Cabaret - Playhouse Theatre

[distantcousin]

I so wish I'd got my act together/bit the bullet and saw Madeleine Brewer and Callum SH!

[showtoones]

But can she sing?!? Lololol

[theatrenerd]

A new EP with ‘Wilkommen’, ‘Don’t Tell Mamma’, ‘I Don’t Care Much’ and ‘Cabaret’ from the recent BBC Radio 2 session with Rebecca and Jake is being released 8th March

http://instagram.com/p/C3-B4udtymt

[margoc]

New photos have dropped of cara, luke and Michael. Cara doesn't look right at all. Rather odd choice and a big downgrade from the likes of RLT

[doornumberthree]

Feb 29, 2024 20:56:26 GMT margoc said:

How much did Cara pay the producers to star in this? What an absolute downgrade from the fabulous Rebecca Lucy Taylor. I do feel this next cast will be the canon that sinks the ship.

I mean is there any point in her being there?! She has more days off than on.

Whoever follows Cara will be a godsend.

This did make me laugh because Rebecca’s Sally was one of the worst theatre performances I have seen in over three decades of theatre going, and I gave her another couple of chances to win me round because of going to see other covers on etc.

I have to say how pleasantly surprised and shocked I am by Cara’s first show! I went in with low expectations and couldn’t have been more surprised. She’s quite a remarkable stage actor, if I had to compare her to other portrayals - she’s a mix of Amy Lennox and Madeline Brewer, she’s made some brilliant choices that I haven’t seen before, and she really leaned in to the physicality of it. She isn’t sustaining notes yet which I anticipated (as didn’t think she’d sing it well) but she more than made up for it with her acting.

I will be really intrigued to see how Luke settles into the role,
there were a lot of nerves tonight but I can see some him being one of the more darker Emcees.

[eatbigsea]

Well that was jolly interesting. I first saw it with Eddie and Jessie (top notch, going again in New York), and then in the first round of casting after that, and then in Sept last year.(I am fairly sure I saw Fra Fee then, he was great, and the Sally was also v good). I am sorry but I did not pay a lot of attention to the subsequent cast, I went with friends who were going for the production.

Tonight I saw Cara and Luke. Luke is a safe pair of hands, he can sing and act well and knows what he’s doing. I went to see what Cara could come up with. She’s very beautiful. Don’t Tell Mama wasn’t great and Mein Herr was worse. But, out of nowhere, Maybe this time had a poignancy I’ll never forget. She didn’t have great chemistry with Michael Ahomka-Lindsay (who was working overtime to produce it, and I have all the respect in the world for him) but all of a sudden, you felt every feeling of failure Sally has ever had. She can’t sing for toffee but there was some acting there.

It wasn’t enough for me to return for the second act, I think I saw everything necessary, but I was a bit impressed. In my opinion she was better than Lindsay Lohan (same theatre, ironically, 10 years ago with Richard Schiff in Speed the plow) and Lily Cole at Shakespeare’s globe somewhere between now and then. Reminded me a bit of Matthew Perry (also same theatre, again, in 2016). One good scene which was inspired by real life.

[c4ndyc4ne]

is it a controversial opinion to say that i don't think someone who has left at the interval can give a full or fair report of a performance - as they've not seen an actor's full offering?

[eatbigsea]

Mar 14, 2024 23:25:22 GMT c4ndyc4ne said:

is it a controversial opinion to say that i don't think someone who has left at the interval can give a full or fair report of a performance - as they've not seen an actor's full offering?

I will be happy to defer to anyone who has seen the full performance of this cast…(and the original two stars and two other casts, as I have). If anyone thinks that Cara D is a wonderful singer or an all around great actor, I will be very interested to hear it.

[Steve]

I stayed for the whole show tonight and thought it was fabulous.

Having seen all this production's Sallys, apart from Amy Lennox, I found Cara Delevingne to be one of the better ones.

Luke Treadaway is definitely a very dark MC.

Neither of them would class among the best of singers (although not the worst either, as they sing in pitch) but both are very good actors, which for this part, is more important for me, as both create unique and indelible portraits of the characters.

For me, Michael Ahomka-Lindsay is my favourite Clifford.

Some spoilers follow. . .

I'll preface my remarks by noting this is an early performance for these actors (maybe their fourth or fifth in front of a paying audience) so I expect all three of these performers to get even better, unless they start losing their voices on account of giving so much.

Delevingne is not the funniest Sally. That would be Aimee Lou Wood.

