People may say oh why is she not hitting the notes and voice cracking, first of all this is what Sally Bowles would’ve sounded like, she had all this rage and sadness built up inside of her, so she poured her heart and soul into singing this song, second she worked in a nightclub where you didn’t have to sing perfectly to work there, so people can complain all they want, but this was a masterpiece
People that are saying that do not know what happened then.. and are literally going by the film alone. The theater production has always been the truer more thorough adaptation. Sally had been ignoring the looming war, Brian had just left the country, her heart was broken, the doctors appointment that will not be named because you know, UA-cam.. realization that the days of decadence are over. All of that coming to head for one final performance of the life she once had. Amy Lennox did this beautifully!
Yep. It's a brilliant and refreshing interpretation of the lines. It's literally stated in Goodbye to Berlin btw, the actual source material written long before the first attempt at a musical, that Sally cannot really sing, she works with a very limited low toned, monotonal style and gets by on a certain amount of chutzpah and charisma. I'm certain that Isherwood based that on the Dietrich style to some extent. Dietrich wasn't a great vocal talent at all but she was a monster of charisma on the stage. The last thing Sally was in terms of talent was Liza Minelli in the film version, all perfect notes and sharp dance moves.
people who complain about the singing in this part of the play have never actually seen the play. This is Sally's final act. She knows the brownshirts are coming.
Vocalists are flinching at this. Actors are in awe. To me, this is what the real Sally Bowles would have been like. The chaos, the poverty, the anger... a glimpse of her inner psyche. The stiff gait is brilliant. I love this!
The thing is that musicals ARE theater, in which singing is one of the languages actors speak. To pretend this is a song just to sing is not only ignorant but selfish. This is a breakthrough moment for the character. She's in such pain. Her voice shows. If people cry for vocals, go to karaoke night. Just saying. My opinions is not humble, because there are no such a thing. It's a thing people say when want to be mean.
@@BuddhaofBlackpool You're not supposed "to like it", that's the entire point of the character you nitwit - she's playing the part of a bad singer in the show!
@@BuddhaofBlackpool Go and see the show mate, in general her singing is great, and it takes a special type of talent to portray a bad singer, yet somehow 100% sell the performance, hitting all the big notes perfectly, in spite of their obvious grittiness and rough edges, but that is the point of this song, it's a facade that masks an extremely dark, dingy interior. You're thinking too literally and too much from a purely "musical" standpoint, the point of this song is that it shouldn't be comfortable, you get a glimpse into her psychological breakdown, she's clinging on for dear life given what she's just gone through, and it's an absolute sight to behold. And you said Siobhan Dillon was "perfect", which is all very well, but it isn't the point of the role, you wouldn't go and see Jesus Christ Superstar expecting him to be app sparkling and made up for his crucifixion scene, live theatre isn't like a music concert, and I feel you need to make that distinction before making stupid comments.
@@BuddhaofBlackpool you do understand that Sally Bowles isn't, and never was supposed to be a "good" singer right? why do you think every Broadway sally has been a mediocre singer. its done on purpose
From an actors perspective, an actor that LOVES to “go there”: holy shit. You have to absolutely throw yourself into the experience, mind body and soul to be able to deliver something as visceral and almost animalistic as this. It’s incredible
seriously, it's incredibly immediate, and bone-chilling in that immediacy and anguish, but then also the thing that really blows my mind is how her performance is perfectly balanced and structured in the midst of all this emotional clamor and chaos. it's so hauntingly vulnerable but then like, the virtuosity of it really does just sneak up and gut you without remorse.
I totally agree. The only thing I wished this actor done more of was connect to the character of Elsie which she is singing about, If you watched Emma Stone perform this song on Broadway she had this moment of silent where she was thinking about her friend who has died and there is just this connection to that character which I don't believe we saw in this performance. I didn't see Amy Lennox perform this song at the kit kat klub so she might have done that in the theatre but she didn't do that in this performance. However I do love the deadpan to over the top and everything else about it.
This doesn’t age. Watched the video last year and came back to it recently. Am a psychiatrist and have encountered many Sallys. This actress somehow allows herself to tap into and channel the veritable tidal wave of rage and desperation that destroys so many, including those in their path, and morphs it into a searing/transcendent/jaw dropping work of art. Nothing short of a gift to the universe.
Thanks for recommending, had not seen. This one for me is more overtly broken, bitter, and defiantly rageful throughout. Feels like someone holding two discordant notes at the same time that envelop and shatter you while she is fragmenting on stage. The Horrocks version felt like the forced /superficial display of emotion of someone who tries to act appropriately despite chaos beneath. ( not suggesting actress’s performance is forced or superficial, it is powerful) Whole performance is mesmerizing and the rage unmasked at the end makes your jaw drop but feels different from first actress. Instead of rageful defiance despite what life has brought/ will bring, it suggests more insistence/command/even dominance. More like someone who instead of continuing to be the victim, now seems to take control, even become the aggressor. Not simply that she embraces her philosophy of life as with the first actress, but that audience will be compelled to follow it as well. Would have been amazing to see either in person. So I know nothing about acting but that’s what I saw.
@@jgdfv523 I respect your analysis based on the video. I read somewhere Jane’s rage breakdown toward the end of the song was directed to be eerily similar to Hitler’s body language and even how he commanded a microphone (obviously she’s cranked it up to 100), but you get the gist. It’s fascinating to see how all the different actresses tackle Sally. It’s kinda like that with Norma Desmond too (another emotional and vulnerable character on the verge of mental collapse throughout the entire musical & then the psychotic break from reality during the devastating finale scene).
Not only is it a privilege and honor to hear Amy singing this every night, 8 shows a week but with each performance I still get chills and goosebumps. I'm so proud of her and our cast of Cabaret.
You (and she) have EVERY reason to be proud. If the rest of the production is as spectacular as this one amazing number, I want to hop on a plane RIGHT NOW and see the whole show. I started my theatrical BA with our university production of Cabaret in 1985 and since then I've seen a dozen productions (plus the movie). Nobody has captured the essence of Sally Bowles or this musical the way these six minutes did. BRAVA to Amy for a brilliant performance. *applause*
I was at the final performance of the cast led by Fra Fee, Amy Lennox, and Omar Baroud, which was beyond reproach, cathartic, chills-inducing and electrifying (especially the titular song which Ms. Lennox delivered incredibly with the resultant audience’s sustained ovations). Easily the best West End musical production I’ve seen in my 20+ years of visiting London.
Things I love about this performance: I love her interpretation of “happiest corpse.” She pauses before to give it significance, but the way she says it is like she’s in shock and awe at how beautiful Elsie was in death. I love her interpretation of Elsie, followed by nihilistic laughter and then seeming to get her second wind. But then, when she hits, “I made my mind up back in Chelsea,” the breakdown quickly escalates until she screams “Elsie.” Finally, I love the full body performance.
I've noticed with a lot of Sallys they tend to pause on "happiest corpse" and it almost feels like they're realizing A) how beautiful she was in death yes but also B) that she was indeed a corpse, as if that realization just struck. Then by "When I go, I'm going like Elsie" there seems to be a break and Sally realizes that yes, she really is going like Elsie but what the point in stopping now? absolutely incredible, I'm brought to tears every time I watch this video.
