Cabaret (Kit Kat Club / Playhouse Theatre, London, Personal)
🌟 Cabaret 🌟
6 April 2023 at 7:30pm at Kit Kat Club / Playhouse Theatre, London
★★★★★
Wow. Like, wow. Like, WOW. It will be near impossible to reflect the experience I had at the infamous Kit Kat Club for the Playhouse Theatre's immersive production of Kander & Ebb's Cabaret. This doesn't feel like a regular trip to the theatre, but a life experience that you can never shake off, because you aren't just a passive spectator, you are IN the Kit Kat Club, and you belong from the second you walk in. Cabaret is such a quirky and frantic musical, but this production really took it by the reigns and handled every element perfectly, without losing itself in the flashing lights and hilarity of the plot. Honestly it's difficult to know where to begin, to cover everything good about the experience would probably take me all week, so I'll just share some of the highlights.
First of all, I really want to commend the Kit Kat Club's staff throughout. The idea of a secret underground club on paper can be somewhat intimidating as a concept, knowing so little about what to expect, but from the start of the queue, the anticipation and excitement was fuelled by front of house, each taking the time to follow you through the process of the evening. I don't want to say too much, as its a unique experience that needs to be seen to be believed, but any nerves were just drowned away. It is suggested via booking information that we should arrive no later than 6:30pm (or the equivalent for the matinee), and this was a huge success. A prologue ensemble present a pre-show entertainment which seriously does not want to be missed following a very special front-of-house experience beyond a simple merchandise stall and aimless wandering in a foyer. Anyone that knows me will know I stress quite a lot, but from the minute you step down into the Kit Kat Club, all worries seem to go, it's such a spectacle, and Berlin feels like a new home.
Presenting a show with the audience in-the-round is notoriously challenging, certainly from experience its very tough. But I don't know how Cabaret hit the nail on the head so well, that by being sat in the stalls towards the side, it was so delightfully intimate, and it felt as if the performance was meant solely for you, as this feeling would likely be replicated anywhere in the auditorium. Perhaps from bias, I do favour the stalls, just because of some elements of audience interaction, which again, never felt uncomfortable, and the immersion in this fantasy world felt all the more personal. Needless to say, although audience interaction is more prevalent in the stalls, many elements are directed towards the above circles as well, so seating doesn't particularly effect the experience.
I could literally talk for hours on end about all the epic moments of this show. To narrow it down, I want to begin with our Sally for the evening, the insanely talented Emily Benjamin, portraying beautifully an abrasive yet forgiving role. Never, in any show I've seen, have I witnessed such a spellbound audience during her rendition of 'Maybe This Time'. You could hear a pin drop in the audience, and her vocal strength to carry a whole song with such grit and vulnerability, with feet planted in the same space for over 4 minutes, is utterly awe inspiring. And that's just only mentioning 1 song! And John McCrea, what a fascinating and inviting performer. I'd be too scared to see another actor as the role of the Emcee because it was just as if John was born to play that role. Delightfully quirky, he adapts brilliantly to the Emcee's many faces. And even when he acts as an observer in scenes, I'd always find myself intrigued by how he never loses characterisation, handling comedic, frightening and suspenseful with utter brilliance. There was a very impactful freeze frame towards the beginning of Act 2, and his facial expression, very simplistic but his stillness is something I've never seen done so harrowingly, goosebumps all over!
The plot is a very good pace and easy to understand, very well balanced between the swarming Nazi Germany rising and the performative aspects of the nightclubs of Berlin. Many topics create parallels between the both, and it really hits hard for audiences to see how a political world can influence a way of life. Very fun as an atmosphere, but still carries a profound message that let's you think on after the show. Fraulein Schneider (Vivien Parry) and Herr Schultz's (Grant Neal) relationship drove a very powerful yet tragic path to pull at the heartstrings. Structurally, there is an interval, however the club never fails to stop, and this is what really amazes me. It isn't a 'musical', it's an experience. The ending to shows can often fall a little bit weird for me, but it follows an amazing cyclical structure which left me so satisfied with the final moments.
The costume (certainly the Emcee's), but the intricacies of all were just divine, incredibly thought out in an increasing sense of monotonyas the plot progresses. Lighting was consistently excellent throughout, even well combined in using the house lights to invite us in as audience further. Shadows of the actors would occasionally be cast onto the walls of the auditorium, which always kept me on my toes, in an essence that you never know what is going to happen, and again reinforcing that the club is everything. I absolutely adored the endless possibilities that were found with staging, with a revolve and trapdoor, to name a couple, which would really intensify the surreal style.
In 100% truth, I believe this production was utterly flawless. Just out of this world. This is Berlin. Relax. Loosen up. Be yourself. And come along to the show of a lifetime.
P.S. For Grant Neal's Herr Schultz, I phenomenally love the pineapple, and worshipping a fruit is just an incredibly iconic moment in musical history.
P.P.S. Meeting the Emcee's girlfriend has never left me more speechless in my life, in the best way possible!
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