The Evolution of Cabaret
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- Опубліковано 30 вер 2024
- "What good is sitting alone In your room? Come hear the music play." Grab your fur coat and don't tell mama because this week we're talking about EVERY VERSION OF CABARET for our 150th EPISODE!
This video was edited by the INCREDIBLE Liz Esten!
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I recently worked as a crew member on a college production of Cabaret, and my favorite part of it was just the audience reaction. Every night the gorilla song would get lots of laughs, and then as the final line drops the audience goes so quiet. Then they are hesitant to even clap when the MC and gorilla do their exit. A wonderful example of the power of musical theatre to engage an audience and make them feel so strongly one of the musicals messages, to think critically about media and what it is trying to make you think.
That's probably my favorite example of emotional whiplash I've ever experienced
😢😢😢🎉😢😢😢😢m😢😢🎉😊
The movie is all about political apathy which is why "the Nazi thing" seems like a second thought. Through its pacing, the movie subtly illustrates the trickle of fascism into everyday life in Weimar Germany. This largely goes unnoticed by tuned out characters like Sally which makes the final shot with the crowd full of Nazis so foreboding (along with sequences like the dog's murder and "Tomorrow Belongs to Me"). Moreover, this final shot forebodes what will happen to our characters (of whom we have an American diplomat's daughter, multiple queer people, and Jewish people) all of whom are vulnerable to the Nazis genocidal agenda.
I agree. I felt like it’s impossible to miss the Nazis in the movie. It’s hardly in the foreground, but it’s almost always there.
I do like it when actresses playing Sally aren’t always the best singers. Sally in the book isn’t as talented as she seems, it’s her charm and brazenness that enthrall people. Some roles I find are built for singers, I think Sally should always try being a character role rather than something specialised to vocals.
Jane Horrocks is a good singer who played Sally as a terrible singer who’s attempting to emulate Dietrich.
Kerr and Fosse were wrong and Prince was correct in his casting of Sally. I'll say it with my dying breath.
I have actually worked in European Cabaret, great singers are a dime a dozen and they are so many who never make a name for themselves other than in the small venues that they perform and they fill the room nightly for years. So, it is completely consistent that Sally is an amazing singer. I have met several Sally Bowles in my life time, the most amazing one is Yolanda Graves, who had to have one of the greatest voice in the 80s and 90s to ever work in the Biz and never went anywhere, who knocked my door one day looking for a place to stay and the next got a $10,000 gig with Cartier. So, what people like you want to see is someone like yourselves on stage, so you can say, if they are up there, I could be too.
I agree entirely! Thank you so much for watching!
@@robbey10
Yup! Every big city has them.
Sorry- I don’t want to spend the evening with an “untalented” lead. A throwaway line in the movie is when Brian first sees her perform at the Kit Cat club and says, “Sally, you’re really very talented.”
“I know, isn’t wonderful?”
😊
EmCee is our host. That’s why he explains the plot points in his cabaret songs. That’s why he’s lurking in the back of almost every scene. He’s a person, kind of, but mostly he’s Germany, and hedonism
Exactly. I think the performances by generations that were closer to the actual event understood that a lot better than later generations that were removed from it which interpreted the EmCee as something else entirely.
The '98 version is easily my favorite, and Natasha Richardson and Alan Cumming are my favorite Sally and Emcees, respectively. I'm not a fan of the movie even though I enjoy the musical numbers, but the '98 has the best blend of plot, music, and the rise of fascism.
Also, that first reviewer of the '98 production can shove it.
I love Alan Cumming.
I saw Alan but Natasha was off that night and I can’t even remember who took her place. Was still a terrific show. However while Alan was good I still prefer Joel Grey’s Emcee.
Jane Horrocks' performance of Cabaret is definitely my favourite performance of the song. Her singing devolves into yelling which mimics a Hitler speech and is so terrifying/disturbing.
