The 50th anniversary touring production of the dark musical takes its cues from the Sam Mendes-Rob Marshall revival for the Roundabout Theatre Company, forgoing razzle-dazzle for gutsy staging and bold characterizations.
Thursday, February 04, 2016
Stage review: Benedum welcomes a stunning ‘Cabaret’
The 50th anniversary touring production of the dark musical takes its cues from the Sam Mendes-Rob Marshall revival for the Roundabout Theatre Company, forgoing razzle-dazzle for gutsy staging and bold characterizations.
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I just got back from seeing Cabaret and I completely agree with this article. Cabaret is one of my favorite shows. I first saw it when I visited my sister at Washington University and immediately fell in love with it. It is incredibly dramatic, has great music and it is extremely powerful. I was so excited when I saw it was coming to Pittsburgh and immediately made plans to see it. I thought the production was phenomenal. Everything seemed to work perfectly and the set looked amazing. I loved the staging and the really great use of the second level. I listen to the music pretty frequently and watch videos on youtube not infrequently so I pretty much knew what to expect and could have sang along. But even still there were some very good variations. For example, everyone does the final moment a little differently and I really loved the way it was done in this production.
I saw Cabaret last night, and I was absolutely blown away. Cabaret is easily my favorite show, but I had only seen it on Broadway with Alan Cumming and a variety of different Sallys. So, admittedly, I was a little nervous to see a different Emcee and I was pretty sure I wouldn't be impressed. However, I was 100% wrong. While I was seeing actors I wasn't used to, they all brought something to the role that I hadn't noticed before. They emphasized certain aspects of their characters that certainly existed before, but didn't seem like a big deal until I saw the performance last night. I also noticed the tone of the show being slightly different. In the recent Broadway revival, the staff removed all the orchestra seating and replaced it with tables and chairs to imitate an actual club, creating the atmosphere. Understandably, since this is a touring production, they did not do this at the Benedum. This, to me, caused the show to seem a lot more like a show and slightly less immersive, though it definitely still worked.
I consider myself to be unfortunately under-educated on the topic of musicals. I've never seen West Side Story or Chicago (actually, the number of musicals I have seen is probably in the single digits), and I've never gone out of my way to go see one. That being said, I have a feeling this is about to change. This is the second article I've read that features a knockout show coming to rock Pittsburgh to its core. Perhaps I should no longer be so surprised, given our beautiful city's burgeoning reputation as a performing arts hub in this part of the U.S. Still, the way Sharon Eberson writes about Cabaret leaves me little choice but to try to find a cheap ticket. Not only does the premise of the whole thing sound pretty fascinating, but the pictures of the staging are quite intriguing. In addition to all that, I confess that I have not yet had a Pittsburgh theater experience outside of CMU, something I feel needs to be rectified immediately, preferably with a free or very discounted ticket to this fine show.
Among the short and sweet list of Broadway shows I have seen was Alan Cumming’s fantastic performance as the Emcee in Cabaret. The staging of the Benedum’s production sounds very similar, with the Emcee as a kind of ever-present shadow. I think the Emcee is a brilliant role in general and I am so glad that the young man playing the part as the Benedum has apparently pulled it off with the mix of charisma and menace required. If, like me, you are one of the few people in the world who don’t know the ending of Cabaret, the emotional shock of that alone is worth seeing the show. I remember recently in Foundations of Drama we were discussing theatrical moments and that was the immediate example that popped into my head. It is the kind of moment that stays with you forever. Cabaret is one show that has really stood the test of time in my opinion and I am disappointed to have missed the show at the Benedum.
GO CMU ALUM!
This production of Cabaret does a great job of melding the sexy with the dirty. The glamorous with the not so, and the beauty and tragedy of all that was the 1930's. It is amazing to me that so much of the scenic design in this show is negative space, however it still packs so much punch. Similar, I am excited to see if our Full Monty will feel the same way. I am also really intrigued by the detail work of the costumes, make up and wigs. It all seems so real. Really sweated in, really torn up, and really really delicate. The delicate nature of all that is onstage makes it so beautiful. The performances of the actors I cannot judge, as I have not seen them live, however, I hear great things. If anything does a great job of selling tickets to this show, its this article. I am so intrigued by revivals. New theatre is important because it helps us to grow as an industry, however, I also think that revivals are especially important. They remind us of our industry a couple decades ago, when it was all about the story telling. I am excited to see new shows that pick up on old forms of theatre. The simple scenery, costumes, and band on stage allows us as audience members to immerse ourselves in the entire experience, similar to a cabaret...
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