Cabaret previews - Page 7

[PlayItAgain]

Posted: 3/22/14 at 8:54am

^ you know exactly what i ment.

[oasisjeff]

Posted: 3/22/14 at 9:06am

Knowing what you mean and agreeing with your conclusion are two separate things.

The view from table 112, which was basically at the corner of the stage... closer than I thought I was going to be based on the seating chart thingy on their booking site:

[Jane2]

Posted: 3/22/14 at 9:11am

"I was under the impression that the "here's the exact show you all remember, know and love" was the point."

"You are under the correct impression."

Well then, YAY! Although I've seen the show 3 times (with different emcees), the reason I'm going again was to see the great show I remember it to be. And although every emcee I saw was brilliant, I think Cumming is THE emcee. Can't wait.

[HorseTears]

Posted: 3/22/14 at 9:53am

"A 24 piece orchestra brings this Kander and Ebb classic roaring back to life."

Is this^ accurate? I thought the band was much smaller than this in the 98 revival. 15 or 16 musicians. Am I misremembering? Have they augmented the orchestra that much?

[PlayItAgain]

Posted: 3/22/14 at 10:03am

what i was told was there is 16 on stage and another 8 or so in the wings.

[hanschens]

Posted: 3/22/14 at 10:04am

This is probably a really stupid question but do you have to buy drinks/food plates at the show or can you opt out?

[FANtomFollies]

Posted: 3/22/14 at 10:24am

what kind of costume changes have been made?

[Michael Bennett]

Posted: 3/22/14 at 10:56am

No requirement to buy food or drink at the tables. It's just an optional service.

According to the playbill the total band size including the cast is 20.

Michelle Williams' costumes for Sally are slightly different than the originals. They are a little more girlish and a little less overtly sexual then what Natasha Richardson wore- particularly in the club numbers. They work fine for the interpretation that Williams has chosen or perhaps is being directed to give in the role, though I do think adding a little bit more of the sex back to the character for Williams might not be a bad thing. I also kind of wish she would dump the wig and just use her own hair because it looks a little stiff and I think hampers some of the freedom she'd have with the physicality of the role without it.

Updated On: 3/22/14 at 10:56 AM

[Play Esq.]

Posted: 3/22/14 at 11:00am

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

[Ed2]

Posted: 3/22/14 at 11:23am

The name is Burstein, not Bernstein.

[henrikegerman]

Posted: 3/22/14 at 11:31am

^this reminds me of the press scene in Funny Girl,

what's more, now I can't get the idea of Danny saying "The name is Luker, Mr. Luker." out of my head.

[Play Esq.]

Posted: 3/22/14 at 11:35am

Amended.

[henrikegerman]

Posted: 3/22/14 at 11:41am

"I also kind of wish she would dump the wig and just use her own hair because it looks a little stiff and I think hampers some of the freedom she'd have with the physicality of the role without it."

From your mouth to Mendes's ears. it strikes me that the wig you describe has the potential of making her look way too much like she did as "S" in Deception.

[tmbyru]

Posted: 3/22/14 at 1:14pm

Can anyone speak to whether they sell food and drink to the front mezz rows AA-DD or is table service just done at the orchestra level?

[mjohnson2]

Posted: 3/22/14 at 1:46pm

I was just slightly too young when the original revival was on Broadway (I was 10) so I never got to see it. I was 16 when it closed, but my parents refused to take me to see a non original cast, and I couldn't get to Manhattan without them. Will somebody who never got to see the original still think that this show seems slightly stale, or is that only from the perspective of a fan of the show?

[oasisjeff]

Posted: 3/22/14 at 2:13pm

"Will somebody who never got to see the original still think that this show seems slightly stale, or is that only from the perspective of a fan of the show?"

If you think it is an edgy show that pushes the boundaries, then likely you'll not be sure why. If you want to see an amazing version of Cabaret, you'll be fine.

[FANtomFollies]

Posted: 3/22/14 at 2:24pm

mjohnson2 - that's too bad you missed the original run. I never saw the original cast, but saw it well into it's run with Susan Egan and she was phenomenal. I'm sure you'll love the show!

[theaternut]

Posted: 3/22/14 at 2:48pm

"But this is a dutiful, ultimately toothless mounting. From its gym-toned ensemble, to Alan Cumming sounding exactly as he does on the recording, to the sure bet of applause after every number- a production that was infamously shocking and daring is now just another production."


I was there last night as well. Kad we are in total agreement. It actually sounds like you liked it a bit more than I did. I kind of felt like I was seeing the very last revival.. but towards the end of its run . It had that kind of "by the numbers" feel to it. I also found A.C.'s performance to be a tad self aware. Yet at the same time kind of lifeless. Danny B was BORING! Almost like he was phoning it in. Linda Emond was flawless. Michelle was ok. Hopefully she will get even better. The show is still worth seeing and the score is just sensational. If your going to see it I would wait till the opening hoopla dies down. This will probably be heavily discounted soon enough.


Updated On: 3/22/14 at 02:48 PM

[oasisjeff]

Posted: 3/22/14 at 2:58pm

"I would wait till the opening hoopla dies down. This will probably be heavily discounted soon enough."

On Roundabout's website, their ticket application suggests July 8 through August 31 as when they have the best availability. So, that seems like it is pretty well booked for the first three months, and at present, tickets are only available through the end of August.

Doesn't Cumming need to bolt at some point to shoot Good Wife? Or can they repeatedly extend Cabaret?

[theaternut]

Posted: 3/22/14 at 3:03pm

"On Roundabout's website, their ticket application suggests July 8 through August 31 as when they have the best availability. So, that seems like it is pretty well booked for the first three months, and at present, tickets are only available through the end of August."

In all my dealings with Roundabout I have always found that their ticket inventory changes dramatically weekly. It is a subscriber house . So trying to figure out how their advance is by what they currently have on sale is a little pointless. I think the first two months might be a little harder than the rest of its run. As I said.. wait for the opening hoopla to die down.

Updated On: 3/22/14 at 03:03 PM

[Kad]

Posted: 3/22/14 at 3:03pm

Roundabout has jammed all of its sizable subscriber base in before early July, which accounts for the lack of early availability.

[oasisjeff]

Posted: 3/22/14 at 3:11pm

I'm just saying that if it can't extend, you're playing with a very small window of time before August 31.

Of course, I don't watch The Good Wife, so perhaps there is some way around this...

[StageStruckLad]

Posted: 3/22/14 at 3:12pm

I also enjoyed last night's show much more than Kad and Theaternut. Cumming did seem a bit less dangerous than in 1998, but maybe that's because we're more used to his M.C. Loved the performances of Linda Emond and Danny Burstein. It took me a while to warm to Michelle Williams, mainly I think because Natasha Richardson's performance is so etched in my memory. But Williams' rendition of the title song was the best I have ever heard. All of Sally's defiant, self-deluded desperation came through loud and clear. The audience ovation after she finished was amazing and, I thought, fully deserved.

We were lucky enough to have gotten table seats in the orchestra, and during intermission we took a look upstairs. The front mezzanine has also been outfitted with small table lamps between some of the seats, and the view from there looks fine.

[ArtMan]

Posted: 3/22/14 at 3:17pm

Does the serving of drinks and food go on during the show? I hate to be "that guy", but I would find that very distracting.

[Kad]

Posted: 3/22/14 at 3:19pm

No- table service only occurs before the show and during intermission.

And the servers were in the weeds last night. But I'm sure they'll sort it out.