She is definitely the best. She is so hammy and campy in der dialogue, I quote her all the time (I practically know the 1993 version by heart) and she embodies all that Sally Bowles is. Liza is amazing but her performance is more Liza than Sally, Jane tho gives 120% all the time, my favorite touch of hers is the 'the continent of Europe is sooooo wiiiiide' line. She just gets it.
Horrocks and Mendes made a lot of interesting choices. She speaks in nearly perfect RP English, making her, on that one level, sound like a very proper English lady, while nearly everything she says and does is the antithesis of that. Adds to the enigma: is Sally a runaway from the British upper crust? Or is she putting on airs? Or can she simply not decide which persona to go with?
Also, her physical transformation for the title number is appropriately horrifying.
The 1993 production is one of, if not the best production.
I never noticed that! Another thing to love about that performance!
@@LazyTaurus-5 Heck Yeah!
You really missed the mark - the MONEY SONG NOT NECESSARY???! Do you understand the economic repercussions of The Treaty of Versailles that gave rise to the Nazi Party and the overarching implications of stereotypes of Jews????!!!!!
Yeah, I feel like two characters beginning to date a millionaire and choose to ignore all of the political instability of Germany immediately seguing into a performance of how "money makes the world go around" couldn't really be any clearer.
This is the problem of people not knowing history. I see this in lots of reviews of stuff where a lot of nuance comes from knowing just a little bit of what was going on at the time that a movie, or play was written, and because a lot of younger reviewers have no clue, their analysis is often off the mark completely..
I disagree about "the Nazi stuff just doesn't need to be there". That is what gives the film weight. We live our own lives in a box (like Bowles) while the world transforms around us and we often don't take notice of the larger events happening because of our navel gazing. And today we have a parallel (well, a tenuous parallel) with our lives and social media and influencers and how obsessed some are with social media as fascism and brutality seem to be gaining a foothold geopolitically while many are oblivious to the consequences living a life focused only our ourselves and our interests.
I agree 100%.
The whole point of the show is that they’re so focused on their own lives that they don’t notice the political changes and danger until it’s too late.
This is why the Nazism seems so subtle and kinda non-existent at first until, in the musical, the end of the first act and all throughout the second.
Anybody saying the Nazi stuff doesn't need to be there doesn't understand the play. But I will also say that some of the later productions probably should remove the Nazi stuff because if you try to take Caberet out of the era in which it takes place and "update" it as many of these shows try to do, leaving the Nazis in it and trying to make it your own thing just doesn't work; it just makes it confusing.
@@NelsonStJamesand that’s why updating something isn’t always the best choice
Hello. Why no mention of homosexuality? The movie says a lot about the rise of homosexuality and who had the ability ( privilege?) of exploring and expressing and “ indulging “ in homosexual activity.
The main character was about to abandon his true nature in order to love and commit to having a traditional family. Just like the Nazis. Sally by having the abortion put an end to that choice. He was now free to be gay, return to America and watch Europe be destroyed from a safe distance.
The point of Emcee and the briefcase is to show that, while we are distracted, an autocracy will make you believe the power was theirs to begin with.
Saw it with Eddie redmayne and Jessie Buckley. Her rendition of Cabaret was phenomenal brought me too tears
Didn't manage to see it while they were in it, but I did go to see the show a few days ago and Amy Lennox blew me away. But the whole show is just incredible. I still can't stop thinking about it.
its amazing, wish there was a cast recording
@@oscarpeters5309 one is coming!
I recently saw Aimee Lee Wood and John McCrea. They were also incredible, and I also can't stop thinking about it. Aimee Lee Wood blew my freaking socks off and John McCrea was flawless. I wish I could have seen everyones renditions.
When I performed “if you could see her” everyone was laughing and this one woman leaned to her husband saying “THIS IS HILARIOUS” I looked right at her and said the last line of the song and we did a vaudeville ending where no one clapped.
Chills!!
Agreed!
