Have to chime in...having read most of the first-night reviews, I have to say I enjoyed it a lot more than most and think Williams is not only on the road to delivering a great performance, but is doing so already. I don't think I've ever been so moved by "Maybe This Time" before and "Cabaret" was wonderfully defiant. Wow, I'm still in awe just thinking about her performance and feel that she is a strong Tony contender despite a very crowded field.
Though I enjoyed Cumming's performance, I felt it a little phoned in. Kinda like watching a Tony Award winner in a part who's stayed with the show a little too long. The jokes are there and the songs emotive, but it all feels a bit canned. A new interpretation would have been preferred.
LOVED Burstein - the man is a chameleon! Emond not so much and I certainly don't feel like she walked away with the show. I am generally NOT a fan of fraulein Schneider's character (with the exception of Lotte Lenya's remarkable portrayal...) and Emond made no strong case in this production. She showed commendable chops in "What Would Your Do?" but the performance felt otherwise one-note. She did share a very strong rapport with Burstein and I'm sure with time her performance will grow.
So incredibly happy to have this show back in New York! Perhaps not as transgressive as it was the first go-around, but none-the-less a wonderful and definitive production.
Updated On: 3/22/14 at 11:00 AM