Cabaret - Playhouse Theatre

Piper recently said she wants to do musicals, but not on stage since she'd never be around to tuck in her kids at night.

I have to say if Buckley's rendition of the title number isn't my top song on Spotify wrapped at the end of the year I will be very surprised. The whole recording is brilliant and I look forward to when my Vinyl arrives!

I don't really listen to any cast recording as traditional songs per se and I rarely listen to individual songs on them. It's always as a whole album. I don't think there's a single song I can think of that works that for me that way ( jukeboxes don't count). I'm not really fussed about how beautifully someone sings it, I just want the cast album to deliver the texture and emotion and my memory of the show if I saw it or evoke what it would have been like if I didn't. I think this one does.

And she actually toned it down a lot for the recording!

I know...but in the context of the show the yelling is THRILLING...it just sounds rough on the recording

Full cast album listening party from Friday night can be caught up on Instagram (can’t see it on YouTube or anywhere else yet). A fantastic insight into the production by Eddie, makes me want to go back and see the new cast already!

www.instagram.com/tv/CnpxCCGoVjS/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=

I just don't personally want to listen to someone either being rubbish or trying to be rubbish on a recording - this isn't a Buckley specific issue for me, I don't think any cast recordings of Cabaret work for this exact reason. You need to see it in the context of the show for me, otherwise it just doesn't work.

Glad it does for others, but if I want to hear the songs sung on a recording, then yes I'll probably go to Liza

I'd been adamant that there was no way I was paying a three-figure sum for this. I'd seen at least three previous versions of Cabaret on stage, the most recent being the 2019 tour (five stars), and which I was sure could not be topped.

But FOMO, the overwhelmingly positive feedback on here, and a third-row stalls table seat at today's Saturday matinée for £150 persuaded me to relent. I managed to snag a good Dress Circle single at £100 for my partner. As always when two seats together are not available, we take a random pick to see who sits where and swap at the interval.

Thus, I had the advantage of viewing proceedings from two different vantage points, the longer first act from downstairs, the second from above. Both were on the front seating side, rather than the new rear, the front being better I think. Although the production plays to all sides, the choreography seemed to favour the original front side.

My husband later explained that the audible sighs of joy coming from the circle as the lights dimmed for Act 1, were because the suspended lampshades over the stage were seriously blocking the view upstairs, and the sudden ascent of said lights to the rafters was a blessed relief.

While the view from the stalls was superb, the table seat was decidedly hard. The back was nicely padded but the seat "cushion" was thin and useless. I haven't had such bum ache since I travelled on Thameslink. The Dress Circle regular seat was, in contrast, supremely comfortable.

One final piece of business before discussing the show itself concerns ATG and their penny-pinching. For a show with such inflated prices, you'd think the theatre could manage more than one staff member scanning tickets and one checking bags. The long line meant that, from arrival outside to reaching the Green Bar (for pre-purchased snacks/drinks), took the best part of half an hour. Huge thanks to the unflappable waitress who endured my venting and restored my good mood with nothing more than genuine charm and bonhomie.

The show itself has some very clever touches and is very different to what I've seen before. I am not sure the intimacy of the Kit Kat Club worked in its favour. I missed the spectacle of the big musical set-pieces.

I actively disliked the Act 1 costumes and make-up of the assorted cabaret performers. The remit seemed to be to subvert stereotypical sexual fetish attire by making it as unalluring as possible. The result was a cross between clown and grotesque that, while no doubt deliberate, had the effect of dehumanising the characters. I felt no emotional engagement with their plight.

What was outstanding was the performance as Emcee of Callum Scott Howells. What a revelation! With his pumped-up biceps, this is a world away from It's a Sin's Colin. His stage presence and star quality shine. He dominates whenever on stage. I hope he'll find time to grace the stage again and not be entirely lost to film and tv.

If I'd not seen Cabaret before, and had I paid half as much, I think I'd be raving about the production at the converted Playhouse. But as it stands, it's a noble, brave and memorable reinvention that has not quite matched the benchmark set by the previous version.

Four stars.

Act 1: 14:05-15:39
Act 2: 15:59-16:47

I believe it was Madeline Brewer. (She looked like the picture on the website.) I think yesterday was the last day for her and Callum.

I caught this again on Monday night, which I'd booked expecting this to be the first night with the new cast. As it happened, I got Matthew Gent and Emily Benjamin, both of whom come highly recommended in their roles. It's great that they're allowed to put their own twist on their performance as well.

They've found a new route into the Kit Kat Club, which managed to get me rather confused, especially as I arrived close to the start. No drink token any more, but you do get a business card telling you the location of the bars.

Upper Circle seat C1 is terrible, with a lighting rig blocking off at least half the stage. It's a shame, as most of the Upper Circle has a very clear view, but this seat is just too far across to the edge. Not such a big deal as I've seen the show, but one I would certainly avoid in future.

Quite a few covers (and some debuts) on in the ensemble as well.

Worth seeing during the two week changeover period. This still seems to be selling well as experience theatre, regardless who is on.

You still get a complimentary Drink when entering through the Stage Door Entrance. But I believe it depends on what time you get there as they were offering them on Tuesday.

Also Can't Recommend seeing Matthew Gent and Emily Benjamin enough, as they are both fantastic in their own ways that was really refreshing as I very much struggled to Get into the previous two.

Hello,

I'm coming in from the US next month to see some shows, and I purchased a ticket to Cabaret with the intention of seeing Aimee Lou Wood in the role.

Just this morning I saw an article saying that she would be out for certain performances, which, as far as I can tell, wasn't indicated in the initial press release. There also doesn't seem to be any indication of which performances she'll be out. But given that I have a ticket to a Wednesday matinee, it seems like I'm right in the "danger zone."

Given everything I've heard about the refund policies on the West End, I'm assuming that I would NOT be entitled to a refund if she was out for my performance, even though it wasn't announced beforehand. Is that correct?

In either case, has anyone seen her performance schedule published anywhere?