This is amazing. The way she looks & sounds like a drunk junkie trying not to vomit is beyond perfection. I've never seen a better Sally. In love with this performance💚
This is great “old-school” theater performance. The singing is affected by the events that have proceeded the song and the effects they’ve had on the character are reflected in the song performance. It’s much better than seeing a character pull themselves up out of the ashes of a horrible situation to deliver a note-perfect, belted song that will hit the charts. You can see everything in Amy’s performance that has happened to Sally up to this point.
exactly! I love how she can balance making the characters performance realistic while also making it musical theater-esque and impressive vocally, even if shes purposely singing off
you can see how intentional every movement is with this performance: the choreographed moments that punctuate the breakdown and shaking. it take so much vocal skill to hit and maintain the imperfect notes, while still being in control. the touch of the smudged lip stick is brilliant. I feel like so many Sally's are played as safe showgirls with no grit, or this final number is played as drunken/messy with no nuance. you can see this performance captures the character coming apart, finally, the showgirl façade crumbling. this song is the climax of the show: Sally's fear finally breaks through her delusion, as the country realizes what they're on the precipice of. this is why it's a masterpiece, and you need a Sally with this level of commitment.
it is up there for me among musical theatre favorites available on youtube, said as someone who loves musicals more generally than almost any other art form. really an astounding performance--one of The astounding performances we can get our hands on
For the confused: By this point in the show, Sally Bowles has gone through too much emotional turmoil to justify singing “the right musical notes”. That’s the whole point of this version of the performance. And it’s definitely what Kander & Ebb would have wanted out of the number, trust me on that. This number in the show is about making you feel her pain, not about masking her pain with another singy-song like she has been doing in previous numbers. This is the way Sally Bowles truly feels, and performers like Jessie Buckley & Amy Lennox & anyone else who gets to play Sally should be nothing other than praised & lauded over for being brave enough to go there. This legendary kind of performance is what makes a song more than just a song. I wish everyone could be in the room when this performance happens every night, 8 shows a week. It is all-encompassing and ELECTRIFYING.
@@DarkAngel-wo2xr the main theme of Cabaret is how easy it was for these people to relish in what was happening in the Kit Kat that it was easy for them to ignore the rise of Hitler and the Nazis. It has a very timely message as what is happening in the world right now and how easy it is for some to completely ignore it.
@Owen Jessie (and Eddie) left the cast back at the end of March, and Amy Lennox & Fra Fee replaced them - both just as brilliant. There aren’t any recordings I know of, sorry! When one enters the theatre, you’re told to put a sticker on the camera lense of any devices you have so that the secret of the Kit Kat Club is kept😉
This is by far the best interpretation i have ever seen of Sally Bowles ever! Sorry to Liza stans but she fundamentally didn't understand Sally. This song comes at a point where Sally is having a break down but realizes she truly can not change what is happening around her. This will live rent free in my head forever.
The part is open to interpretation. There is not fundamentally right Sally. Liza's take is much more lighthearted but it still a valid interpretation. I think her singing it sincerely without any hints of awareness around her is a great reflection on how majority of Germans reacted towards early-Nazi days. Willfully ignoring and forever chasing temporary distraction.
@@hyperspace2752 I fully understand where you are coming from and what you are saying. I love Liza do not get me wrong she is great. I think the Emcee character is really the stand in for how most Germans felt according to your comment. He kept things light and happy and went along with it. I have seen this show countless times and with many different interpretation Jane Horcock's also does a fabulous job at Sally. Sally is a tragic character she wants to change and have things change for. She sings Maybe This Time and a moment where that hope is high at a low moment. This song really comes at the end when she realizes she can not change what is happening around her. She can not no matter how hard she tries too change herself. She makes the choice to go on and that's what my interpretations of this song is. She is having a break down but she can't change it. I'm just saying Liza sang this song like a normal cabaret number, like anything else she would've sang at the Kit Kat club. Amy Lenox sang it like she was breaking down and realized the situation around her. Now, Liza might have done it that way because Fosse directed her too I don't know. Both opinions are valid.
Liza’s version is literally a different version of sally. To match Liza’s personality more they changed her from being a lousy singer with big aspirations to an incredible singer who’s stuck in a low level cabaret because being famous isn’t always about talent.
Just saw her do this in the show and somehow she manages to take it to even another level while on stage at the Kit Kat club after acting up a storm throughout the whole show. Her ‘Maybe this time’ was also a massive highlight for me. So simply staged but the acting and journey is just out of this world. This production is fabulous and Amy Lennox is an absolute star!
This is the most perfect singing performance of a Sally Bowles I've seen. Sally is supposed to be a mediocre singer/performer, but theater of this caliber requires a singer/actor that can deliver the heights of emotions through singing. Lennox expertly balances this paradox. When she sings, you feel like it's an ordinary person sings/speaks, but the pathos she delivers is of the highest order that can only be achieved by someone with immense skills. A lot of productions make the mistake casting mediocre singers for this role because the *character's* talent is supposed to be subpar. And we as an audience is subjected to mediocre singing throughout, which usually is a bummer. Certainly not here.
But i wouldn't call her a mediocre singer. She is a bad singer in this performance, but wonderfully acted. She is still playing someone that is being paid to sing for people in the context of the musical. She should sound meh, not painful to the ears. I don't think on that aspect she was very successful.
@@raaid22 I am not familiar with Amy Lennox's singing skill or quality before this, but here she gave excellent *theater* singing, where lyrics and emotions are delivered to and felt by the audience. It's not just about acting.
@@TimeIdle I don't know what here singing skill is in general, but in this performance she sounds awful. For the theater audience her performance is very emotional because we have followed her character, but within the context of the actual musical it doesn't make sense as to why the kit Kat club would allow her to be on stage. If you were in the kit Kat club watching her, you be like wft is going on with the act tonight?
@@TimeIdle She was in the David Bowie musical "Lazarus." Also, here's a video of her doing "Don't Rain on My Parade" in her traditional singing voice: ua-cam.com/video/OmBKRbr25Ww/v-deo.html
@@raaid22 Probably b/c you're conditioned to Liza's "prettier" version, which while pleasant and entertaining, seemed wrong to me. Nobody could really believe that Liza's Sally is a mediocre talent.
The recent revivals of Cabaret have so much power and impact. When the performance we saw finished, there were five seconds of absolutely dead silence before the applause, as the audience was left reeling from the punch. So well done!
I wasn’t a theater kid. I wanted to be but I didn’t have the right people around me in high school and never tried. The closest I ever got was watching Glee, which I loved, and which introduced me to Wicked, and that was about the extent of my knowledge of the theater world. I’m 24 and have only recently discovered Cabaret, and I have not looked away since. I may not have been involved in musical theater, but always music in my own right. The productions I’ve been discovering and studying this year are opening a whole new world for me. I appreciate it so much. This performance brought me to tears. This show is oh so relevant today.
People who are saying this is a bad performance clearly don't know the story of Cabaret. Also, she clearly knows what she's doing here and has an amazing voice. Do you know how hard it is to sing bad on purpose? Me and my aunt are both vocalists and were just talking about this the other day about how difficult it is to ignore everything you've been taught to sing "correctly" to give a purposefully flawed performance
EXACTLY! YES! And Natasha Richardson in the earlier revival on Broadway with Alan Cumming also sung badly on purpose because Sally is not (ideally) supposed to be a great singer. And this performance by Amy Lennox is drop dead amazing. She turned herself inside-out, emotionally eviscerating herself for this and was appropriately rewarded with cheers and a standing ovation. THIS is how it's done, folks! And it's sure as hell not meant to be pretty.
I never fully understood why it unnerved me to to see this song performed with joy and gusto until now. Thank you Amy Lenox for making it all make sense. Truly outstanding performance. What depth. Bravo.
the acting choices she's made are phenomenal, this isn't just a song it A Performance!!! perfection! cabaret isn't a pretty show its gritty and dark and this is so so perfect, I'm in awe. chills!!!