@@meganchichester9000 it was insane. The theatre holds only 85 people and there was no stage. It was a little raised but I could sit in the front row from the stage. I was eye to eye with people. It was intense but I loved it
The Nazis sing and it’s not just “pretty” it’s compelling. Nazis appeal to emotions and songs are the best way to get people there fast. The only reason you wouldn’t sing it is if you were threatened by it, didn’t know it (Sally and Cliff), or were THINKING ABOUT IT. The song is pretty and compelling bc it’s supposed to make you feel before you can think
Im very late to this video, but I just want to say, cabaret is so emotionally devastating. There is no redemption, no reassurance or happy ending, it just ends and it leaves things to the imagination and that is truly what I crave while watching shows
"It's evil Edelweiss!" is great and also made me choke on my drink, cheers for that lol
I’m so sorry! Glad you got a laugh though!
I wish you guys had spoken more about Jane Horrocks' performance in the 1993 production. She has by far my favorite Sally interpretation.
Pedant here: The H isn’t silent in Mein Herr. It’s German, not French
I think the whole point of this saga of a self-obsessed dysfunctional group of people who were too involved to notice what was going on around them until it was far too late. It is perfectly portrayed as minimized violence and transformation into second class citizens that is explained away with little or no examination. this movie was brilliant and attempts to answer the question of How did this happen?
I know this might sound strange but the Mc to me doesn't feel like a real person like he embodies a narrative figure he seems to only exist inside the kit kat club and he only ever observes the story never ever participating in it. Thats why i love joel gray the best he makes me feel safe
I always saw if you could see her as him saying that he loves her and wouldn't ever abandon her even though shes Jewish maybe im just nieve or innocent but i always thought that song was about how in reality her religion shouldn't define her even though as we all know it did
Tabitha Dickson-That's very much how I saw the character as well. To me he always seemed like he was meant to be the audiences guide through the story, & his songs in the show provide darkly satiric commentary on what's happening. I've always found the stageshow (in the form that it's now taken in recent years), to be incredibly powerful, & a much needed reminder/warning of the horrific consequences when you become too complacent about what's happening in your country politically. Whenever i've seen the show, the audience have always been left in stunned silence by that ending (in the productions we've gotten in the UK, the show most often ends with the image of the Emcee, & Kit Kat Club performers being gassed by the nazis).
Yes! I love Joel Grey’s Emcee because he appears unbecoming-unintimidating. You don’t see him even as a sex symbol in the club. He’s an entertainer. He looks harmless, he acts clownish. Yk
@@tabithadickson36 absolutely. it was a song to show anyone can be lovable, see past the label.
@@thebrutusmars I agree. He is like an MC, a ring master at the circus, the Fool in theTarot, - i saw the film only. From the clips in this review i see he was given an identity in the final play as a jew and a homosexual. at that point he ceases to be free and becomes a character in the story rather than a narrator type who exists above the story.
14:50 love this review but I have to respectfully disagree about this point for the movie. Fosse is absolutely showing a connection between the rise of the Reich and Sally Bowles' choices and why she aborts the baby and ends the relationship with Michael; their lifestyle is not traditional and she knows both of them do not belong to the world of the "audience". She knows that even if they find some domestic safety in England, it's only a matter of time before they betray each other and the life they make for the baby. So I've always taken it that the journey of the movie shows that *even in the face of rising fascism* the outcasts have no option because they simply cannot be part of the "normalcy" given as the alternative. There is no home for the Sallys or even the Michaels in this society. I think the mistake is to assume Sally doesn't know what's happening politically; she's well aware. They all are. They simply have no other life they can honestly live. Michael chooses to continue hiding, but Sally can't. In that light it makes her incredibly fascinating to me.
My favorite was Alen Cummings and Emma Stone. Emma was so wonderful and this version was just the best! You still understood what it was trying to get across but it was also very funny.
The Emcee is as close to a Greek Chorus as a musical can have, along with an omnipresent embodiment of the grim reaper.
Good lord. It’s like listening to kindergartners trying to discuss quantum physics.
