imeldasturn said: "I went back to the Kit Kat Club tonight to check the new cast, but I think I was more surprised by the differences in the staff and the audience than in the ones in the show. I think it has lost the extra edge of being an "event". The ushers give away the sticker to cover the phone's camera instead of putting it on by themselves, and the result is that everybody put the sticker on their chest: keeping the inside of the theatre secret is clearly no longer a priority. Also, no more free water/schnapps/beer upon arrival.
They give Fra Fee two new costumes for the opening number and "Two Ladies" to cover his tattoos. In Willkommen it's just the extra jacket that you can see in the pictures, while in "Two Ladies" it's a horrendous beige drop seat onesie. I think Two Ladies has also been slightly re-choreographed but it didn't quite work: it's not as sexy, people just seem to wonder and group up in different parts of the stage, and the song ends with the audience hardly realizing it's over.
Fra Fee delivers a very good performance. He sings it beautifully and I particularly like his rich lower register. His "Tomorrow Belongs to Me" and "I Don't Care Much" were two highlights. He's a very different type from Eddie Redmayne: he's half a foot shorter, a little bulkier/musclier and looks much younger. When Eddie Redmayne showed up with the blond wig and the uniform he looked like a washed-up accountant, while Fee could be a member of the Hitler Youth. He plays the part like a wicked Peter Pan, with a knowing smirk and scarier depth as the show goes on. He doesn't quite cut the same figure as Eddie in the skeleton costume, but on the whole I really enjoyed his performance and he will only get better with time. Some of the jokes in Wilkommen didn't quite land, but I think he'll get there.
Amy Lennox sings prettily and in a clearer tone than Buckley, but the character is not quite there yet, especially in the book scenes. I don't say this to be mean, but seeing her tonight made me appreciate Buckley even more. Sally can be quite unlikeable and the episodic nature of the book requires a lot from the actor to make the character work, and JB was truly fantastic in it. Her delivery of lines like "But the truth is, Cliff: I've always rather hated Paris" or "You know what I'd love? A spot of gin" is seared in my memory. Having said that, I never loved the title song: I thought it was overdone, over-directed and over-choreographed. Tonight Amy Lennox did better: she too starts as catatonic but never fully descends in the state of hysteria performed by Buckley, and even the movements are not as exaggerated. Because of the staging in the round she obviously still needs to turn around and around every few seconds - which is annoying - but she really sold the song. She nailed the last ten minutes of the show, her "Cabaret" and the final confrontation with Cliff were good and I hope she can bring the rest of the performance up to that level.
Omar Baroud is a good and charming Cliff – I know I'm in the minority here, but I really liked Omari Douglass and I missed his hopelessness.
Vivien Parry is not as warm as Liza Sadovy, but she has a dry humour and sings spectacularly. I really liked her Fräulein Schneider and I'm curious about her chemistry with Elliot Levey. He was out tonight and was replaced by Josh Andrews: he's clearly too young for the role and there is no way of getting around that, but I still really liked his performance and he worked well with Parry's handsome Miss Schneider. Anna-Jane Casey is so good as Kost, it's a pity she didn't get an Olivier nod. I always wondered how Peg Murray managed to win a Tony for this role, and Anna-Jane really shows you all the possibilities of the character.
The audience clapped politely but it was never as enthusiastic as it was when I saw the show with the original leads. Cabaret was the only song that received thunderous applause and even at the curtain call the audience was very warm but there was no standing ovation. Tbh, I think this has more to do with the way the audience "performs" while watching famous actors on stage. The very beloved Eddie Redmayne was getting laughter and applause for everything he did, while the current cast receives the level of enthusiasm that you would usually see in any other stars-less West End show. Fra Fee in particular is delivering a beautiful musical theatre performance and his main fault is not being Eddie Redmayne. I noticed that the gorilla in "If You Could See Her" was spunkier and funnier than ever before – maybe its contract said that it wasn't allowed to steal the spotlight from Mr. Redmayne?"
I was a click away from selling an organ for a ticket. Now I'm unsure , this doesn't sound like it's worth the exorbitant price.
Listen, I don't take my clothes off for anyone, even if it is "artistic". - JANICE