As an old timer when I saw the thumbnail I said oh goodie I was going to hear Liza's version, at first I didn't get it, then I watched it again and I realized I never really paid attention to the lyrics before and this version was a tour d'force of acting her choices or direction for me made this a performance for the ages, the pain, the anguish, and sense of loss , every emotion you can think of, it was absolute perfection!! Huzzahh!!
I've been to Cabaret with Amy there quite a few times, but last night (her second to last) was absolutely the best I've ever heard. You could tell she wasn't scared about preserving her voice anymore because it's the end of her run. It was impossible to focus on the rest of the show once she was done with Cabaret - I think the whole theatre was basically in shock! Easily the best Sally I've ever seen.
I was fortunate to see Amy’s performance twice, including her final performance. Seeing the show the first time left me in catharsis, totally numbed by her performance of the titular song. The final performance of the Fra/Amy/Omar cast cemented my conviction that this is the best musical theatre production in London in a score of seeing shows in the West End. And Amy’s go-for-broke, beyond reproach final performance of the titular song had a sustained audience ovation that I’ve rarely seen in London theater audiences. Superlatives don’t do it justice.
One of the best Sally, I've seen. For a very few minutes, she carried us through all the angsts, pain, aggression, depression, frustration of the dark side of working at the club, and the pain she went through leading to this scene! The complexities, the ups and downs of her portrayal makes this a masterclass in musical theatre!!
Some of the best moments as a musical theatre fan are when you see a song that you know out of context performed in context and realize the meaning is TOTALLY different than you thought. This and "As If We Never Said Goodbye" are perfect examples. Sound like songs of celebration but they're actually full of pain.
Her performance here is itself a play all contained in one song. A complete storyline with its own arc. Her Sally grew and changed at that moment of realization the “life” is indeed a cabaret. Make it count.
@@melodyphillips2388 Oh for sure. But at that point in the musical, they didn't know yet of the horrors that were yet to come. “Start by admitting, from cradle to tomb, it isn't that long a stay” she sang. Yes, there was a pall over the carefree days of the roaring twenties. At least that's how I see the play.
I've yet to see a performance of this song that hasn't brought me to tears by this point but her delivery is just so gut-wrenching, so heartbreaking. One of the best Sally performances I've seen so far, the pain she conveys is bone-deep. 4:52
The word "Commited" is not enough to discribe what an artist of this caliber delivers! Someone very well said "I'm not the same person since I watched her perform" Imagine the level of impact...How does it still bring tears to my eyes? Magnificent!
FINALLY!!!!! Someone does this character and song justice. It's not about beauty here, it's about the emotion. While I love music and dedicated my life to it, musical theatre is always about ACTING first. I have always thought to play this as a cheery little filler number made no sense to the storyline. Someone finally got it. I think this is what the creators intended. It certainly makes you feel something like no other performance I've seen of this. Brava!
Possibly the first production of Cabaret where this song has ever actually fully encompassed what Sally Bowles is all about, she isn't a huge star, and her voice isn't perfect, she struggles to get by, that's why she works in a seedy Berlin Cabaret club rather than on broadway or in Hollywood, and this song is meant to display her at her lowest point mentally. I wish I could have seen Jessie Buckley in the role, but Amy Lennox is truly phenomenal, and expertly portrays Sally falling apart mentally whilst subsequently trying to put on a brave face and put on a show for those present, it was absolutely spellbinding to behold live in the theatre!
Ok the costume design here hits so hard thoooo. Like the imagery of her no shoes, wearing Clint’s suit on top of her underwear almost as though she’s trying to hold onto the memory of the only good thing she could ever have, with the haunting make up (I mean look at how pale she is, the smeared make up, reading in reference to her relapsing) it’s all soooo good
I've been lucky enough to see this show 3 times....I could see it 300 and still be in awe of the performances...from the minute you walk through the door it's the beginning of an experience you'll never forget
Nearly a year later I watch this video at least once a month. I'm so glad I got to see her in this role last summer on the West End. By this point in the show, Sally has been through so much heartache. Amy truly captures her spirt! I remember it took me about ten minutes to stop crying after this song ended. This is EXACTLY how this song should be performed!
i keep playing this over and over again; the shivers just rain through my body telling me there's something truly spiritual and uplifting about this . Amy you are a blessing from God.
This was just Incredible! She went to a whole different level of the character - and revealed it Perfectly!! What a whole different dimension to one of the best known characters in the musical theater! Brava!
One of the many paradoxes of this show is that the venue feels very small and intimate. It makes this moment feel even more intense and overpowering than it does here. Truly incredible.
Amazing performance. Even she, who does it daily, looked exhausted, drained afterward. The film version, which most know, is a classic but is not what it was meant to be with Liza belting out those tunes in perfect key and vibrato. A woman who has just come from having an abortion and her bf leaving her would not be singing joyfully and in perfect key. She would be angry and confused..which Ms. Lennox perfectly did. How I wish I could find some video somewhere of Jessie Buckley doing that, or any piece from the show. BRAVA!!!
Sure, but let's not forget that what we know now as the show Cabaret came into being AFTER the movie. So maybe these comments and different interpretations weren't even on the table when casting/directing Liza. Like... Kander and Ebb did work on the film, so I actually trust that it was the best representation of what they wanted. I believe the West End (90's) is what gave us the preliminar base for what Cabaret is today.
@@yosef_segura I would agree but the first appearances of Cabaret where on Broadway and the West End,...indeed starring Judi Dench, not a singer. I don't imagine it was so different as it is, now, but the story is always about a non singer gone to Berlin with a flamboyant personality who makes some bad decisions.
@@darrenturner-monk1761 we know....the original show was different from what we see now. It historically got gritty and darker in the West End in the 90's as I said.
Having seen Liza’s Oscar-winning performance more times than I can count, I’d argue that her Sally Bowles is feeling all the pain you describe, but it only peeks through every once in a while. The shot just before the spotlight hits her, and the megawatt smile that appears as soon as she’s lit speaks volumes about her ability to hide behind a persona. It’s true that the character in THE BERLIN STORIES was a mediocre singer, the filmmakers made a choice when they cast Liza: their Sally would be a wonderful singer hindered only by her bad life choices. Personally, I prefer her interpretation. It’s subtle, which is not a word we typically think of in association with Liza Minnelli. But her Sally is one for the ages.
I’m used to seeing this song performed with an ironic false happiness, or a bitter disillusionment. I’ve never seen it performed with such defiant nihilism and rage. Breathtaking.
I watch this at least once a month. It’s one of the most amazing live performances of any song, ever. This is in the top three for me. She’s flipping incredible.
Phenomenal, this is what Cabaret and the KitKat club is all about This version at the Playhouse theater is simply the best I have ever seen and Amy's performance is there too. Phenomenal.
Phenomenal performance, I really felt the power of her craft through the screen, she was literally breaking down & it moved me to tears because I've never seen this song performed this way.
This is how it should be performed in my humble opinion. Gritty, disturbed, raw. So many performers sing it rather than act and feel it and they completely gloss over the depth of the song. Absolutely loved this ❤️ 👏
A bravura performance! She blew the roof off the theater! What a great new interpretation!! Wish the production would come to the U.S. If it were put on film, she would have won the Oscar already!
I’ve heard this song many times, but I have never really heard it until now. She makes you hear, feel, and understand the lyrics like no other. Amazing. Even notice how she has to compose herself at the end. Wow.
I saw Amy perform in her first weekend and she stole the show. She brought emotion and fragility to the role that I never got from the film- a triumph!
