6 April 2023 I 19:30 I Kit Kat Club / Playhouse Theatre, London
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
It will be near impossible to encapsulate the experience I have 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. 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 takes it by the reigns, handling every single element perfectly, without losing itself in spectacle and heightened satire. It is so difficult to know where to begin, such an immense experience leaves you a mix of rather speechless yet desperate to shout it from the rooftops! After seeing Rebecca Frecknall’s A Streetcar Named Desire last night, her directorial visions truly excel in fresh and rejuvenating ways of observing material.
Firstly, I 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 little about what to expect. However from the start of the queue, the anticipation and excitement are fuelled by front of house, each taking the time to follow you through the process of the evening. Any nerves are simply drowned away, where the easiest way to enjoy the night is to have fun! It is suggested that audiences arrive at the theatre approximately 1 hour ahead of the scheduled start time. A prologue ensemble present pre-show entertainment, which really increases the value of the experience, extending beyond the conventional stage space, which is extremely rare to see in London’s West End. The performative aspect of Cabaret is much bigger than the soundtrack alone, where I feel so incredibly lucky to have entered this otherworldly realm, to be entertained in absolutely every form.
Presenting a show with the audience in-the-round is notoriously challenging, though Cabaret certainly hits the nail on the head. Being sat in the side of the stalls, this view so delightfully intimate, feeling as if the performance is meant solely for you, equally replicated all across the auditorium. Personally, I do favour the stalls, purely down to some audience interaction (which I will remember for a long time!), and the immersion in this illusion is all the more personal. Needless to say, the action is performed to all audiences, whereby seating doesn't particularly affect the experience. The club is enthused within the whole space, everyone’s experience here is unique!
I could write for hours about the mind-blowing creativity of this show. To begin with our Sally for the evening, the insanely talented Emily Benjamin portrays a beautifully 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. Benjamin’s 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. This is only mentioning 1 song too! Starring alongside, John McCrea is such a fascinating and inviting performer. I'd be apprehensive to see another actor take on the Emcee, because it is just as if John was born to play the 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 his consistent characterisation, handling humour, menace and suspense with utter brilliance. There is a very impactful still image during the second half of the show, and his facial expression… that stillness is something I've never seen done so harrowingly, goosebumps all over!!
The plot is a very good pace and easy to understand, balanced between the swarming Nazi Germany rising and the performativity of Berlin’s night scene. Parallels are created, and it really hits hard for audiences to see how a political world can influence a way of life, even relevant today. Fraulein Schneider (Vivien Parry) and Herr Schultz's (Grant Neal) relationship drives 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 conventional 'musical', it's an event. The ending to shows can often fall a little bit weird for me, but it follows an amazing cyclical structure which leaves me so satisfied with the final moments.
The intricacies of Tom Scutt’s costume work are divine, incredibly thought out with the linear of an increasing sense of monotony through the story. Lighting from Isabella Byrd is consistently excellent, even well combined in using the house lights to further invite the audience in. Shadows of the actors are cast onto the walls of the auditorium, which always keep you on your toes, in a creeping essence of uncertainty. I absolutely adore Scutt’s endless possibilities with his stage design, including a revolve and trapdoor, solidifying the surrealist style.
I believe this production is truly flawless, working in great detail to ensure to viewer’s experience is the most sensational it could possibly be. 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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