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)