I’ve watched, no…..experienced this performance a dozen or so times, each time I’m left devastated, heart beating faster, teary and nearly frantic. Utterly unforgettable.
I've listened to this song so many times I thought I knew it inside and out but Amy Lennox truly breathed new life into it. This was a wonderfully disturbing rendition. I really felt and saw Sally's break. So uncomfortable and raw
I love this take - the imperfection is perfect! These actors were often raw and at this point in the show, she is destitute and very sad - I'm glad they did this with a stark and harsh take. Genius.
She poured everything into that performance and it was incredible. I like to think of Sally as a human metaphor of the period, starting off so optimistic and hopeful, doe eyed and filled with romantic ideas, then beaten down, ripped apart by tragedy and bad decisions, until she culminates in this piece, and we see her completely incinerate on stage - just as the Wiemar Republic goes up in flames.
Wow, I love this gritty and full-bodied performance! I bet she was exhausted, and, perhaps, teary once she got off stage. Congratulations, Amy Lennox❤️
I saw Amy and Fra last weekend, 4th June. I've just booked tickets to go back on the following weekend, 11th June. The whole show is PHENOMENAL. I urge everyone who is in a position to watch this show with Amy and Fra, do so. It's everything Cabaret was meant to be. Not even the show, but the whole experience as a whole. Just amazing. Simply amazing.
@@grahamd3712 Update: I'm now going back tomorrow for my fourth visit of this cast as the cast changes on the 3rd October. NEED to see Amy and Fra one last time.
@@lydiataylor4376 if you're planning on seeing the new cast when they start, i'd love to hear how you think they compare! they're the ones i'll be seeing as i can't make it to london before january and after seeing such a stellar performance, i'm afraid of being a bit disappointed
Agreed. I was so in awe after seeing it September that I had to go back to see their final performance. Worth every penny to come back across the Atlantic to see it.
Amazing! You can see and hear Sally's awful tragic life in just those few minutes on stage! Baring ones tortchered soul is far from pretty! It's ugly cries can turn heads away or demand attention! We can listen and learn from Sally or ignore her madness and pain but one thing is for sure, Amy Lennox will never be ignored with this performance!! Amazing!!!
Is it possible to be addicted to a UA-cam video? I've watched this more times than I'll admit but it seems like the first every time. Also, the camera work is also to be commended. As if her performance could be any better, it is further elevated by both the camera's movement and the editing. Being so entrenched in Liza with a Z's version, this takes us to an almost Brechtian version with far more insight.
I felt the same over Jane Horrock's version. This is very good but for me Jane's is in a class above ua-cam.com/video/qw-CdMSJNPM/v-deo.html&ab_channel=kyrastube
I’m completely blown away by this. Just when I thought I’d seen every interpretation of this song, this version comes along and blows them all out of the water. THIS is Sally. It’s almost terrifying how good this is.
I’ve seen both shows and I have to say that both Jessie and Amy were amazing! In my opinion, both actresses represented two different interpretations of Sally. I always get goosebumps from Amy’s performance; I think I have watched this video more than 50 times, as it transcends me back to the show. I’m in awe every single time! Truly marvellous, and I feel so sorry that she has not gained an award for her performance.
saw this live on her first night taking over the role of Sally bowles...it was visceral, devastating and amazingly powerful .....completely blown away....if you can...go see it at the Kit Kat Klub....bloody brilliant night of theatre
I have long thought that Jane Horrocks did the best rendition of this song, but this performance is right there. Both tap into the character so beautifully, to devastating effect. I will be watching this over and over again.
People may say oh why is she not hitting the notes and voice cracking, first of all this is what Sally Bowles would’ve sounded like, she had all this rage and sadness built up inside of her, so she poured her heart and soul into singing this song, second she worked in a nightclub where you didn’t have to sing perfectly to work there, so people can complain all they want, but this was a masterpiece
I need to find a friend like me who thinks this performance is amazing.
People that are saying that do not know what happened then.. and are literally going by the film alone. The theater production has always been the truer more thorough adaptation. Sally had been ignoring the looming war, Brian had just left the country, her heart was broken, the doctors appointment that will not be named because you know, UA-cam.. realization that the days of decadence are over. All of that coming to head for one final performance of the life she once had. Amy Lennox did this beautifully!
Yep. It's a brilliant and refreshing interpretation of the lines. It's literally stated in Goodbye to Berlin btw, the actual source material written long before the first attempt at a musical, that Sally cannot really sing, she works with a very limited low toned, monotonal style and gets by on a certain amount of chutzpah and charisma. I'm certain that Isherwood based that on the Dietrich style to some extent. Dietrich wasn't a great vocal talent at all but she was a monster of charisma on the stage. The last thing Sally was in terms of talent was Liza Minelli in the film version, all perfect notes and sharp dance moves.
people who complain about the singing in this part of the play have never actually seen the play. This is Sally's final act. She knows the brownshirts are coming.
It's genius. ❤
The amount of precision required to sing a song badly but not have it sound bad, she’s just incredible
Hahaha! You must be joking!
@@robbey10 no.
@@LizaFan Ever read the Emperor's New Clothing. You would be the courtiers.
@@robbey10 have you even watched the whole show?
@@MaryMorningstar7 I walked out before the 2nd act. So, no!
Vocalists are flinching at this. Actors are in awe. To me, this is what the real Sally Bowles would have been like. The chaos, the poverty, the anger... a glimpse of her inner psyche. The stiff gait is brilliant. I love this!
The thing is that musicals ARE theater, in which singing is one of the languages actors speak. To pretend this is a song just to sing is not only ignorant but selfish. This is a breakthrough moment for the character. She's in such pain. Her voice shows.
If people cry for vocals, go to karaoke night. Just saying. My opinions is not humble, because there are no such a thing. It's a thing people say when want to be mean.
@@BuddhaofBlackpool You're not supposed "to like it", that's the entire point of the character you nitwit - she's playing the part of a bad singer in the show!
@@BuddhaofBlackpool Go and see the show mate, in general her singing is great, and it takes a special type of talent to portray a bad singer, yet somehow 100% sell the performance, hitting all the big notes perfectly, in spite of their obvious grittiness and rough edges, but that is the point of this song, it's a facade that masks an extremely dark, dingy interior. You're thinking too literally and too much from a purely "musical" standpoint, the point of this song is that it shouldn't be comfortable, you get a glimpse into her psychological breakdown, she's clinging on for dear life given what she's just gone through, and it's an absolute sight to behold. And you said Siobhan Dillon was "perfect", which is all very well, but it isn't the point of the role, you wouldn't go and see Jesus Christ Superstar expecting him to be app sparkling and made up for his crucifixion scene, live theatre isn't like a music concert, and I feel you need to make that distinction before making stupid comments.
This is the opposite of the way the real Sally Bowles was.
@@BuddhaofBlackpool you do understand that Sally Bowles isn't, and never was supposed to be a "good" singer right? why do you think every Broadway sally has been a mediocre singer. its done on purpose
Not me sitting here going back to replay "I made my mind up back in Chelsea / When I go, I'm going like Elsie!!!" over and over and over...
I have NEVER witnessed someone understanding this character or this song so perfectly before now
That's because the character is nothing like this
@@Marcel_Audubon the entire point of the song is it's ironic, this is performed perfectly, showing how shes been broken by the cabaret
@@oscarpeters5309 the song was not written for cabaret, so how can that be the entire point of it, dearie?
@@Marcel_Audubon how was it not written for this musical, it was composed by john kander for this specific musical
@@Marcel_Audubon Oh honey... do you know the plot of the song? Or the musical in general?
