Cabaret...
Last night Stuart, Roger, Kevin and I went to the Lyric Theatre, Shaftsbury Avenue to see Cabaret. And what a show! It's laugh out loud funny, sexy and chic.
"Willkommen, bienvenue, welcome, im Kabaret, au cabaret, to cabaret!"
Kander and Ebb's remarkable musical turns the pre-war Berlin of 1931 into a dark and sexually charged haven of decadence, its extraordinary and morally ambiguous inhabitants determined to keep up appearances as the real world - the world outside the comfortable sanctuary of the cabaret - prepares for the nightmarish chaos of war. It says here.
Anna Maxwell Martin plays Sally Bowles - you may remember her from His Dark Materials at the National or from Dr Who last year. James Dreyfus (Gimme, Gimme, Gimme) plays the Emcee and Sheila Hancock plays Fraulein Schneider. And despite not being brilliant singers they manage admirably and act their little socks off. The dancing troupe are Bob Fosse standard and convey the throbbing sexuality of the Kit Kat Club to a tee.
And I mustn't ignore a certain stand out facet of the production. Something that would have people reaching for their opera glasses (should we have them). The nudity. Full-frontal men and women - and oh boy are those boys well hung! Don't get me wrong. It wasn't gratuitous in any way. All in the best possible taste. And in fact used rather poignantly at the end.
So my advice is: Go see.
I am sure it would have been a wonderful experience on such a musical play ground, it is certainly a mystical experience.
ReplyDeleteOh "mystical experience" yourself you spam-bot!
ReplyDeleteI saw it tonight - I agree, worth seeing. Yet, perhaps a little too poignant for a long run - so best head to see at asap
ReplyDeleteOoh, differences of opinion in Blogland! Bob's Yer Uncle has a different view...
ReplyDeleteBob's Yer Uncle... surely, too much analysis - 'tis only a West End musical after all
ReplyDeleteNo gratuitous sex. That's a shame.
ReplyDeleteApparently this production of Cabaret is coming back to the West End with Will Young as the Emcee...
ReplyDeleteFab. A must see I'm sure.
ReplyDelete