Cabaret - Playhouse Theatre

Because they've still managed to keep elements of the staging under wraps? Most people are still taken aback by the ending because they didn't see endless curtain call videos posted by people. The gorilla is shocking because even those familiar with the material don't expect this one. Prologue performances are a surprise to everyone. And in general it prevents people taking excessive videos, it's only a good thing.  People are more interested in filming what they can than actually watching.

That would have made it around a 3 and half hour show so good idea to cut it. I never knew that so thanks for pointing it out.

Are they still using the nice branded ones with the ‘eye’ logo, or just plain ones now?

This confirms my suspicion that they're being given out as marketing tools now rather than truly to preserve the secrecy of the set - they're hoping that people stick them to phone cases etc and that gets the 'eye' logo visible in more places.

Attended the matinee today. Slightly odd audience behaviour, during the opening number an audience member leaned in to kiss one of the ensemble but got slightly too close for comfort. Maybe it was the perspective from where I was sat, but it did make me squirm.

On another note, we had Adam Taylor covering the role of Cliff, and he was phenomenal! The first time I've seen the show and really enjoyed his scenes.

Adam Taylor is miles ahead of Nathan Ives Moiba in the role.
On another note, Mason AP has gone totally off the rails, never seen someone so desperate to make it all about themselves, shouting and screaming every second line and doing nothing but that in the second half.

This may be an odd question, but can anyone describe the temperature inside this theater?

I'm asking because here in Chicago the theaters are lately very air conditioned. I almost left a performance of Hadestown at intermission because I was so cold.

Thanks so much!

I was at the performance last night which is the second for the new cast. I had seen it originally when it first opened with Eddie Redmayne and Jessie Buckley, and being a fan of Jake Shears, I decided to go back with some friends. The journey is still the same through the underbelly of The Kit Kat Club, but there was very little party feel. I remember being greeted with excitement and offered a beer water or schnaps. Now, you get a somewhat angry little woman handing out schnaps. I was yelled at by her when I drank it and left the empty with her. She told me: The glasses go in the red bar! Bring it to the red bar! Wow! Welcome to The Kit Kat Club! Oh, prior to that, I was offered a sticker to go on my phone but was told that I didn't need to take it and to just not take pictures.
The preshow was pretty much the same as I remembered it, but again, there wasn't any feel of a party atmosphere. I remember how crowded the foyer was when I entered, everyone queuing for drinks and watching the entertainment, but now, the bars were fairly empty. I did see the area where they are selling programmes and other merchandise. I did buy a programme for £15.00 but felt no need to buy a £42.00 candle or champaign glasses!
I sat in the dress circle. The preshow ended with a whimper and the show began. Jake Shears performance of the Emcee is very understated and a little underwhelming. I remembered being mesmerised and haunted by Eddie Redmayne's performance. Jake Shears just doesn't have the acting ability that Eddie Redmayne has which made for a fairly okay performance. On the other hand, I did enjoy most of Rebecca Lucy Taylor's performance of Sally Bowles, and I'm sure that over time she will be great. Her singing voice is amazing. There was no grit or dirt of distress with her Sally that Jessie had, and I did miss that part of the character. Her performance of Cabaret was nice.
Nathan Ives-Moiba plays Cliff. Again, this is a very thankless role. His acting choices left a lot to be desired and his US accent is not the greatest. He comes off seeming like such an innocent with a wide eyed look for most of act one. I know he is supposed to be a fish out of water, but he came off a little too innocent.
Beverly Klein and Teddy Kemper are fine as Fraulein Schneider and Herr Shultz. Unlike before, they are played as a much older couple. Their chemistry was nice, but I found myself not really caring too much about their story unlike when I saw it before.
So, I left having enjoyed myself and that I had seen a nice piece of theatre. That was the problem. When I saw it before, I was blown away. I was gripped in the clutches of The Kit Kat Club and nearly destroyed by the end. Now it just feels like well performed and produced musical theatre. It really made me sad. Everything just seemed a bit too polished and over rehearsed. I'm going back in December to see Jake again and hoping that over time the cast would have settled in. For now, to me, it was just another revival of Cabaret and not what it once was.

Seems like I'm not missing much with the current cast then. Sounds rather unremarkable. I'll continue to hold out until prices come down - if they ever do!

Maybe they might sell those seats at that pricing for this cast, but they never sold with the previous few casts, and almost always got reduced. I've sat at a table once by paying 70.