Cabaret

Oh man, this show was incredible! Emma Stone as Sally Bowles was great, but obviously the real star was Alan Cumming reprising his role as the EmCee. I will never look at him the same, and I mean that in the best way possible. I will say it can feel a little long (and torturous in those tiny Stuido 54 seats) but the showmanship is amazing. It’s gorgeous– the set, the lighting, the dancers. And, if you know nothing of the cabaret storyline, which I did’t, it’s definitely an impactful story that will have you thinking and discussing late into the night. Highly recommended.

Don’t miss this show! Alan Cumming is nothing short of iconic as the sauntering emcee of the infamous Kit Kat Club. Sienna Miller is well-​cast as the lovable yet tragic Sally Bowles. The remaining cast and orchestra are sensational, the dancers are fantastic and outrageous, and the Kander and Ebb score is timeless.
Studio 54 is set up not so much as a traditional theater, but as a recreation of the sordid and sexy Kit Kat Club of pre-​WW II Berlin. There are about 100 small cocktail tables, with four seats each, surrounding the stage at the orchestra level. The front mezzanine (my seats) have comfortable seating, stellar views and small cocktail tables for your drinks. There is also rear mezzanine seating sans tables (and looks a bit tight up there.) Drinks and snacks are sold by «Kit Kat» waiters/​waitresses.
The narrative follows several characters whose lives revolve around a seedy but vibrant night club where many go to forget their troubles, most notably the frightening surge of the Nazi party. Although the «Cabaret» at the club is a place to forget your troubles, it seems that each musical number reflects the issues experienced by the actors in the story. Tragedy, humor, tenderness, bitterness, love, the range of emotions is startling. Everything about the performance is top notch. YOU ONLY HAVE TWO WEEKS, GO FOR IT!

Solid four stars. I would personally only recommend it if you’ve seen most of the Broadway classics (or are looking to see a certain celebrity).
I saw it this weekend with Sienna Miller playing Sally Bowles, and she did a great job hitting the notes, though I’m not convinced the part itself is that difficult. (Perhaps that’s why many celebrities have been rotating through this role?) I had side bar seating, and nearly all the actors and actresses came out from a door just behind me. Sienna Miller even touched my seat, yay! (Also, can I just say that she looks a lot younger and skinnier than I thought?)
Alan Cumming is definitely the star of the show. Although he seemed a little worn out in the first number, he quickly became the funniest and liveliest actor. The main cast besides Alan and Sienna paled in comparison, but the Orchestra was a great addition.
My favorite part about Cabaret was actually the theater — my, was it gorgeous! Even the Studio 54 lobby was spectacular with huge chandeliers, and you just know the show is going to be something special. The atmosphere of the show is extremely different from other musicals, as the audience is supposed to look like spectators at the Kit Kat Club, meaning you’re seated club-​style with little circular tables and lamps instead of rows and rows of people. It looks stunning, and there may even be a little audience participation included in the show! (Take note, those who are looking to buy first-​row seats. :P)
I think the big names, the theater itself, and shock value are supposed to distract you from the plot and its lack of depth. It seemed like the musical was just a string of random numbers instead of the songs revolving around a plot. Some of the songs are random but funny, but they still leave you wondering why these characters are important. Luckily the show is so flashy that by the intermission, you feel more empathetic and start to care about them. I will say Cabaret is the most suggestive Broadway show I’ve seen (please do not bring minors) and also doesn’t have the happiest ending. The end left me wanting more — we didn’t really get to see what happened, and the loose ends were tied up too quickly in Act 2.
P. S. I got my tickets through student rush. You just get there 30 minutes before the show starts and line up at the cast list in the lobby. No one else bothered to come that day, so my boyfriend and I got first pick. The rule is you get to choose where you sit as long as you pay for half the price.

Cabaret was absolutely fantastic and I would love to see it again. I saw it really close to the end of Emma Stone’s reign as Sally Bowles and I thought she was phenomenal. She hit all of the notes perfectly which I was honestly surprised about. She was absolutely perfect for the part. Alan Cumming was also amazing and he was very on his toes about improvising. He was in the show in 1998 and now I understand what they brought him back. All of the Kit Kat boys and girls were also wonderful even though they don’t all have huge rolls.
The show itself has some German in it but you will understand what’s going on because of the characters actions. Something that is VERY IMPORTANT is that this show is NOT appropriate for anyone under 16. There is a lot of risqué actions so this is just a war in incase you don’t already know. The show was the best show I saw in a while and I would recommend it to anyone who wants to see it. It closes at the end of March, with Sienna Miller as Sally Bowles, so if you want to go you should get your tickets now to be safe.