This is why musical theatre exists. I come back to this video often.
This performance displays the desperation the bubble-dwellers never see.
me and you both its amazing
From an actors perspective, an actor that LOVES to “go there”: holy shit. You have to absolutely throw yourself into the experience, mind body and soul to be able to deliver something as visceral and almost animalistic as this. It’s incredible
seriously, it's incredibly immediate, and bone-chilling in that immediacy and anguish, but then also the thing that really blows my mind is how her performance is perfectly balanced and structured in the midst of all this emotional clamor and chaos.
it's so hauntingly vulnerable but then like, the virtuosity of it really does just sneak up and gut you without remorse.
agreed!!! one of the most rewarding feelings when you pull it off well tho!
I watch this video A LOT. It’s pretty perfect for me.
I totally agree. The only thing I wished this actor done more of was connect to the character of Elsie which she is singing about, If you watched Emma Stone perform this song on Broadway she had this moment of silent where she was thinking about her friend who has died and there is just this connection to that character which I don't believe we saw in this performance. I didn't see Amy Lennox perform this song at the kit kat klub so she might have done that in the theatre but she didn't do that in this performance. However I do love the deadpan to over the top and everything else about it.
Brilliant! Absolutely perfect!
I have chills. We are basically seeing someone agonizing and breaking down on stage right in front of us.
It’s definitely got a “not so great singer” feel to it, but even an operatic diva wouldn’t sound great in the midst of a mental breakdown.
At this point, Sally has just had an abortion, got beaten up and she is having a nervous break down on that stage. Goose-bumply chilling!
Right? It's usually sung like...like it's a commercial for a cruise. But Sally is broken at this point. It should be bitter as fuck.
It's thrilling!
Chills Absolutely !!!!
This doesn’t age. Watched the video last year and came back to it recently. Am a psychiatrist and have encountered many Sallys. This actress somehow allows herself to tap into and channel the veritable tidal wave of rage and desperation that destroys so many, including those in their path, and morphs it into a searing/transcendent/jaw dropping work of art. Nothing short of a gift to the universe.
I dont know this performer, and i dont know you, but i know me, and Amy is performing a CPTSD crisis right there on stage and its RIVETING.
What did you make of Jane Horrocks Sally and her take of the song (in the early 90’s) out of interest? Video is up on UA-cam if you haven’t seen it.
Thanks for recommending, had not seen. This one for me is more overtly broken, bitter, and defiantly rageful throughout. Feels like someone holding two discordant notes at the same time that envelop and shatter you while she is fragmenting on stage. The Horrocks version felt like the forced /superficial display of emotion of someone who tries to act appropriately despite chaos beneath. ( not suggesting actress’s performance is forced or superficial, it is powerful) Whole performance is mesmerizing and the rage unmasked at the end makes your jaw drop but feels different from first actress. Instead of rageful defiance despite what life has brought/ will bring, it suggests more insistence/command/even dominance. More like someone who instead of continuing to be the victim, now seems to take control, even become the aggressor. Not simply that she embraces her philosophy of life as with the first actress, but that audience will be compelled to follow it as well. Would have been amazing to see either in person. So I know nothing about acting but that’s what I saw.
@@jgdfv523 I respect your analysis based on the video. I read somewhere Jane’s rage breakdown toward the end of the song was directed to be eerily similar to Hitler’s body language and even how he commanded a microphone (obviously she’s cranked it up to 100), but you get the gist. It’s fascinating to see how all the different actresses tackle Sally. It’s kinda like that with Norma Desmond too (another emotional and vulnerable character on the verge of mental collapse throughout the entire musical & then the psychotic break from reality during the devastating finale scene).
Not only is it a privilege and honor to hear Amy singing this every night, 8 shows a week but with each performance I still get chills and goosebumps. I'm so proud of her and our cast of Cabaret.
that's amazing, what's your role in the production
You (and she) have EVERY reason to be proud. If the rest of the production is as spectacular as this one amazing number, I want to hop on a plane RIGHT NOW and see the whole show.
I started my theatrical BA with our university production of Cabaret in 1985 and since then I've seen a dozen productions (plus the movie). Nobody has captured the essence of Sally Bowles or this musical the way these six minutes did. BRAVA to Amy for a brilliant performance. *applause*
I was at the final performance of the cast led by Fra Fee, Amy Lennox, and Omar Baroud, which was beyond reproach, cathartic, chills-inducing and electrifying (especially the titular song which Ms. Lennox delivered incredibly with the resultant audience’s sustained ovations). Easily the best West End musical production I’ve seen in my 20+ years of visiting London.
Pass the word from all if us that this was absolutely unbelievably amazing!!❤❤❤
Things I love about this performance:
I love her interpretation of “happiest corpse.” She pauses before to give it significance, but the way she says it is like she’s in shock and awe at how beautiful Elsie was in death.
I love her interpretation of Elsie, followed by nihilistic laughter and then seeming to get her second wind. But then, when she hits, “I made my mind up back in Chelsea,” the breakdown quickly escalates until she screams “Elsie.”
Finally, I love the full body performance.
her physical acting is terrific omg so captivating and evocative
I've noticed with a lot of Sallys they tend to pause on "happiest corpse" and it almost feels like they're realizing A) how beautiful she was in death yes but also B) that she was indeed a corpse, as if that realization just struck. Then by "When I go, I'm going like Elsie" there seems to be a break and Sally realizes that yes, she really is going like Elsie but what the point in stopping now?
absolutely incredible, I'm brought to tears every time I watch this video.
Her physicality feels much like a happy corpse as well as her makeup and costume.
I felt it when she sang “from cradle to tomb isn’t that long a stay” the way I never felt before. Brilliant!
AGREED
Emma Stone's delivery of that line always hits me SO hard, but Amy's delivery of it is a VERY close second, its EXTREMELY powerful!
That "like Elsie" is outstanding. I love this performance.
This is amazing. The way she looks & sounds like a drunk junkie trying not to vomit is beyond perfection.
I've never seen a better Sally. In love with this performance💚
I have never seen anything like this performance. The anger, sadness, and conviction literally jump out of the video.
This is great “old-school” theater performance. The singing is affected by the events that have proceeded the song and the effects they’ve had on the character are reflected in the song performance. It’s much better than seeing a character pull themselves up out of the ashes of a horrible situation to deliver a note-perfect, belted song that will hit the charts. You can see everything in Amy’s performance that has happened to Sally up to this point.
exactly! I love how she can balance making the characters performance realistic while also making it musical theater-esque and impressive vocally, even if shes purposely singing off
you can see how intentional every movement is with this performance: the choreographed moments that punctuate the breakdown and shaking. it take so much vocal skill to hit and maintain the imperfect notes, while still being in control. the touch of the smudged lip stick is brilliant.
I feel like so many Sally's are played as safe showgirls with no grit, or this final number is played as drunken/messy with no nuance. you can see this performance captures the character coming apart, finally, the showgirl façade crumbling. this song is the climax of the show: Sally's fear finally breaks through her delusion, as the country realizes what they're on the precipice of. this is why it's a masterpiece, and you need a Sally with this level of commitment.
I can’t stop coming back to this performance. Genuinely one of the best pieces of art I’ve ever seen.
Same. I’ve watched it over and over
Me 2
it is up there for me among musical theatre favorites available on youtube, said as someone who loves musicals more generally than almost any other art form. really an astounding performance--one of The astounding performances we can get our hands on
Me too. It's just astonishing.
you must not get out much.
Hats off to Amy for having the courage to go deep with this version. I felt it in every fiber of my being. Brava!!!