Nor is she the most damaged and unhinged Sally. That would be Madeline Brewer.

And she certainly doesn't have the singing chops of Jessie Buckley or Emily Benjamin.

She is definitely the most overtly sexual Sally, performing "Don't Tell Mama" like a showgirl in pursuit of a tip.

But what impresses about Delevingne's Sally is the variety and freedom of her moods and attitudes and emotions, and how suddenly they can turn on a dime.

In "Mein Herr," she is a tightly controlled manipulator of her audience, acting the acting of Sally Bowles' fierce commitment to holding her audience.

And then, as suggested above, Delevingne's Sally lowers her guard for Clifford to reveal a soft and soulful inner life, that maybe even she herself had forgotten was inside her. The turn is slowly, superbly and sensitively acted.

And in "Cabaret," Delevingne unleashes possibly the widest and most varied, yet convincing, set of emotional releases imaginable, funneling through soulful despair, hopeful dreams and wild teeth-clenched fury and aggression. Such a performance could only be possible through a longstanding commitment to acting as a craft.

Luke Treadaway's Emcee is the least funny I've seen, getting almost no laughs from his "Willkommen." He is simply too controlled and machine stiff to bond genuinely with the audience and get laughs. (Again, this may change as the run matures). By contrast, Eddie Redmayne, the funniest Emcee, was so warm and loose that he got almost everyone laughing constantly.

So too is the earthy humanity of Mason Alexander Park a distant memory.

While he is not as robotic and apparently superhuman in his modulated movements as Callum Scott Howells (the former Emcee his performance most resembles), Treadaway's Emcee is definitely a conduit for the Nazi machine's relentless drive, more casually patrician than Howells, like an army officer stalking an objective relentlessly.

He exerts the most confident apparent authority over the gorilla, and his "Money makes the world go round" is one of the most insistently dark, creepy and unstoppable renditions of that song.

Treadaway's singing is competent but not good, and certainly never great, like the extraordinary singing of John McCrea. Indeed, he does not even attempt to sing some of the high falsetto notes that made McCrea so eerie and diabolically ethereal.

Facing down Michael Ahomka-Lindsay's super soft Clifford, Treadaway's Emcee feels like a serial killer with easy prey in his sights.

Ahomka-Lindsay is absolutely wonderful as Clifford, a timid Clifford who is nonetheless ravenous for new experiences, and who reacts emotionally to every one. His performance is such that he magnifies, through his careful thorough scrutinizing gaze, the import of the intentions and actions of everyone he interacts with, and that is a boon to the production. My favourite Clifford.

Eddie Redmayne and Aimee Lou Wood remain my favourite Emcee and Sally, respectively.

But for me, this new casting returns the production to a form it hasn't seen since McCrea and Lou Wood left the production.

5 stars from me

[stuart]

Cara’s LA home has burnt down, causing $7m worth of damage.

I wonder if she’ll continue with her run.

[mrbarnaby]

Mar 15, 2024 18:33:59 GMT stuart said:

Cara’s LA home has burnt down, causing $7m worth of damage.

I wonder if she’ll continue with her run.

Gosh that is horrible

[mrbarnaby]

Mar 15, 2024 0:59:16 GMT Steve said:

I stayed for the whole show tonight and thought it was fabulous.

Having seen all this production's Sallys, apart from Amy Lennox, I found Cara Delevingne to be one of the better ones.

Luke Treadaway is definitely a very dark MC.

Neither of them would class among the best of singers (although not the worst either, as they sing in pitch) but both are very good actors, which for this part, is more important for me, as both create unique and indelible portraits of the characters.

For me, Michael Ahomka-Lindsay is my favourite Clifford.

Some spoilers follow. . .

I'll preface my remarks by noting this is an early performance for these actors (maybe their fourth or fifth in front of a paying audience) so I expect all three of these performers to get even better, unless they start losing their voices on account of giving so much.

Delevingne is not the funniest Sally. That would be Aimee Lou Wood.

Nor is she the most damaged and unhinged Sally. That would be Madeline Brewer.

And she certainly doesn't have the singing chops of Jessie Buckley or Emily Benjamin.

She is definitely the most overtly sexual Sally, performing "Don't Tell Mama" like a showgirl in pursuit of a tip.

But what impresses about Delevingne's Sally is the variety and freedom of her moods and attitudes and emotions, and how suddenly they can turn on a dime.

In "Mein Herr," she is a tightly controlled manipulator of her audience, acting the acting of Sally Bowles' fierce commitment to holding her audience.