I had no clue about the plot of Cabaret when I watched it. I was surprised to find that it centered around the rise of nazism. It did a great job illustrating such a dark topic through son and dance around the lives of ordinary people.
Alan Cumming is amazing as the master of ceremonies! My favorite line of his was when he shouted to the top mezzanine section (where I was sitting) «hello poor people!» That instantly got everyone laughing. Emma Stone is good as Sarah Bowles, but her voice is just a tad weak for Broadway in my opinion.
Compared to one of my favorite plays, Chicago, the songs are just not as catchy, but overall it was a great experience.

I saw Cabaret with Michelle Williams playing the Sally Bowles role. I know she is a name that people recognize but I just felt she was not the right actress to be in the role of Sally Bowles. She was very stiff and seemed out of place as Sally Bowles. I understand Emma Stone is playing Sally Bowles now… which I am more curious about.
I never knew what this play was about. It’s a bit dark because of the subject matter, the rise of Nazi Germany. The Emcee role is made for Allan Cummings. He was awesome in Cabaret. I would totally recommend seeing this play just for Allan Cummings. The play was set in the Kit Kat Club in Berlin, where you leave your troubles outside. Leave your troubles outside…“So– life is disappointing? Forget it! We have no troubles here! Here life is beautiful… The girls are beautiful… Even the orchestra, is beautiful.” Willkommen is my favorite song and it’s the song that everyone identifies with Cabaret.
I loved every scene with Allan Cummings. I couldn’t get enough of him. He was the show. The orchestra on stage was also awesome.
I learned from watching this Broadway show that the movie and the play take very different approaches and concentrate on different plot lines and subplot lines. I saw the movie at home right after I saw the Broadway show.
Overall I loved Allan Cummings performance and would come back to see Cabaret with Emma Stone if I get a chance to.

This was a nice show with a fun audience interaction courtesy of talented Alan Cummings who filled the stage with his presence. Emma Stone didn’t quite have the presence I was hoping and her faux English accent should probably be ditched. I liked the placement of the orchestra above the stage and the nightclub lamps places around the orchestra seats. There are a couple memorable songs from this musical. This is not to the level of «must see» but is at the level of «i see it’s available at TKTS»

This was an AMAZING show from the clothing, history-​era, to the coreagraphy. .and Alan Cummings is SO SO talented. I have seen the show with Michelle Williams playing Sally Bowles. She was a big fat ‘OK’. Her singing was ok and her dancing was ok. Not the most talented person for a broadway role in my opinion. I want to go see Emma Stone as Sally Bowles. She has a raspy voice and would love to see how it is incorporated in the show. :).

Amazing. Michelle was angelic. I’m so happy I was able to see history in the making.

This knocked me on my ass and I would have given it five stars except that the actress who played Sally Bowles was an obvious weak link in what was an otherwise talented ensemble. Prior to this show, I had no idea what the plot was or how Joel Grey and Allan Cumming made the Emcee role famous decades ago. For years, I thought the plot of this musical and Chicago were analogous because some of the chorus players dressed similarly. This was not the case.
I would have never thought a musical set in the backdrop of impending Nazi Germany would be exciting and sexy. In reality, it was not. I think the reason Studio 54 was chosen to be the backdrop for the Kit Kat Club was that the Cabaret within it was one big metaphor for partying problems away. Everyone was chasing away loneliness, poverty or aimlessness by turning tricks, doing coke, ignoring their woes and pretending everything was beautiful.
The Emcee was in 90% of the scenes and the actor playing him was so mesmerizing that even when the other characters were singing or reciting monologues, I could not stop watching him either above or on the periphery of the stage. Mr. Cumming was magical and he was worth more than all of the hype surrounding this most recent revival. The older lady and gentleman playing the secondary lovers in the play had strong voices that could be heard over the orchestra and a sense of humor lacking in the actors portraying Clifford Bradshaw and Sally Bowles.
The second best character in the show (as a whole) had to be the «The Orchestra» because in addition to being skilled dancers and actors they were literally the primary musicians playing the trombone, flutes, saxophones, violins, accordion and percussion instruments that provided the background for the majority of solos and duets by the main characters. The sets, smart car sized disco ball, two story stage and small seat side lamps that flickered to match the stage lighting made it feel like I was sitting in a movie set.
Unfortunately, I can see why such a significant amount of the mezzanine behind me was missing. Sally Bowles was awful. She sounded like Eliza Doolittle in a community theater production of My Fair Lady doing an impression of Effie Trinket from The Hunger Games. During her two primary dancing and singing routines, my friend and I also wondered if the actress playing Miss Bowles had recently been in traction as she was unable to move her neck from side to side while ambling from side to side.
Fine, all of this is a lot of bitchery, but her voice was also not particularly strong as I could not hear her over the swells of the orchestra and I was in the front mezzanine of a small stage (maybe directly over the eighth row of what would be the main club floor). I’m not an expert, but If I had spent $ 450 for one of the tables on the main floor I would have been pretty damn pissed at how Sally Bowles looked like a young girl but projected «old drunk». This closes in March so go see it when Emma Stone takes over November 11 and look for discounts (Livingsocial, TDF, Broadway Box etc.).