#cabaret tony awards

[eddie-redmayne-italian-blog]

Revival is innovation! You are geniuses!

Strikingly, the artistic influences of Frecknall’s revival – grotesque art, expressionist movement, the theories of the playwright Bertolt Brecht – were all prominent in Germany before being banned by the Nazi government. In fact, the show’s aesthetics could be seen to represent the antithesis of Nazi art.

Additionally, Redmayne’s marionette-like movements evoke the puppet theatre popular at the time (such as the Salzburg Marionette Theatre, which became an instrument for propaganda under the Nazis). So if the Emcee is a marionette, who is controlling him?

Redmayne’s performance pays homage to German expressionism, an early 20th-century art movement that emphasised the artist’s feelings or ideas, rather than replicating reality. The contorted movements seen in The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920) and Nosferatu (1922) are replicated in his unnatural limb extensions and melodramatic facial expressions.

He also echoes some aspects of expressionist dance, a counter movement to classical ballet, which sought to convey feeling through unrestrained, grotesque, eerie movement.

The influential expressionist choreographer Mary Wigman (1886-1973) was often hunched over in her performances, and wore masks to dehumanise her face. Redmayne mimics an inhumane mask effect with his expressions, and he hunches over for much of the show. As per the spirit of Wigman’s practice, his jagged performance embodies the extreme rupture between Weimar and Nazi culture.

Brecht, a contemporary of Berlin’s cabaret scene, devised epic theatre as a remedy for escapist theatre, which he perceived as socially irresponsible due to the way it “intoxicates” viewers and discourages critical thought. In Brecht’s plays, gestures were exaggerated, and costumes and makeup were bold and eye catching. His attitude to musical numbers was equally brutal: “They must be cold, plastic, unflinching and, like tough nutshells when they get caught in dentures, knock out a few of the listener’s teeth.” In drawing attention to their own artifice, Brecht’s techniques created defamiliarisation, keeping audiences distanced enough to remember they were watching a play. Although his theories remain controversial, the Brechtian influences detectable in Redmayne’s performance are contextually significant given Brecht’s experience in Nazi Germany.

Redmayne at the Tony Awards

Indeed, his performance is a hammer to the head compared to the flirtations of previous Emcees. Past productions lulled audiences with upbeat numbers and romantic subplots before sucker-punching them with the long-since-festering presence of Nazism. Ultimately, the theatrical spectacle that initially disguised this threat from the audience is revealed to be the very tool of fascist propaganda that the show is critiquing. Instead of confronting the audience with a mirror (a clear symbolic device, but maybe not the most effective in provoking legitimate reflection), this revival invites us to reevaluate our perception of entertainment by considering how we feel about its more controversial changes.

[himbos-hotline]

also is anyone else on musical theatre tiktok seeing peopel get upset that cabaret is "upsetting" and "uncomfortable" like the musical is about the complacency which ulitemately leads to the rise of things like the nazi party. its MEANT to unsettle you

[olympain]

Willkommen, bienvenue, welcome Fremde, étranger, stranger Glücklich zu sehen, je suis enchanté Happy to see you Bleibe, reste, stay Im Cabaret, au Cabaret, to Cabaret Meine Damen und Herren Mesdames et messieurs Leave your troubles outside! For we! We have no troubles here

[desireoftheendlesss]

There’s lots of Cabaret emcee discourse out there right now and I just wanted to add Mason Alexander Park back into the picture in case anyone wants to add them into those compilations on Tik tok 😂🔥 #cabaret #emcee #masonalexanderpark #broadway #westend #wilkommen #slimeturorial

[ihascheseberger]

does anyone have a slime tutorial for the current broadway run of cabaret ? can’t afford tickets to go to NYC but wanna make an informed opinion based off the whole musical, not just the tony’s

[song-of-baldy-ron]

SO since everyone's doing a hot take on Cabaret

I have less issues with Eddie Redmayne's actual performance as the Emcee as I do with the entire staging/ role the Emcee plays as well as the rest of the Cabaret

My major issue comes in with how this production did the framing of the cabaret and audience as well as the ending of this show (SPOILER WARNING HERE)

According to recordings I've seen, reviews, and firsthand reports this adaptation turns the emcee into a sinister figure tempting and corrupting the audience/ other cabaret members into assimilating into the Nazi party, with the final song revealing most of the cast in beige outfits to embody their assimilation into the new fascist regime

ON THE SURFACE LEVEL I get it- we should all be on watchout to ensure we don't become supporters of a fascist ideology just because we want to escape reality or are somehow entranced by the (silly? circus-like?) vibes of the people holding the guns to our heads

But in reality and looking at the historical context, portraying the rest of the cabaret as eventual Nazis is a huge step backward from everything we've come to learn about Weimar Berlin and what historically happened to queer, neurodivergent, and political dissidents in addition to Jewish people during WW2.

This cast of characters wouldn't be the perpetrators of violence- in the best case scenario, they'd become perhaps complicit as bystanders or get out before shit went down, otherwise they were some of the first groups of people to be shipped off to camps/ extermination.

