Eddie Redmyn in Revival of Cabaret

[+ WilliamM]

Is this revival too soon?

 

Either way, I plan to see it. Looking forward 

[+ BenjaminNicholas]

I saw him do it in London.  He was fine, but the production didn't bring anything new or above what the Mendes version did several years before.

1998 and 2014 were the last major NYC productions.  Like Gypsy, audiences seem to like seeing this show.

The shtick in this new production is 'immersion' into the actual Kit Kat Klub. 

Edited March 1, 2024 by BenjaminNicholas

[+ WilliamM]

The revival is getting a lot of attention in the press 

Look fort to Eddie Redmyn in this.

 

 

[cany10011]

Saw it on Monday (opening night). Was fun and the August Wilson Theater was decorated like the inside of a night club. The staff did a great job organizing the traffic flow pre and post to ensure people knew where to go (restrooms, bar etc.). Loved Neuwirth and Redmayne   Part of the fun was seeing the audience as well - most of the gays in the audience were dressed up in their glitter clutching their precious little purses. People watching was part of the fun experience. At one point near the end of intermission, the performers pulled a few audience members to dance on the stage. Great show. 

Edited April 5, 2024 by cany10011

[+ BenjaminNicholas]

Saw it in London.  Just saw it in NYC.

It's still loud, brash and gimmicky.  I agree completely with the NYT's take on it.  It just didn't work for me.  Felt like a shoehorned mess.

For the price, I expected better direction and voices.

Bebe Neuwirth was the single actor in the show giving a realized performance.

[Ali Gator]

Saw the interview on 'CBS Sunday Morning' this past weekend. The clips, and the interviews didn't really entice me to make a trip to NYC and see this revival. (Saw the 1998 one, which I loved). 

 

[musclestuduws]

A brutal yet hilarious review of Eddie Redmayne published on Vulture after the Tonys. I saw Cabaret in May and I have to say the review is unfortunately right on the money about Redmayne’s performance. The responses on Twitter during the Tonys broadcast are hilarious too. 

So You Saw That Creepy Eddie Redmayne Cabaret Performance

WWW.VULTURE.COM

---

You’re not alone. There is help.

 

Edited June 18, 2024 by musclestuduws

[+ Lucky]

I found the Vulture article totally unfair to Eddie Redmayne.

[+ BenjaminNicholas]

5 hours ago, Lucky said:

I found the Vulture article totally unfair to Eddie Redmayne.

How so?

[+ Vegas_Millennial]

14 hours ago, Lucky said:

I found the Vulture article totally unfair to Eddie Redmayne.

I saw Cabaret this week and agree with @BenjaminNicholas, @musclestuduws, and the Vulture article. 

I don't blame the actor.  I blame the producers.  The theater in the round concept to immerse patrons in the Kit Kat Club means the audience is left staring at the back of an actor for half of his time on stage.  Eddie's jarring choreography allows him to face multiple parts of the audience... His face pointing one way while his torso another... So audience members don't feel they got the "bad" seats at the actors' back. 

But the biggest problem in the production for me was the costumes.  Nothing was sexy about any of it.  The actors looked much more handsome in their suits at the end of the play than in their "sexy" dancing attire.  Instead of colors, fringe, and feathers that were popular at the height of the jazz age, the costume designer went with ill-fitting, dirty-looking, grungy underwear.  I would never visit the Kit Kat Club whose dancers looked like they did, for fear I would catch an STD if one of them even shook my hand.

This production did have two handsome boys in the line, but they were dressed so androgynous that it was often hard to tell one of them apart from the flat-chested female dancers wearing the same costume. 

I'm glad I finally saw Cabaret to check it off my list of famous shows I needed to see.  But I can't imagine this version being any better than the original.

[+ BenjaminNicholas]

6 hours ago, Vegas_Millennial said:

I saw Cabaret this week and agree with @BenjaminNicholas, @musclestuduws, and the Vulture article. 

I don't blame the actor.  I blame the producers.  The theater in the round concept to immerse patrons in the Kit Kat Club means the audience is left staring at the back of an actor for half of his time on stage.  Eddie's jarring choreography allows him to face multiple parts of the audience... His face pointing one way while his torso another... So audience members don't feel they got the "bad" seats at the actors' back. 

But the biggest problem in the production for me was the costumes.  Nothing was sexy about any of it.  The actors looked much more handsome in their suits at the end of the play than in their "sexy" dancing attire.  Instead of colors, fringe, and feathers that were popular at the height of the jazz age, the costume designer went with ill-fitting, dirty-looking, grungy underwear.  I would never visit the Kit Kat Club whose dancers looked like they did, for fear I would catch an STD if one of them even shook my hand.

This production did have two handsome boys in the line, but they were dressed so androgynous that it was often hard to tell one of them apart from the flat-chested female dancers wearing the same costume. 

I'm glad I finally saw Cabaret to check it off my list of famous shows I needed to see.  But I can't imagine this version being any better than the original.