And then, as suggested above, Delevingne's Sally lowers her guard for Clifford to reveal a soft and soulful inner life, that maybe even she herself had forgotten was inside her. The turn is slowly, superbly and sensitively acted.

And in "Cabaret," Delevingne unleashes possibly the widest and most varied, yet convincing, set of emotional releases imaginable, funneling through soulful despair, hopeful dreams and wild teeth-clenched fury and aggression. Such a performance could only be possible through a longstanding commitment to acting as a craft.

Luke Treadaway's Emcee is the least funny I've seen, getting almost no laughs from his "Willkommen." He is simply too controlled and machine stiff to bond genuinely with the audience and get laughs. (Again, this may change as the run matures). By contrast, Eddie Redmayne, the funniest Emcee, was so warm and loose that he got almost everyone laughing constantly.

So too is the earthy humanity of Mason Alexander Park a distant memory.

While he is not as robotic and apparently superhuman in his modulated movements as Callum Scott Howells (the former Emcee his performance most resembles), Treadaway's Emcee is definitely a conduit for the Nazi machine's relentless drive, more casually patrician than Howells, like an army officer stalking an objective relentlessly.

He exerts the most confident apparent authority over the gorilla, and his "Money makes the world go round" is one of the most insistently dark, creepy and unstoppable renditions of that song.

Treadaway's singing is competent but not good, and certainly never great, like the extraordinary singing of John McCrea. Indeed, he does not even attempt to sing some of the high falsetto notes that made McCrea so eerie and diabolically ethereal.

Facing down Michael Ahomka-Lindsay's super soft Clifford, Treadaway's Emcee feels like a serial killer with easy prey in his sights.

Ahomka-Lindsay is absolutely wonderful as Clifford, a timid Clifford who is nonetheless ravenous for new experiences, and who reacts emotionally to every one. His performance is such that he magnifies, through his careful thorough scrutinizing gaze, the import of the intentions and actions of everyone he interacts with, and that is a boon to the production. My favourite Clifford.

Eddie Redmayne and Aimee Lou Wood remain my favourite Emcee and Sally, respectively.

But for me, this new casting returns the production to a form it hasn't seen since McCrea and Lou Wood left the production.

5 stars from me

Did you not see Self Esteem?

[Steve]

Mar 15, 2024 20:10:43 GMT mrbarnaby said:

Did you not see Self Esteem?

Yes, I did.

I thought she was incredible for someone with no acting experience, but some of her performance was "one size too small" for me.

She also appeared with an Emcee whose performance was reminiscent of someone who did it better.

And she did not appear with the current Clifford, who I love.

So I rated the show 4 stars at that point:

theatreboard.co.uk/post/487445

Delevingne's Sally has more range, is more varied, more unpredictable, more unique, and bears the hallmarks of long acting experience, giving her a moment to moment freedom that is exciting to watch.

Treadaway isn't funny, but he's so controlled and determined that he builds up a frightening head of steam.

And the new Clifford is just so alive in every scene, in my opinion, boosting the performances of all around him, feeling and investing in everything.

So I rate the show 5 stars now, which is back to where I rated it with Aimee Lou Wood and John McCrea.

I feel so bad about this news of Delevingne's house. She may have lost pets, which is the worst thing of all, so if she takes time off, that would be only natural. But I hope that if she does need to leave for a bit, she comes back to this run, as she's a phenomenal Sally, and deserves to be seen and appreciated.

Update: firefighters rescued Delevingne's two cats, which she had initially thought passed away, so that's good news:

people.com/cara-delevingne-confirms-her-cats-survived-massive-blaze-her-home-8610012

[mrnutz]

Two questions:

1. Do we know if Cara is performing at the moment, in light of the news above?

2. I know this show has some dynamic pricing, but how heavily does it discount shortly prior to showtime?

[BurlyBeaR]

Mar 19, 2024 17:37:56 GMT mrnutz said:

Two questions:

1. Do we know if Cara is performing at the moment, in light of the news above?

2. I know this show has some dynamic pricing, but how heavily does it discount shortly prior to showtime?

In my experience, it doesnt. 

[benj]

Thanks for the reviews of the current cast - I have the offer of a ticket from a colleague, but it’s the same night that I’ve booked for Police Cops at Southwark. I’ve also really disliked Michael Ahomka-Lindsay in the two shows I’ve seen him in previously so I might just stick with Police Cops.

