West End CABARET Revival (and B’way Transfer?) - News & Discussion Thread — Page 15

Just watched the televised "Wilkommen" and "Cabaret" performances.



Are all the numbers done at such a high pitch/energy? It's riveting, but waaaay over the top.

I'm curious...apparently this approach works for the show as it's certainly a big hit in London.



To those who have seen it....does it really work? Or is it just a gimmick to stir up the audience. I mean, this over-the-top, quirky approach to the songs.

I only see 2 or 3 people reporting on the live London production.



No one else has seen it in person?

On the subject of transfer, from what I remember from one Rebecca Frecknall interview at the time, Eddie Redmayne's initial plan was to have it be set in a found space, like some basement venue, and not a West End venue, but that fell through because of the pandemic or something and some producers came on board to throw money at the Playhouse. If they find something, I don't think they'd be averse to an alternative venue, but of course, that might not be the case anymore with bigger producers on board.

Gigantic biceps? Lol. Not in any world. Great recording though, love Eddie's weirdness.

Updated On: 12/23/22 at 11:58 AM

LuPita2 said: "Gigantic biceps? Lol. Not in any world."

These are huge biceps. If you don't think so you seriously need your eyes examined.

Lmao this is a weird hill to die on LuPita. No one’s saying he’s Arnold Schwarzenegger, but he’s undeniably buff and athletic. He clearly works out a lot, which…good for him? It’s really not that big of a deal, and I don’t think anyone is seriously suggesting he change his body to play this role. The other user was just pointing out that he looks buff in a way that you wouldn’t expect a starving artist in 1930s Berlin to look. But it’s fine, suspension of disbelief isn’t a bad thing.

Anyways, I liked Callum’s performance considerably better than the Eddie Redmayne recording. I did find the choreo to be a bit jarring and over the top, but it was undeniably interesting. I still stand by my earlier point that the avant-garde choreo and high-art costumes (what is the Emcee wearing…is he supposed to look like a butcher or something) are at odds with the text in terms of what kind of place the Klub is.

It also just felt slightly blunt. The choreo did feel a tiny bit “look how weird and artsy this is”, and Sally running up with a bottle at the end is kind of on-the-nose. Is she really already falling apart this early in the show? Isn’t her whole thing that she’s *trying* to be professional and bring some “allure” to the Klub?

CreatureKitchen said: "Lmao this is a weird hill to die on LuPita. No one’s saying he’s Arnold Schwarzenegger, but he’s undeniably buff and athletic. He clearly works out a lot, which…good for him? It’s really not that big of a deal, and I don’t think anyone is seriously suggesting he change his body to play this role. The other user was just pointing out that he looks buff in a way that you wouldn’t expect a starving artist in 1930s Berlin to look. But it’s fine, suspension of disbelief isn’t a bad thing.

No one is dying on any hill today Creature, I just think it's really funny when someone thinks that is some gigantic man. I guess I'm lucky in the spouse department! He works out and stays in shape. I think that would be true for most people doing professional theater though? And I agree, no one should ever change their body to play a role, unless they want to win an Oscar! His performance was great.

Happy Holidays, all.

CreatureKitchen said: "CChang 2 said: "Not "gigantic" but perhaps for the part he is? Is that what you're referring? I have never seen "Cabaret " but I remember Michael C. Hall was once in the role and he isn't a small man. Is the Emcee supposed to be emaciated looking?"

I'd say a number of the actors who've played him have at least been pretty fit, if not buff, because it's usually a physically demanding role. So I don't think it's that big of a deal. However, in terms of the text, I'd say it's at least clear that he's extremely poor. During "Money", he sings about hunger knocking on the door and looking 30 pounds underweight (although he could be talking more generally and not specifically about himself). And "I Don't Care Much" is basically all about how he can't afford to care about anything going on when he can barely keep a roof over his head. Again, he's never explicitly clear that he's singing about himself, but it seems to be that he speaking from personal experience.

"

Mate, I'll say this, you seem unhealthily obsessed with this production. Not sure why, since you don't really seem open to the idea of interpretation and also I doubt there's anything left for you to pore over and dismiss now. It's very deliberately not a period accurate production and the Emcee is not quite flesh and blood. Their Kit Kat Club has to also be able to exist in London 2021/22, but also slightly surreal.

Skip23 said: "I only see 2 or 3 people reporting on the live London production.



No one else has seen it in person?



"

I have but didn't feel like I had much to contribute, in no small part because I went in almost totally blind and didn't have much of a critical eye (or ear). But I absolutely loved it.

I will say, in listening to the two available songs, they do sound more OTT than I remember. But I saw Fra Fee and Amy Lennox, so maybe they had a different vibe, also maybe the immersive atmosphere (very successful IMO) made me buy into it more.

There’s a lot of small changes, especially the emcee, and added interactions outside the Kit Kat club, which makes it different than the Mendes production. If you’re very familiar with cabaret and even the movie (which is barely related minus some songs), you’ll notice and that makes it interesting. Some of the changes will be public knowledge once the album comes out next month.


I will say the show felt different after seeing it with the new cast. Both follow on emcees are very different from each before and very different from redmayne. They also changed the choreo and interactions. My biggest issue was the new cast for the Herr Schultz and Fraulein Schneider which brought them back to somewhat boring secondary characters again, as I remember in the mendes production.

I love the mendes version and saw the original Broadway, then the revival 16 years later and again on tour. Some scenes are better in that version, like Mein herr, and I loved when Alan Cumming interacted with the audience during the intermission. None of the 5 casts I saw had as good actors with great chemistry as the two supporting characters did with Liza and Elliot in my opinion. I think they just seem like they’re more involved in this one and it helps that there is no set to distinguish locations.

I haven’t heard the boot leg version so I don’t know what’s recorded in I don’t care much. They did change some characteristics of Cliff and the emcee, and the end is different than the mendes but it’s visual and not sung. I also don’t remember any interactions by the emcee in the mendes outside of the Kit Kat club but memory could be wrong.


if I’m wrong, that’s ok. I thought I remembered the emcee wearing the concentration camp outfit but that could have been a different production. I know many actors have won for Schneider. I was also a kid when I first saw the production and thought more emphasis was put on the emcee and Sally’s numbers and there was less interaction with the rest of the cast. I guess I just liked having two characters that were personable and had excellent chemistry.

Sounds this is also an aesthetic difference with how Europeans (sometimes) treat musicals. Most of their creatives come from the worlds of new play (read: experimental, even here) and opera (where in Europe, innovation is king, since there is a long history with opera and folks expect to see something new). Sometimes Americans have dismissed such adventurousness of design and lack of verisimilitude it as Euro-trash, but it's simply a different approach, in a different context and with different expectations.

Don't get me wrong, Brits love how Americans do it (sometimes), like with the huge success of Sutton in Anything Goes. But from the over-the-top performances, slick visuals, even perhaps sexualized bodies, and on the on-the-nose thematics, it sounds like just a more auteur-aesthetic European approach.

I hope it transfers.

PS I loved the Mendes, and nothing was like it when it transferred.