I can never be too sure as to blame an actor who's got the gravitas to create his own performance or the director, who often will supersede them and say, 'no, this is really the way I want it played.'

With Redmayne, he's an OSCAR winner.  That carries a lot of weight in a contract as to 'creative input' and 'creation of character.'

Either way, I found his performance one-note and repetitive. 

He didn't have many layers like Alan Cumming and he certainly wasn't the showman that Joel Grey was.

Edited June 27, 2024 by BenjaminNicholas

[tchm]

I love this new take on this show. I found the infusion of an air of surrealism and avant garde (mostly due to Redmayne’s emcee) fascinating and refreshing. It worked for me. Definitely not your grandma’s Cabaret!

 I know this is sacrilege, but I found Bebe Neuwirth the weakest link. Her voice was breathy, wavery, and shaky. She looked so old and frail I was afraid she’d trip and break something.

Edited June 28, 2024 by tchm

[pleasureseeker]

Ed Redmayne is a great actor but he sure ain't no singer, he swallowed the last syllables of every single verse he tried to sing. Poor Bebe Neuwirth sounded like Katherine Hepburn (old) every time she sang. Sally was not remotely appealing, making it impossible to buy that a sexually ambiguous (basically gay) young man would even give her a second look. Actor playing Cliff was beyond bland and uninteresting. There isn't a single likeable character in this production. I blame the producers/director for stripping this masterpiece of all its humanity. Great set though!

[+ BenjaminNicholas]

1 hour ago, scrtlovr said:

Great set though!

'YOU'LL LEAVE HUMMING THE SET!'

Which is basically what most Broadway audiences want now....  A gigantic production.

[dutchal]

https://www.onstageblog.com/editorials/2024/4/18/incident-at-broadways-cabaret-involving-audience-member-grabbing-eddie-redmayne

 

[+ nycman]

10 minutes ago, dutchal said:

https://www.onstageblog.com/editorials/2024/4/18/incident-at-broadways-cabaret-involving-audience-member-grabbing-eddie-redmayne

 

You do realize that "incident" was over 4 months ago….right?

[dutchal]

14 minutes ago, nycman said:

You do realize that "incident" was over 4 months ago….right?

Org.

[+ ApexNomad]

Eddie Redmayne’s performance as the Emcee felt like Gollum trying to run a cabaret—clutching his “precious” spotlight while simultaneously giving the audience the urge to run for the exit. I’m curious to see what Adam Lambert brings to the role.

[+ ApexNomad]

Update: I recently had the chance to see Adam Lambert in Cabaret, and his performance completely blew me away. Unlike Eddie Redmayne, whose Emcee felt trapped in an abstract and overly cerebral interpretation, Lambert brought the character to life with vibrant energy and authenticity. He perfectly captured the balance between playful decadence and heartbreaking vulnerability, creating a performance that felt both grounded and electric.

What truly set Lambert apart was his extraordinary voice (Side note: I became a huge fan when I saw his rendition of Cher’s Believe at the Kennedy Center.)

He commanded every song with such power and emotion that it gave the numbers a whole new depth. But it wasn’t just about the vocals—Lambert understood the Emcee. He embodied the character as a fluid, ever-changing enigma: part entertainer, part provocateur, and part harbinger of the looming darkness. His Emcee didn’t just inhabit the stage; he owned it, pulling the audience into the cabaret’s chaotic and haunting world.

This was a brilliant interpretation that should have opened this revival. 

[+ sync]

15 hours ago, ApexNomad said:

Update: I recently had the chance to see Adam Lambert in Cabaret, and his performance completely blew me away. Unlike Eddie Redmayne, whose Emcee felt trapped in an abstract and overly cerebral interpretation, Lambert brought the character to life with vibrant energy and authenticity. He perfectly captured the balance between playful decadence and heartbreaking vulnerability, creating a performance that felt both grounded and electric.

What truly set Lambert apart was his extraordinary voice (Side note: I became a huge fan when I saw his rendition of Cher’s Believe at the Kennedy Center.)

He commanded every song with such power and emotion that it gave the numbers a whole new depth. But it wasn’t just about the vocals—Lambert understood the Emcee. He embodied the character as a fluid, ever-changing enigma: part entertainer, part provocateur, and part harbinger of the looming darkness. His Emcee didn’t just inhabit the stage; he owned it, pulling the audience into the cabaret’s chaotic and haunting world.

This was a brilliant interpretation that should have opened this revival. 

My curiosity prompted me to view the video of Adam Lambert's singing of Cher's Believe at the Kennedy Center.  He really delivered, which garnered a standing ovation, including Cher.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5PzQHZLiUPs

[+ ApexNomad]

On 11/17/2024 at 11:43 AM, sync said:

My curiosity prompted me to view the video of Adam Lambert's singing of Cher's Believe at the Kennedy Center.  He really delivered, which garnered a standing ovation, including Cher.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5PzQHZLiUPs

I’m glad you saw the video - it was a beautiful performance.