I absolutely think any good production of Cabaret should find a way to implicate its audience either directly or frame them as bystanders who did nothing to stop the rise of fascism. I also know the Sam Mendez version of the show is top of mind for most of us but I don't even think the original cast version with Joel Grey managed to swing as far as to implicate all of the Cabaret members themselves as direct perpetrators of Naziism. To me, that's a bridge too far to cross given the historical implications- there are better allegories you can make instead of making the countercultural ""sexual deviants"" and weirdos your enemy.

[sondheim-girly]

Tony’s cupcakes!

In order we have:

-suffs (one inspired by the album cover, the other by the white of the suffaregettes)

-hells kitchen (one inspired by the album cover, the other by the song kalidescope)

-the outsiders (one inspired by “stay gold” and the other by the ‘dirt’ onstage)

-water for elephants (one inspired by the song silver stars, the other by the big top of a circus)

-Illinoise (one inspired by the album cover with butterfly sprinkles, the other by the campfire)

-the notebook (two inspired by the color palettes of Noah and Allie, with a swirl of each other in each, and the other inspired by the album cover)

-cabaret (one inspired by Eddie redmayne as the mc, and the other by the eye logo)

-the who’s Tommy (inspired by its primary color pallet)

-Gutenberg (inspired by the album cover)

-Merrily we roll along (inspired by the color pallet for the marketing)

[toalltheangels]

This has been one of my hyperfixations for a while and I love that it is becoming more popular lately

[eddieredmayneargentinablog]

Cabaret at the kit kat Club NYC at Tony's Awards!

📷 Source: iHeartRadio Broadway on Instagram

[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.

[eddie-redmayne-italian-blog]

The 77th Annual Tony Awards - Show

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - JUNE 16: Eddie Redmayne, Gayle Rankin, and the cast of "Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club" perform onstage during The 77th Annual Tony Awards at David H. Koch Theater at Lincoln Center on June 16, 2024 in New York City

(Photo by Theo Wargo/Getty Images for Tony Awards Productions)

[gobliiine]

I have to speak my truth

Eddie Redmayne has what Timothee Chalamet thinks he has

[miss-galaxy-turtle]

Goyim when the musical about the rise of fascism in nazi Germany is unsettling and "not sexy"

[theatrical-penguin]

I saw 10 of the new shows this year (3 Revivals and 7 New Musicals). So I decided to rate and rank them:

1 - Suffs 10/10 - What an incredible show! Such a talented cast and I want the soundtrack immediately! I had tears streaming down my face at the end of both acts. Shaina Taub and Hannah Cruz are particularly great. And Grace McLean as Pres Wilson is hilarious. The set is excellently done to evoke the locales and move things along. Strong direction all the way. My pick for Best Musical.

2 - Water For Elephants 9.5/10 - amazing cast; should get an award for ensemble; nice use of puppets - Rosie reveal was perfect. Grant was incredible as was August. Went up in rank as the week went on because the music really stuck with me and I wanted to hear it again.

3 - Outsiders 9//10 - loved the choreo. Ponyboy is great. The gravel stage and flashlights were particularly effective. Best lighting design and use of rain

4 - Merrily We Roll Along 8.5/10 - was slightly concerned by Groff’s flat affect in first scene until it became clear it was a choice as he became more vibrant as time moved back. Daniel was perfect and the friendship between the 3 leads really came through. His Franklin Shepherd Inc is worth the Tony on its own. I can only assume I was supposed to hate Gussie because I totally did.

5 - Cabaret 8/10 - confession: I had never seen Cabaret in any form and I didn’t research the plot so I had no idea what was happening between the KitKat numbers. Really good production- excellent staging, never felt left out in the round. Eddie Redmayne was creepily intriguing. Sally seemed more broken than I would have thought from hearing songs from previous productions. Dark and moody; not a huge fan of the immersive preshow. No program pic bc they covered all phone cameras with stickers on the way in (before giving us a shot of really bad schnapps)

6 - The Wiz 8/10 - bright and fun! Excellent performances especially the 4 leads. LOVE the Lion. Costumes are gorgeous and the dancing is fabulous. Does Wayne Brady have to be there the whole show since he’s not on til Act 2?

7 - Gatsby 8/10 - bubbly and fun; loved the opulence of set & costumes; great dancing and some really good songs; loved Jeremy Jordan’s Gatsby - the insecurities coming through the glam

8 - Notebook 7.5/10 - Heartbreaking performance by Old Allie especially. What is with that water on stage this year?

9 - Hells Kitchen 7/10 - great dancing. Lead actress was great but maybe im too old to identify with her instead of her mother. Again with death of a supporting character.

10 - Back To The Future 7/10 - Roger Bart is hilarious - definitely the reason to see the show. Set was actually a little underwhelming - too much reliance on projections. Some fun numbers but no real standouts.

Overall: no shows I disliked this time. VERY strong season. Some really creative use/resuses of minimalistic elements this season. Other season trends: full size cars and actual rain. And death - so much death

[especially-the-beans]

Happy Tonys season!! If you want to hear a taste of all of the musicals this season, I made a Spotify playlist with 3-5 songs from each: