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Post by eatbigsea on Mar 14, 2024 23:06:49 GMT
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.
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Post by c4ndyc4ne on Mar 14, 2024 23:25:22 GMT
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?
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174 posts
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Post by eatbigsea on Mar 14, 2024 23:36:25 GMT
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.
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Post by Steve on Mar 15, 2024 0:59:16 GMT
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
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307 posts
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Post by stuart on Mar 15, 2024 18:33:59 GMT
Cara’s LA home has burnt down, causing $7m worth of damage.
I wonder if she’ll continue with her run.
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5,276 posts
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Post by mrbarnaby on Mar 15, 2024 20:10:16 GMT
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
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5,276 posts
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Post by mrbarnaby on Mar 15, 2024 20:10:43 GMT
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?
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Post by Steve on Mar 15, 2024 20:55:03 GMT
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:
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
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Post by mrnutz on Mar 19, 2024 17:37:56 GMT
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?
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18,806 posts
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Post by BurlyBeaR on Mar 19, 2024 19:52:44 GMT
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.
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Post by benj on Mar 19, 2024 20:35:35 GMT
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.
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Post by craigbowker on Mar 20, 2024 9:21:06 GMT
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.
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Post by VodkaStinger on Mar 20, 2024 17:03:22 GMT
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.
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Post by pauln on Mar 23, 2024 7:09:14 GMT
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!
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Post by dillan on Mar 24, 2024 0:28:30 GMT
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.
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Post by pauln on Mar 28, 2024 18:20:42 GMT
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.
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Post by distantcousin on Apr 3, 2024 9:30:41 GMT
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.
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Post by margoc on Apr 11, 2024 13:40:43 GMT
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!!
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1,871 posts
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Post by distantcousin on Apr 11, 2024 14:45:17 GMT
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...
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Post by curiouskc on Apr 14, 2024 7:03:34 GMT
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).
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Post by fiyero on Apr 14, 2024 10:52:01 GMT
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). I've seen her one and a half times and loved her portrayal!
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Post by thedrowsychaperone on Apr 15, 2024 13:33:58 GMT
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). She is PHENOMENAL
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Post by Dr Tom on Apr 17, 2024 12:05:01 GMT
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. They have second row table seats down to £73 on TKTS for the matinee today, which is as low as I’ve seen them go. In off work, so would be tempted, but they won’t sell a single and there’s no obvious workaround.
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Post by louison on Apr 17, 2024 18:50:13 GMT
I was thinking of revisiting this in June. I see the current leads are only listed until the start of the June. Are there any whispers of who the replacements might be?
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Post by tlppi on Apr 18, 2024 18:28:56 GMT
There were £73 seats on TKTS again today (second row of circle). Do we think the current cast aren't selling? Is the momentum on this show running down.
What follows is my (an uneducated imbecile) rambling thoughts.
Just glanced at the seatmap, I think there are more seats free tomorrow than I've ever seen this close to a show, and looking ~a month in the future there's at best 20% of the seats in the dress sold. I'm not that surprised, to be honest. Cara, though a star name (i think? I hadn't heard of her!) isn't known as an actress, and I don't think positive reviews in her favour can really save that - I think people just read her as a stunt cast? I did, at first! And Luke, from what I've heard of reviews and recordings, isn't a great emcee. So anyone who DOES read reviews might be put off??
What's bizarre to me is they haven't put the seat prices back down. When I saw it (Mason + Maude) we got front row of the dress for £100, which I don't think was an anomaly. Now it looks like those same seats are £200 on a random Wednesday. ['I get M+M mustn't have sold well (which to be honest I put down to Maude's reviews + history in LSOH) but SURELY the producers realise these stunt casts cannot be the way to continue.' EDIT: I think I take this back actually. they did sell fairly well, even without stellar reviews for Maude. Not sure...)
My recollection is that this show hasn't gotten better reviews than from genuinely brilliant actors (Aimee, John and Mason spring to mind), and hasn't sold better than when it's got great reviews, with (although still extortionate) slightly more affordable tickets. They've lost their Redmayne/Olivier hype.
TL;DR: I don't like these stunt casts, I wish this show would just platform brilliant actors in this brilliant production, I don't like these ticket prices and they seem unnecessary, and I think the producers MUST realise at this point they can't carry on like this
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Post by theatrekiwi on Apr 18, 2024 18:35:27 GMT
TL;DR: I don't like these stunt casts, I wish this show would just platform brilliant actors in this brilliant production I'm yet to see this production. Haven't been able to get in with the better-reviewed casts, and now at a point where I just want to see it with some great MT actors in the role rather than stunt casting to see a "name". If I manage to spot a day with double alternates on I might jump!
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Post by VodkaStinger on Apr 19, 2024 10:57:28 GMT
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. They have second row table seats down to £73 on TKTS for the matinee today, which is as low as I’ve seen them go. In off work, so would be tempted, but they won’t sell a single and there’s no obvious workaround. Interesting! I'll keep an eye out for such deals. No such luck for today tho. Maybe later in the afternoon...
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Post by Dr Tom on Apr 19, 2024 13:48:35 GMT
No such luck for today tho. Maybe later in the afternoon... I think table deals on a Friday or Saturday are unlikely. The Stalls look practically sold out already on the main site. The odds are much better earlier in the week, especially the Wednesday matinee. One thing I have noticed is they move tickets between the main group (i.e. available from the theatre) and the TKTs allocation, so this can change during the day.
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616 posts
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Post by thistimetomorrow on Apr 19, 2024 14:51:14 GMT
From what I can see, the dates Cara is off have much better availability (And on the day discounts)
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Post by curiouskc on Apr 19, 2024 16:06:42 GMT
TL;DR: I don't like these stunt casts, I wish this show would just platform brilliant actors in this brilliant production I'm yet to see this production. Haven't been able to get in with the better-reviewed casts, and now at a point where I just want to see it with some great MT actors in the role rather than stunt casting to see a "name". If I manage to spot a day with double alternates on I might jump! I don't know why the KitKat club haven't added Freddie Fox to their roster of takeover Emcees yet - he's stunning in the role.
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