[craigbowker]

Mar 19, 2024 20:35:35 GMT benj said:

Thanks for the reviews of the current cast - I have the offer of a ticket from a colleague, but it’s the same night that I’ve booked for Police Cops at Southwark. I’ve also really disliked Michael Ahomka-Lindsay in the two shows I’ve seen him in previously so I might just stick with Police Cops.

I'm with you. 

I saw this on Fri and have to agree. I know people love Michael Ahomka-Lindsay, but he just doesn't hit for me. When he's doing an American accent it feels very community theatre for some reason. I would LOVE to see him in a non-American role to see his acting chops without that hinderance. I figure if people love him so much he must be great, but this and Newsies it just felt off. Feel like I'm missing out. 

Cara was great. Where she wasn't strong vocally she stayed on pitch and acted through it in a way that almost made the role seem more real. I thought she was the stand-out as far as acting went. 

The emcee seemed to be having a rough night. Sometimes he hit the vocals, other times he REALLY missed. He also started the show absolutely DRENCHED in sweat and seemed like he was potentially unwell, which makes me want to give him another shot. Maybe just an off night. 

[VodkaStinger]

Mar 19, 2024 17:37:56 GMT mrnutz said:

2. I know this show has some dynamic pricing, but how heavily does it discount shortly prior to showtime?

Don't think so. At least for the table seats, I've never seen them going for <£120 even as the show is about to start.

[pauln]

Hi everyone! This might be a long shot, but yesterday I bought a ticket to see the matinee of Cabaret today. I just saw that there’s a new (and better) seat available for the same price I paid. Does anyone know what the chances are that they’ll let me change my seat? I sent an email to ATG, but changes are supposed to be made 48 hours prior to the performance. Many thanks!

[dillan]

Mar 20, 2024 17:03:22 GMT VodkaStinger said:

Mar 19, 2024 17:37:56 GMT mrnutz said:

2. I know this show has some dynamic pricing, but how heavily does it discount shortly prior to showtime?

Don't think so. At least for the table seats, I've never seen them going for <£120 even as the show is about to start.

I got front row table seats for £80 each - this was for a Saturday matinee in June 2022, they changed it the day before to quite cheap, got very lucky.

[pauln]

I saw the new cast last week and have to say I was disappointed with Cara Delevingne’s portrayal of Sally. People in the audience were holding their breaths when she had to reach the high notes. Vocally she sounded like she was a performer in your average karaoke club and her acting choices weren’t very interesting either. Luke Treadaway was an okay Emcee. I’d see the show again, but would definitely wait for a cast change.

[distantcousin]

Just listened to Billie Piper on the Table Manners podcast.

Jessie Ware asked her outright if she was asked to do Cabaret, and she confirmed she was asked to take over from Jessie Buckley.

However, she was pretty adamant she would never do a musical. She said it was too punishing/hard work. She can't bothered to look after herself enough to keep in the "match fit" condition required!

Also mentioned she would find having to work Saturdays and not being able to be with her children at bedtimes too much of a sacrifice.

[margoc]

Apr 3, 2024 9:30:41 GMT distantcousin said:

Just listened to Billie Piper on the Table Manners podcast.

Jessie Ware asked her outright if she was asked to do Cabaret, and she confirmed she was asked to take over from Jessie Buckley.

However, she was pretty adamant she would never do a musical. She said it was too punishing/hard work. She can't bothered to look after herself enough to keep in the "match fit" condition required!

Also mentioned she would find having to work Saturdays and not being able to be with her children at bedtimes too much of a sacrifice.

Id quite like to see jessie in the role of sally!!

[distantcousin]

Apr 11, 2024 13:40:43 GMT margoc said:

Apr 3, 2024 9:30:41 GMT distantcousin said:

Just listened to Billie Piper on the Table Manners podcast.

Jessie Ware asked her outright if she was asked to do Cabaret, and she confirmed she was asked to take over from Jessie Buckley.

However, she was pretty adamant she would never do a musical. She said it was too punishing/hard work. She can't bothered to look after herself enough to keep in the "match fit" condition required!

Also mentioned she would find having to work Saturdays and not being able to be with her children at bedtimes too much of a sacrifice.

Id quite like to see jessie in the role of sally!!

Yes! She absolutely loves musical theatre - she is on record as saying so. She was in productions at school. I wonder if she'd revisit it professionally...

[curiouskc]

Just wondering - has anyone seen Nic Myers yet as Sally? I saw it last summer and was knocked out by Emily Benjamin's performance so I was wondering how the new alternate Sally measures up (as I might go again in August).