The way she silenced the crowds cheers singing “I’m going like….ELSIE!!” They we’re too stunned to cheer
Exactly 💯
For the confused:
By this point in the show, Sally Bowles has gone through too much emotional turmoil to justify singing “the right musical notes”. That’s the whole point of this version of the performance. And it’s definitely what Kander & Ebb would have wanted out of the number, trust me on that. This number in the show is about making you feel her pain, not about masking her pain with another singy-song like she has been doing in previous numbers. This is the way Sally Bowles truly feels, and performers like Jessie Buckley & Amy Lennox & anyone else who gets to play Sally should be nothing other than praised & lauded over for being brave enough to go there. This legendary kind of performance is what makes a song more than just a song.
I wish everyone could be in the room when this performance happens every night, 8 shows a week. It is all-encompassing and ELECTRIFYING.
Thank you for the taking the time to explain what was going on plot wise. It helped me understand this performance.
@@DarkAngel-wo2xr Absolutely no worries at all😊
@@singreadsophiew Thank you though. I was wondering if I could enlighten me on what Cabaret is about.
@@DarkAngel-wo2xr the main theme of Cabaret is how easy it was for these people to relish in what was happening in the Kit Kat that it was easy for them to ignore the rise of Hitler and the Nazis. It has a very timely message as what is happening in the world right now and how easy it is for some to completely ignore it.
@Owen Jessie (and Eddie) left the cast back at the end of March, and Amy Lennox & Fra Fee replaced them - both just as brilliant. There aren’t any recordings I know of, sorry! When one enters the theatre, you’re told to put a sticker on the camera lense of any devices you have so that the secret of the Kit Kat Club is kept😉
This is by far the best interpretation i have ever seen of Sally Bowles ever! Sorry to Liza stans but she fundamentally didn't understand Sally. This song comes at a point where Sally is having a break down but realizes she truly can not change what is happening around her. This will live rent free in my head forever.
The part is open to interpretation. There is not fundamentally right Sally. Liza's take is much more lighthearted but it still a valid interpretation. I think her singing it sincerely without any hints of awareness around her is a great reflection on how majority of Germans reacted towards early-Nazi days. Willfully ignoring and forever chasing temporary distraction.
@@hyperspace2752 I fully understand where you are coming from and what you are saying. I love Liza do not get me wrong she is great. I think the Emcee character is really the stand in for how most Germans felt according to your comment. He kept things light and happy and went along with it. I have seen this show countless times and with many different interpretation Jane Horcock's also does a fabulous job at Sally. Sally is a tragic character she wants to change and have things change for. She sings Maybe This Time and a moment where that hope is high at a low moment. This song really comes at the end when she realizes she can not change what is happening around her. She can not no matter how hard she tries too change herself. She makes the choice to go on and that's what my interpretations of this song is. She is having a break down but she can't change it.
I'm just saying Liza sang this song like a normal cabaret number, like anything else she would've sang at the Kit Kat club. Amy Lenox sang it like she was breaking down and realized the situation around her. Now, Liza might have done it that way because Fosse directed her too I don't know.
Both opinions are valid.
Liza’s version is literally a different version of sally. To match Liza’s personality more they changed her from being a lousy singer with big aspirations to an incredible singer who’s stuck in a low level cabaret because being famous isn’t always about talent.
1972 was different than 1999 and 2022. Audiences would not have understood these new interpretations
Maybe so, but I'll never listen to this again, it was painful. I'll go back to Liza a hundred more times. The music does matter.
Just saw her do this in the show and somehow she manages to take it to even another level while on stage at the Kit Kat club after acting up a storm throughout the whole show. Her ‘Maybe this time’ was also a massive highlight for me. So simply staged but the acting and journey is just out of this world. This production is fabulous and Amy Lennox is an absolute star!
Wasn't it amazing, I saw it at the weekend and I can't stop thinking about it
This is the most perfect singing performance of a Sally Bowles I've seen. Sally is supposed to be a mediocre singer/performer, but theater of this caliber requires a singer/actor that can deliver the heights of emotions through singing. Lennox expertly balances this paradox. When she sings, you feel like it's an ordinary person sings/speaks, but the pathos she delivers is of the highest order that can only be achieved by someone with immense skills. A lot of productions make the mistake casting mediocre singers for this role because the *character's* talent is supposed to be subpar. And we as an audience is subjected to mediocre singing throughout, which usually is a bummer. Certainly not here.
But i wouldn't call her a mediocre singer. She is a bad singer in this performance, but wonderfully acted. She is still playing someone that is being paid to sing for people in the context of the musical. She should sound meh, not painful to the ears. I don't think on that aspect she was very successful.
@@raaid22 I am not familiar with Amy Lennox's singing skill or quality before this, but here she gave excellent *theater* singing, where lyrics and emotions are delivered to and felt by the audience. It's not just about acting.
@@TimeIdle I don't know what here singing skill is in general, but in this performance she sounds awful. For the theater audience her performance is very emotional because we have followed her character, but within the context of the actual musical it doesn't make sense as to why the kit Kat club would allow her to be on stage. If you were in the kit Kat club watching her, you be like wft is going on with the act tonight?
@@TimeIdle She was in the David Bowie musical "Lazarus." Also, here's a video of her doing "Don't Rain on My Parade" in her traditional singing voice: ua-cam.com/video/OmBKRbr25Ww/v-deo.html
@@raaid22 Probably b/c you're conditioned to Liza's "prettier" version, which while pleasant and entertaining, seemed wrong to me. Nobody could really believe that Liza's Sally is a mediocre talent.
The recent revivals of Cabaret have so much power and impact. When the performance we saw finished, there were five seconds of absolutely dead silence before the applause, as the audience was left reeling from the punch. So well done!
I wasn’t a theater kid. I wanted to be but I didn’t have the right people around me in high school and never tried. The closest I ever got was watching Glee, which I loved, and which introduced me to Wicked, and that was about the extent of my knowledge of the theater world. I’m 24 and have only recently discovered Cabaret, and I have not looked away since. I may not have been involved in musical theater, but always music in my own right. The productions I’ve been discovering and studying this year are opening a whole new world for me. I appreciate it so much. This performance brought me to tears. This show is oh so relevant today.
People who are saying this is a bad performance clearly don't know the story of Cabaret. Also, she clearly knows what she's doing here and has an amazing voice. Do you know how hard it is to sing bad on purpose? Me and my aunt are both vocalists and were just talking about this the other day about how difficult it is to ignore everything you've been taught to sing "correctly" to give a purposefully flawed performance
I think its that liza minnelli was so great, she set a high bar.
But of course, as great as she was (Liza), she was wrong for the part.
EXACTLY! YES! And Natasha Richardson in the earlier revival on Broadway with Alan Cumming also sung badly on purpose because Sally is not (ideally) supposed to be a great singer. And this performance by Amy Lennox is drop dead amazing. She turned herself inside-out, emotionally eviscerating herself for this and was appropriately rewarded with cheers and a standing ovation. THIS is how it's done, folks! And it's sure as hell not meant to be pretty.
@icook1723 Totally agreed. Sally was not supposed to be a polished performer, belting out tunes as if she was on a concert stage.
@melissahourihan2344 I could not agree more!!
I never fully understood why it unnerved me to to see this song performed with joy and gusto until now. Thank you Amy Lenox for making it all make sense. Truly outstanding performance. What depth. Bravo.
the acting choices she's made are phenomenal, this isn't just a song it A Performance!!! perfection! cabaret isn't a pretty show its gritty and dark and this is so so perfect, I'm in awe. chills!!!
this performance gives me 4 straight minutes of goosebumps, no matter how many times I watch it. absolutely incredible.
