitely a few rowdy people in the audience this evening. Some guy screamed "I LOVE YOU, ALAN!" just as he was beginning to sing in the opening number. The crowd in general seemed very jazzed. Also spotted Barbara Walters, Carla Gugino, and Jeremy Piven, who did NOT wash his hands after using the restroom.