cabaret

The most recent revival of Cabaret directed by Rebecca Frecknall has graced the West End stage with its stunning reimagination of the musical based on the 1972 drama film. From the cast to the direction to the choreography, the production has won a record-breaking seven Olivier Awards, all of which were well-deserved. Over the course of the show, audiences are tantalized by the Emcee, Sally Bowles, and the Kit Kat Club ensemble, through the seductive, alluring performances of those desperate to leave their troubles outside. However, as the rise of the Nazis looms overhead, it becomes clear that worries may be harder to ignore, and ignorance won’t be so easy to achieve.

The production is performed in the Playhouse Theater, a circle-in-the-round-style theater with audiences all around a circular stage. The staging throughout the show took full advantage of the turnstiles and trapdoors making up the stage and ensured audiences always had multiple performers’ faces to look at, especially for group numbers, where choreography was executed primarily in a circular formation. The creative team did a fantastic job at making the theater seem like an actual nightclub, dressing up the entire space, including the lobby areas and stairways outside the auditorium, to complement the aesthetics of the show.

The material in Cabaret is complex to say the least, and the 2023 cast do not disappoint in their delivery, performing every song and speaking every line with such emotion to create a truly moving story. Mason Alexander Park was outstanding as the Emcee, really indulging in the lightheartedness and fun to the show, making their commitment to darker moments much more sudden and shocking. Danny Mahoney is an absolutely bone-chilling Herr Ludwig, while Beverley Klein and Teddy Kempner really lean into their sweet, cute moments together, making for an adorable couple. Maude Apatow was a wonderful Sally Bowles, sympathetic and showing off all of the character’s different facets: defiance, fear, concern, understanding, longing, desperation. And of course, the cabaret ensemble was fantastic, each performer clearly individual but still creating a cohesive group.

This particular production of Cabaret is unconventional with several differences to other West End stages. For audiences seated higher up (Dress Circle and above), it can get very warm during the show, so theater-goers should be prepared for quite a bit of heat. Additionally, although many musicals have a longer first act compared to the second, the first act of Cabaret is almost double the length of Act II, with intermission arriving about an hour and a half after the show first begins. Furthermore, likely as a result of wanting the experience to seem like an illusion, photography is not allowed anywhere in the building, regardless of whether or not the performance is in progress. Finally, because the theater is treated more like a nightclub, performers can be interactive with the audience, particularly members in the first few rows of the stalls section. For example, a few members might be invited to come onstage towards the end of the intermission. Audiences should be sure to keep this in mind for seating choices and pre-arrival preparations.

In short, Cabaret is an extremely well-done revival and, in spite of the heavy material and extremely mature, risque content, is sure to be a fulfilling night out.