As an old timer when I saw the thumbnail I said oh goodie I was going to hear Liza's version, at first I didn't get it, then I watched it again and I realized I never really paid attention to the lyrics before and this version was a tour d'force of acting her choices or direction for me made this a performance for the ages, the pain, the anguish, and sense of loss , every emotion you can think of, it was absolute perfection!! Huzzahh!!
I've been to Cabaret with Amy there quite a few times, but last night (her second to last) was absolutely the best I've ever heard. You could tell she wasn't scared about preserving her voice anymore because it's the end of her run. It was impossible to focus on the rest of the show once she was done with Cabaret - I think the whole theatre was basically in shock! Easily the best Sally I've ever seen.
I was fortunate to see Amy’s performance twice, including her final performance. Seeing the show the first time left me in catharsis, totally numbed by her performance of the titular song. The final performance of the Fra/Amy/Omar cast cemented my conviction that this is the best musical theatre production in London in a score of seeing shows in the West End.
And Amy’s go-for-broke, beyond reproach final performance of the titular song had a sustained audience ovation that I’ve rarely seen in London theater audiences. Superlatives don’t do it justice.
Oh, what I would have given to have seen *that*
I've never seen Cabaret, but the emotion in this is beautifully raw. Its like she went from enraged despair to wrathful acceptance
It's am incredible show. There's a film version with Liza Minelli and a stage version with Alan Cumming
We didn't just get Sally Bowles - she brought Elcie back to life too! Wow!
One of the best Sally, I've seen. For a very few minutes, she carried us through all the angsts, pain, aggression, depression, frustration of the dark side of working at the club, and the pain she went through leading to this scene! The complexities, the ups and downs of her portrayal makes this a masterclass in musical theatre!!
Some of the best moments as a musical theatre fan are when you see a song that you know out of context performed in context and realize the meaning is TOTALLY different than you thought. This and "As If We Never Said Goodbye" are perfect examples. Sound like songs of celebration but they're actually full of pain.
Her performance here is itself a play all contained in one song. A complete storyline with its own arc. Her Sally grew and changed at that moment of realization the “life” is indeed a cabaret. Make it count.
Tell that to the Emcee and other Jews, etc. No more Cabaret, and for many, no more life. There's the moment of realization.
@@melodyphillips2388 Oh for sure. But at that point in the musical, they didn't know yet of the horrors that were yet to come. “Start by admitting, from cradle to tomb, it isn't that long a stay” she sang. Yes, there was a pall over the carefree days of the roaring twenties. At least that's how I see the play.
Do not EVER take this down! It's the only video on UA-cam with the entire performance! Thank you for the video!
Lady Luck Club ❤❤❤
This performance is utterly sensational. I keep watching it and each time I am totally blown away. Amy is sensational and such a huge talent.
I honestly think I've gone back to it daily since it was posted. Devastated I'll be missing her window of performing as Sally.
@@noamcitrin8422 they're both staying until October now incase you didn't see!
Just as The Joker is played differently by each actor so is our Sally Bowles. Love it!!!!!
Nobody has said this but I got Joaquin Phoenix’s Joker vibes from this performance!!
@@bugbear1014 I feel that!
I've yet to see a performance of this song that hasn't brought me to tears by this point but her delivery is just so gut-wrenching, so heartbreaking. One of the best Sally performances I've seen so far, the pain she conveys is bone-deep. 4:52
The word "Commited" is not enough to discribe what an artist of this caliber delivers!
Someone very well said "I'm not the same person since I watched her perform"
Imagine the level of impact...How does it still bring tears to my eyes?
Magnificent!
I’m so obsessed with this performance, holy shit what an incredible take on this song
snap
The voice cracking, is deliberate, it shows her mental state.
This was a masterful performance, that got right into the head of the character.
FINALLY!!!!! Someone does this character and song justice. It's not about beauty here, it's about the emotion. While I love music and dedicated my life to it, musical theatre is always about ACTING first. I have always thought to play this as a cheery little filler number made no sense to the storyline. Someone finally got it. I think this is what the creators intended. It certainly makes you feel something like no other performance I've seen of this. Brava!
WOW. That was incredibly visceral and heart-wrenching. I applaud any actor who's done this role, and Amy is no exception. This was masterful.
Possibly the first production of Cabaret where this song has ever actually fully encompassed what Sally Bowles is all about, she isn't a huge star, and her voice isn't perfect, she struggles to get by, that's why she works in a seedy Berlin Cabaret club rather than on broadway or in Hollywood, and this song is meant to display her at her lowest point mentally. I wish I could have seen Jessie Buckley in the role, but Amy Lennox is truly phenomenal, and expertly portrays Sally falling apart mentally whilst subsequently trying to put on a brave face and put on a show for those present, it was absolutely spellbinding to behold live in the theatre!
Ok the costume design here hits so hard thoooo. Like the imagery of her no shoes, wearing Clint’s suit on top of her underwear almost as though she’s trying to hold onto the memory of the only good thing she could ever have, with the haunting make up (I mean look at how pale she is, the smeared make up, reading in reference to her relapsing) it’s all soooo good
Brilliant. Right on the spot. Still one of the most impressive musicals ever. Hard, raw, confronting. Hats off.
I've been lucky enough to see this show 3 times....I could see it 300 and still be in awe of the performances...from the minute you walk through the door it's the beginning of an experience you'll never forget
Nearly a year later I watch this video at least once a month. I'm so glad I got to see her in this role last summer on the West End. By this point in the show, Sally has been through so much heartache. Amy truly captures her spirt! I remember it took me about ten minutes to stop crying after this song ended. This is EXACTLY how this song should be performed!
i keep playing this over and over again; the shivers just rain through my body telling me there's something truly spiritual and uplifting about this . Amy you are a blessing from God.
This was just Incredible! She went to a whole different level of the character - and revealed it Perfectly!! What a whole different dimension to one of the best known characters in the musical theater! Brava!
The depth of this performance is UNREAL.
Wait, she does this, with such intensity, on a regular basis? How? I mean, HOW? Whoa.
One of the many paradoxes of this show is that the venue feels very small and intimate. It makes this moment feel even more intense and overpowering than it does here. Truly incredible.
Didn't get it at first but when the penny dropped it hit me like a train, goose bumps, what a fantastic performance.
Amazing performance. Even she, who does it daily, looked exhausted, drained afterward. The film version, which most know, is a classic but is not what it was meant to be with Liza belting out those tunes in perfect key and vibrato. A woman who has just come from having an abortion and her bf leaving her would not be singing joyfully and in perfect key. She would be angry and confused..which Ms. Lennox perfectly did. How I wish I could find some video somewhere of Jessie Buckley doing that, or any piece from the show. BRAVA!!!
Sure, but let's not forget that what we know now as the show Cabaret came into being AFTER the movie. So maybe these comments and different interpretations weren't even on the table when casting/directing Liza. Like... Kander and Ebb did work on the film, so I actually trust that it was the best representation of what they wanted. I believe the West End (90's) is what gave us the preliminar base for what Cabaret is today.
@@yosef_segura I would agree but the first appearances of Cabaret where on Broadway and the West End,...indeed starring Judi Dench, not a singer. I don't imagine it was so different as it is, now, but the story is always about a non singer gone to Berlin with a flamboyant personality who makes some bad decisions.
@@yosef_segura The stage show came first
@@darrenturner-monk1761 we know....the original show was different from what we see now. It historically got gritty and darker in the West End in the 90's as I said.
