#KANDER!!! AND EBB!!!

[fanchonmoreau]

In honor of Cabaret starting performances on Broadway tomorrow, here's Marin Mazzie singing the reinstated song 'I Don't Care Much' which is sung by the Emcee in Act 2.

[operaqueen]

Chita Rivera - Kiss of the Spider Woman

[aliesafenlock]

Looks like there are some Cabaret fans here, so I found my programme of Roundabout Theatre Company's production I saw many years ago.

This Broadway revival was was based on the 1993 London production, directed by Sam Mendes, and performed at Club 54!

The main cast were:

Alan Cumming as the Emcee

Natasha Richardson as Sally Bowles

John Benjamin Hickey as Cliff Bradshaw

Mary Louise Wilson as Fräulein Schneider

Ron Rifkin as Herr Schultz

[lenbryant]

"Oh yes, oh yes, they both reached for the pew-pew." I approve the "Chicago" dance TikTok trend. One of the best musicals.

[effeminatenightmare]

I've been seeing A LOT of discourse about Eddie Redmayne's performance at the Tony Awards. It's a totally mixed bag of either praising or trashing his portrayal of Emcee.

Now, as a long time fan and admirer of this musical, I want to remind everyone that Cabaret isn't supposed to be comfortable or lighthearted. It is about complacency, complicity, and the dangers of not speaking up against the horrors of f*c*sm by letting it take over such vibrant and diverse societies and leaving them to crumble to dust.

I went to see Eddie last month. I can say that his gleefully evil, mesmerizing, otherworldly take was so perfect and detailed it was magical. The Emcee as a character is a cautionary tale supposed to unsettle the audience, nauseate them, compel and repel them. His duties are to lead everyone into a falsified sense of security that's what "Willkommen" is it's his way of saying "I know something you don't know..." it's propaganda to advertise The Kit Kat Club as a "safe haven" when really it's the complete opposite of safe. He is both a puppet and a malevolent puppetmaster who has the ability to manipulate these characters around him as well as the audience.

Eddie's take was both an homage to past Emcee's while he also brought his own spin to it. Joel Grey gave Eddie his stamp of approval for a reason, y'all. If you watch Joel's performance I guarantee it will help you understand his movements, high energy, and puppety look.

PS: This musical and this character are such things that can be reinterpreted. It's the beauty of live theatre. It brings new conversations to the table and makes you ask questions. Let artists be creative beings. Let them break the binaries.

[asingerofdreams]

i gotta say, there’s something about getting to hear the demos from musicals sung by the songwriters that just get me. the “i don’t care much (demo)” from cabaret? the “unusual way” demo from nine? the “it’s all in here” bonus track from a chorus line? just to name a few! its a whole other level of musical intimacy. to hear it how it was originally heard in the songwriters brain, and in their voice? god. i will always love hearing cast recordings, but it’s always super special getting to hear the songwriter doing it too.

[doyouknowthismusical]

[periru3]

Reblog for a bigger sample size - for bonus points tag your favorite musical(s) that didn't win this decade but maybe should have!

Polls for other decades

[nyphilemonic]

Fun fact!

It is not okay to Nazi salute at a production of Cabaret!!!!!!!

[technicolor-dreamss]

I keep forgetting to post on tumblr

[operaqueen]

Chita Rivera - Kiss of the Spider Woman

[the-paper-apricot]

Really enjoying this show some kind soul's put on YouTube, a late-seventies programme of Kander and Ebb singing their own songs, and then I was overtaken by the idea of the better world where there's tape of middle-aged Lennon and McCartney enjoying their achievements together like this, complete with affectionate looks from the piano.

[lenbryant]

"He ran into my knife. He ran into my knife ten times." Cell Block Tango.