Cabaret - Willoughby Theatre Co.

Well, the show is sold out - so too late to get tickets. We saw the opening night performance, and we were... disappointed to say the least. The production was far to 'safe' and sanitised. The lighting and colours were too bright, the Kit-Kat inhabitants were too clean and had no character, the directing uninspiring, the set flat and boring. And what was with that Star Trek logo? Cabaret needs to have real sleaze and seediness in the Kit Kat Club to have contrast between Clifford and Schneider/Schultz. It makes the moments when you see the real characers of Sally/Ernst all the more powerful. You get none of that from this production. While Sally was on the whole good, and sang well, her rendition of Cabaret was disappointing. It was a hollow performance totally disconnected with what that character was going through at that time. Yes, there are some great people in it (Clifford and Schneider were the standouts to me), and a few great moments (the act I finale was good, and Schneider's rendition of "What Would You Do" excellent), although sometimes the accents deteriorated into bad Russian. I thought the Kost was forgettable. Schultz and Ernst were merely sufficient (although Schultz wasn't convincingly Jewish, and I didn't dig Ernst's bleached hair). I felt that the Ernst overacted the Act I finale interaction with Schneider. But then again, I know the show too well, and so was not surprised by that character's plot turn, and so possibly why I was less impressed overall. Clunky scene changes and over-long dance sequences spoiled the pacing of the show. I will forgive the dance sequences since that's how the show is scored, and I can forgive the scene changes for the most part, since the group had a hard time transitioning from their old hall to the smaller Zenith. However, the scene change just before "I Don't Care Much" was especially terrible, with 'happy' scene change music marring one of the most emotional moments of the show, and probably the Emcee's best song - which he ruined by rushing anyway. The Emcee on the whole was a real letdown. No ad-libbing to introduce the ladies of the club. Not enough direction, and not enough opportunity given to ad-lib. "Two Ladies" was boring and nowhere near naughty enough. Enough said. Another note is that the current version of the show available for the stage performing rights doesn't include the standout "Mein Herr" and "Maybe This Time" from the film. 5/10.