Having seen Liza’s Oscar-winning performance more times than I can count, I’d argue that her Sally Bowles is feeling all the pain you describe, but it only peeks through every once in a while. The shot just before the spotlight hits her, and the megawatt smile that appears as soon as she’s lit speaks volumes about her ability to hide behind a persona. It’s true that the character in THE BERLIN STORIES was a mediocre singer, the filmmakers made a choice when they cast Liza: their Sally would be a wonderful singer hindered only by her bad life choices. Personally, I prefer her interpretation. It’s subtle, which is not a word we typically think of in association with Liza Minnelli. But her Sally is one for the ages.
I’m used to seeing this song performed with an ironic false happiness, or a bitter disillusionment. I’ve never seen it performed with such defiant nihilism and rage. Breathtaking.
This was wild. She's incredible. Took a minute to win me over, but now I'm a fan for life!
I watch this at least once a month. It’s one of the most amazing live performances of any song, ever. This is in the top three for me. She’s flipping incredible.
She sings the song with an insane amount of anger. What the f**k is the point? It makes no sense.
Phenomenal, this is what Cabaret and the KitKat club is all about This version at the Playhouse theater is simply the best I have ever seen and Amy's performance is there too. Phenomenal.
I think this is the greatest performance I have ever seen. What an incredible characterisation.
Unbelievably good. Can't take my eyes off of this performance.
Ive never seen someone perform this & seem so... broken i just realized this is exactly how this should be sung INCREDIBLE
Why do I keep watching this like every day? 😅
Heard it a thousand times. Felt it once. Phenomenal. She embodies Sally Bowles like no other.
Phenomenal performance, I really felt the power of her craft through the screen, she was literally breaking down & it moved me to tears because I've never seen this song performed this way.
One of the greatest theatrical moments you'll ever see in London. Superb
this was absolutely gut wrenching and wonderful i think about this performance every day
This is how it should be performed in my humble opinion. Gritty, disturbed, raw. So many performers sing it rather than act and feel it and they completely gloss over the depth of the song.
Absolutely loved this ❤️ 👏
A bravura performance! She blew the roof off the theater! What a great new interpretation!! Wish the production would come to the U.S. If it were put on film, she would have won the Oscar already!
I’ve heard this song many times, but I have never really heard it until now. She makes you hear, feel, and understand the lyrics like no other. Amazing. Even notice how she has to compose herself at the end. Wow.
Only after seeing the show myself I realise how amazing Amy Lennox’s rendition of the role is
I saw Amy perform in her first weekend and she stole the show. She brought emotion and fragility to the role that I never got from the film- a triumph!
Every time I see this, or part of it, One thing I always love is the sound of the KitKat club house band. It fits so perfectly.
I’ve watched, no…..experienced this performance a dozen or so times, each time I’m left devastated, heart beating faster, teary and nearly frantic. Utterly unforgettable.
I've listened to this song so many times I thought I knew it inside and out but Amy Lennox truly breathed new life into it. This was a wonderfully disturbing rendition. I really felt and saw Sally's break. So uncomfortable and raw
I just can't watch this enough; the raw emotion, the brokeness, the honesty from start to finish. I'm wrecked everytime I watch. #Brava
I love this take - the imperfection is perfect! These actors were often raw and at this point in the show, she is destitute and very sad - I'm glad they did this with a stark and harsh take. Genius.
She poured everything into that performance and it was incredible.
I like to think of Sally as a human metaphor of the period, starting off so optimistic and hopeful, doe eyed and filled with romantic ideas, then beaten down, ripped apart by tragedy and bad decisions, until she culminates in this piece, and we see her completely incinerate on stage - just as the Wiemar Republic goes up in flames.
This is the best version I’ve ever seen. I will watch this a million times more.
Wow, I love this gritty and full-bodied performance! I bet she was exhausted, and, perhaps, teary once she got off stage. Congratulations, Amy Lennox❤️
I saw Amy and Fra last weekend, 4th June. I've just booked tickets to go back on the following weekend, 11th June. The whole show is PHENOMENAL. I urge everyone who is in a position to watch this show with Amy and Fra, do so. It's everything Cabaret was meant to be. Not even the show, but the whole experience as a whole. Just amazing. Simply amazing.
Totally agree - best west end show I have ever seen. It’s not just the show, but the whole set-up. Absolutely wonderful.
@@grahamd3712 Update: I'm now going back tomorrow for my fourth visit of this cast as the cast changes on the 3rd October. NEED to see Amy and Fra one last time.
@@lydiataylor4376 thanks for the update. That is very disappointing as the two of them are brilliant.
@@lydiataylor4376 if you're planning on seeing the new cast when they start, i'd love to hear how you think they compare! they're the ones i'll be seeing as i can't make it to london before january and after seeing such a stellar performance, i'm afraid of being a bit disappointed
Agreed. I was so in awe after seeing it September that I had to go back to see their final performance. Worth every penny to come back across the Atlantic to see it.
Seen a lot of shows over the years….this is definitely one of the best performances I’ve witnessed. EXTRAordinary talent.
I've watched this performance three times over the last year, it gets better each time.
Amazing! You can see and hear Sally's awful tragic life in just those few minutes on stage! Baring ones tortchered soul is far from pretty! It's ugly cries can turn heads away or demand attention! We can listen and learn from Sally or ignore her madness and pain but one thing is for sure, Amy Lennox will never be ignored with this performance!! Amazing!!!
Is it possible to be addicted to a UA-cam video? I've watched this more times than I'll admit but it seems like the first every time. Also, the camera work is also to be commended. As if her performance could be any better, it is further elevated by both the camera's movement and the editing. Being so entrenched in Liza with a Z's version, this takes us to an almost Brechtian version with far more insight.
I felt the same over Jane Horrock's version. This is very good but for me Jane's is in a class above ua-cam.com/video/qw-CdMSJNPM/v-deo.html&ab_channel=kyrastube
WOW. Chills. Absolute chills. The desperation is palpable.
Powerful performance. I loved the show. The world has changed politically and personally for Sally and she shows it all in this song
I’m completely blown away by this. Just when I thought I’d seen every interpretation of this song, this version comes along and blows them all out of the water. THIS is Sally. It’s almost terrifying how good this is.
I watch this over and over. It is just so incredibly brilliant. I just wish there had been a way she could have won an Olivier.
need this on spotify IMMEDIATELY
It already is.
@@vanoscartabaloc Where?? I've been hunting for her version for weeks 🤣😅
@@elijahmanges1541 oh not the amy lennox version, but the jessie buckley version. Just search for it. ;)
I’ve probably watched this over 30 times since last October and I still can’t get over how good it is. Still get chills everytime.
I’ve seen both shows and I have to say that both Jessie and Amy were amazing! In my opinion, both actresses represented two different interpretations of Sally. I always get goosebumps from Amy’s performance; I think I have watched this video more than 50 times, as it transcends me back to the show. I’m in awe every single time! Truly marvellous, and I feel so sorry that she has not gained an award for her performance.
saw this live on her first night taking over the role of Sally bowles...it was visceral, devastating and amazingly powerful .....completely blown away....if you can...go see it at the Kit Kat Klub....bloody brilliant night of theatre
😅u😅😅
Isn't this legendary..? I'm watching it fifth time now and don't know why it makes me cry.
Just caught this. I saw her version in London. She was bloody amazing. And am getting goisebumps.
I have long thought that Jane Horrocks did the best rendition of this song, but this performance is right there. Both tap into the character so beautifully, to devastating effect. I will be watching this over and over again.
Jane's is still firmly my favourite rendition :)
My god. This performance is transformational. Iconic even. Its up there with Ledger's Joker or Depp's Captain.