Confession: I’ve never seen Cabaret. I know many of the songs, of course, and I’ve seen snippets of the 1972 film with Liza Minelli, but I think I must have avoided it, thinking it would be dark and depressing and not for me.
I was SO wrong. If this production of Cabaret is anything to go by then I’ve been missing out – this deliciously naughty and knowing production is joyful, daring and everything that is extraordinary about theatre. I was enraptured from start to finish.
From the moment you arrive at the Kit Kat Club you know you’re in for a brilliant few hours, it’s an immersive (ish) experience and the entire cast fully commits with a gusto and a lust for life that’s contagious.
The direction is impeccable, the dancing, choreography and athleticism are jaw-dropping and the two stars, Rebecca Lucy Taylor as Sally Bowles and Jake Shears as Emcee are spellbinding – truly both inhabiting their characters with obvious joy and too much talent. Shears’s Emcee is scene stealingly good and Taylor’s Sally Bowles is funny, defiant and heartbreaking – her performance of ‘Maybe This Time’ had the whole of my row in tears. She perfectly encapsulates Sally’s brittle fragility and determined optimism, even in the face of many threatening forces. She’s impossible not to love.
The whole production is about as good as theatre gets; with every shade of emotion and absolutely no wasted dialogue or scene. It’s tight, it’s tender it’s shocking… it’s sinfully brilliant.
A special mention to Beverley Kline (Fraulein Schneider) and Teddy Kempner (Herr Schultz) who gave a masterclass in musical theatre, winning over everyone’s hearts and absolutely deserving their huge applause.
It’s a fantastic show, performed with love and abandon and I heartily recommend it.
As the brilliant Emcee might say, ‘Life is disappointing’, but this Cabaret…is an inspiration.
Review by Roz Wyllie
Winning a record-breaking seven Olivier Awards including Best Musical Revival, this intimate and electrifying new production of CABARET is London’s hottest ticket. Welcome to the Kit Kat Club.
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