Over the years I have seen many productions of Cabaret, including a rare opportunity to see Joel Grey in a production in Boston, Massachusetts in the 1980’s, and I admit that, even before witnessing this version, I was quite a fan of this show. Having now witnessed Will Young and a stellar cast in Bill Kenwright’s most recent incarnation of the piece, I am even more of a fan than ever.
The musical is set in 1930’s Berlin, just before the Second World War and it gives an insight into the rather decadent German cabaret scene of the time and its downturn once the Nazi Party came to power. We learn of the everyday problems of some of the minority groups living in Nazi Germany, in particular the Jewish and the Gay communities, and the vast contrast between “normal life” during the day and the “dream world” of Cabaret Clubs like the Kit Kat Club at night.
This production went on a short UK tour prior to its West End run and as a result the set is quite simple, and clearly designed for a touring production, but that doesn’t take anything away from the show itself. The set changes are quick and slick and, as Cabaret has a strong theme and a good storyline, it doesn’t need huge sets to work.
Will Young takes on the, quite difficult part, of the Emcee, a role that is, for the most part, hilariously over the top and an extreme contrast to the serious undertones of the show. I have to admit that my expectation was that Will Young would be outstanding and, to be totally honest, I wasn’t entirely convinced by his portrayal in parts of Act One however, in Act Two he seemed to be a lot more comfortable and he managed to amaze me with the range of emotion his Emcee displayed. He has a fantastic voice, probably one of the very best around right now, which suits the songs perfectly. He is particularly strong in his solo numbers, “Tomorrow Belongs to Me” and the, originally cut but now re-instated, “I Don’t Care Much”.
Matt Rawle is a convincing Cliff Bradshaw. His highly charged and emotional performance as the struggling writer is marred only by the fact that we only get to hear him sing twice, and both of those numbers are in the first half, but at least that gives him plenty of time to be one of the central characters as the storyline moves on in Act Two.
With the unenviable task of stepping into a role made so famous by Liza Minnelli, Siobhan Dillon plays Sally Bowles, the female lead of the show. Her third place position in the Andrew Lloyd Webbers’s TV search, “How Do You Solve a Problem Like Maria” was the perfect springboard to a West End career, but it is her huge talent that keeps her at the very top of her profession as she belts out such standards as “Mein Herr”, “Maybe This Time” and, of course, “Cabaret”
Valerie Cutko gives a superb performance as Fraulein Kost, a “working girl” with a penchant for young sailors. With her incredibly tall and slinky figure she easily envelopes the semi naked young men with whom she is acting, like a Preying Mantis going in for the kill and, particularly in Act Two, delivers some of the show’s most understated comedic lines.
I was amazed to see the familiar name of Lyn Paul as Fraulein Schneider. Being old enough to remember her tremendous success with the New Seekers, and still remembering ALL the words to that fizzy drink advert that turned into a massive hit – selling well over 20 million copies, it was a delight to hear that her voice is still as strong and melodic as ever. Her tenderly affectionate scenes with Linal Haft, as Jewish grocer Herr Shultz, are simply magical and her sadness as her life falls apart when the Nazi Party take over is palpable.
The cabaret boys and girls work extremely hard throughout the show and, despite their heavy workload, they still manage to exude bucket loads of sexuality and sensuality as they cavort around the stage, in the minimum of clothing, giving a real sense of the sexual freedom and decadent lifestyle of the era.
This production, quite literally, hits all the right notes and, as the standing ovation at the curtain calls proves, is a tremendous hit with the entire audience, but do be prepared for the heavy sexual overtones and the nudity in the piece.
Five Stars *****
