Chicago (2002)

I thought the movie was much better than the play. The movie's style does not replicate the revival's minimalist sets and costumes. It is much more extravagant, thankfully. What is so brilliant about the movie, though, is that it is theatrical. The musical numbers are staged, performed on a vaudeville stage with an audience rather than in the context of the story. It gives it an almost dreamlike quality that is just mesmerizing on the screen. The movie is all the better for it--praise for Rob Marshall's direction. The best numbers in the movie are still the best ones from the musical: All That Jazz and Cell Block Tango.   (I admittedly thought Nowadays was very good in the movie too). Cell Block Tango would've been very different if filmed in the prison. Catherine Zeta-Jones and Renee Zellweger are both phenomenal. In a musical you're obviously looking at the singing and dancing, but in the non-musical scenes as well, they are acting. Their desperation (for fame) comes through.

Chicago (North American Touring Production) (2014)

I won a raffle to see Chicago yesterday at the Hippodrome.  This is my second Kander and Ebb musical since November, and I have to admit that I liked Cabaret better.  First, Chicago does not have much in the way of plot; it is not nearly as deep as some of the great Broadway musicals.  There is more development in the second act than in the first.  The ending draws conflicting emotions, as it is happy but devastating for Roxie.  The story is very female driven. Though they are not portrayed in a particularly positive light, it is refreshing.

The set is nonexistent.  I am not sure whether that is because it is a touring production or if that is simply how the production plays. Instead, the pit orchestra is front and center on stage.  The conductor actually gets a lot of attention from the actors, playing a character of sorts.  The company sits in chairs lining the sides of stage instead of going backstage.  Another stylistic choice, they wait in the shadows until it is their time to act.  The production attempts to make up for a lack of set by introducing some fancy lighting.  The lighting creates the illusion of prison cell bars.  Further there are no costume changes at all, not even between acts.  They are dressed not in prison uniforms but as if they are in a Cabaret.  This makes for an awkward courtroom scene, in which the prosecuting attorney is quite unconvincing.

The dancing is very Fosse-style.  The opening number, "All That Jazz" and the classic "Cell Block Tango" are the best scenes in my opinion.  They are stylish, catchy and flashy.

Also, the ventilation in the Hippodrome is awful.  I could hardly breathe throughout the entire second act.  It was so hot and the air was just not circulating.  Kudos to the dancers on stage--I don't know how they did it.

Cabaret (Broadway) (1998/2014)

In the recent restaging of Sam Mendes's Tony-award winning production of Cabaret, Alan Cumming reprises his role as the emcee at the Kit Kat Klub.  Studio 54 is transformed into the seedy Berlin nightclub with tables and lamps throughout the audience. The atmosphere in the theater is unlike anything else on Broadway.  Gaudy light bulbs line the walls (and light up the room periodically).  The lighting work is excellent, with good use and execution of the spotlight and shadows(especially in the second act).  The first thing you notice when you walk into the room is the stage (which is kind of small for a Broadway stage) which is uncovered without a curtain.  The orchestra sits above the stage and every scene or so you see the musicians shuffle in and out of the pit as they're also part of the company.  The orchestra gets its own moments to shine, with a big solo in the second act, though no overture.

The story of Cabaret is very dark, taking place as the Nazis come to power in late-Weimar Germany.  There is no definitive beginning, middle, end to the plot.  Coming out of the play, I was not quite sure what exactly had happened--if you take out the subplot, not that much happens with the main love story.  Maybe my own fault, the progression of the story is not totally clear.  The ending, especially, is a little difficult to interpret.

I appreciate the excellence of Kander and Ebb.  The songs sung in the Cabaret are metaphors for what is occurring outside the club enhancing the plot.  Their music and lyrics are brilliant. And the very best song is the opening Willkommen.  It is an excellent introduction to the Kit Kat Klub and Alan Cumming has mastered the song after hundreds of performances.

Alan Cumming is devilishly good.  A very versatile actor, this is the role he was born to play. He's so seedy, edgy and dark.  He plays the emcee as an overly sexualized ringleader.  He dances and sings his heart out.  His costume and makeup are perfectly fitting for his character.  A Tony winner already for this role, you can tell that he really enjoys playing the emcee.  Tony nominees Danny Burstein and Linda Emond are both excellent.

I suspect that if Emma Stone originated her role, she too would have received a nomination.  Emma Stone is stunningly gorgeous as the iconic Sally Bowles.  Her singing is not the best, but Sally Bowles is not the best singer.  she believes herself to be very talented, but in actuality is mediocre.  Her first number, Don't Tell Mama, puts her off to a good start.  She really shines in the titular number.  In Cabaret, the audience hears and feels her devastating anguish.  She builds up to the climax at the coda and lets the emotion flow uninhibited.  It noticeably and appropriately affects her pitch.  Her rendition is strikingly different from Liza Minelli's recording.  It is more raw and I think that's what the song calls for.  Any shortcomings she might have had in the first act is made up for completely by Cabaret.  (I hope the new cast, now with Emma Stone, does a recording)