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i enjoyed watching but felt like in movie discussion they didn’t really discuss subtext and kind of only looked at it on a surface level
saw cabaret at the kit kat club currently playing in london recently. completely blew every other version of cabaret out of the water. absolutely outstanding in every respect
Just returned from the Kit Kat. Show is fabulous. Understudy for tonight was great.
i had sort of forgotten about cabaret until i saw a clip of emily benjamin's rendition of 'cabaret' and fell back in love with this show again
I don't understand. I saw the movie Cabaret in the theater when it first came out. I was about 13 or 14 years old and I was fully aware of what the movie was about. Even I knew then anyone that stayed in Germany after the movie ended was doomed.
I think the movie's popularity was due to the fact all the songs were sung in the Cabaret, except one. You must understand at the time nobody was making musicals anymore. We were done with the whole movie musical format. This was a new and different take on the whole genre. To give it some context the movie that beat out Cabaret for best picture at the Oscars was The Godfather. People were not going to see The Godfather one week then go to see a Singing In The Rain type format musical the next.
I think that having Cabaret at the end of the movie is very important. People are pretending that you can ignore what is happening outside still, as the Nazis are at your front door. For me the more subtle approach is more effective. It's the thing that casts the shadow on everything you just watched and puts it into perspective.
Also think about the year the movie came out. 1972. In 1972 there were a lot more concentration camp survivors alive than there are today. And they want to go out to the movies too. But they don't need to be hit over the head with an anvil on this topic. They know all about it, they lived it. They could write the script. If you are too explicit with this subject you could be forcing a part of the audience to relive it.
You might be interested to know that initially, Cabaret the movie got an X rating in Britain. It was later removed, but initially it got an X rating.
As for Liza's character she was talking to her dad about 1920's glamour. And asked him should I look like Marlene Dietrich? Fortunately he said no study everything you can about Louise Brooks. So she did. Liza's Sallly Bowles is fashioned after a scene in the movie Pandora's Box (1929), and Louise's character Lulu.
You'll be happy to know Christopher Isherwood wrote a novel called Sally Bowles. In it he lets the reader know that the Sally character did flee to England and escape the Nazis. As well as some of the other characters. It didn't say if the Master of Ceremonies was one of them.
I look at the Kit Kat Club as the Saturday Night Live of it's day. And the Master of Ceremonies as it's Chevy Chase.
Alan Cumming, oh la la. He's amazing
Absolutely mesmerizing!❤
To add to my earlier comment: Also read most of Isherwoods other fictional works such as The World in Evening, Down There on a Visit and A Single Man to gain some post WW2 historical perspectives and his partnering with the gorgeous and talented artist Don Bachardy. American LGBT peoples & history owes those two a lot of credit for their contributions and personal perspectives on the early gay liberation movement.
Great analysis!
To the extent that there is a meandering quality to the story arcs in Cabaret, that makes sense, given that the show is not just about the looming Nazi threat, but about the deprivation and desperation of the Weimar era, both the light and dark sides of the era’s decadence, and the way in which even those Germans who didn’t support the broader goals of the Nazi movement or even mainstream German conservatism were, increasingly, choosing, consciously or unconsciously, between apathetic denial and engagement, and between the dictates of their own consciences and those of the ever harsher culture around them.
That said, the stories may not be as meandering as they appear to be, at first. While the progression of the Frau Schneider/Herr Schultz relationship and how it is affected by the world around it is fairly obvious, all the major characters actually have definite progressions which mirror the progression of Germany during the late Weimar era. Those progressions have much to do with the “wants”, the central motivations of the characters, why Sally and Cliff are in Germany, and why they are living the way they are living. It may be that one of Cliff’s reasons for being in Germany is to explore his attraction to men, relationship with Sally notwithstanding. He is the character most nearly based on Isherwood, who was gay. Sally is believed to be a compendium of Jean Ross and several of Isherwood’s gay male friends in Berlin.
Sally’s songs are a progression from detachment and avoidance of commitment and emotional intimacy, to actually opening herself to the possibility of loving and being loved, to closing herself off to anything other than moment-by-moment escapism. “Don’t Tell Mama” and “Mein Herr” can be taken at face value, or as Sally’s back story of being sexually abused by her father and brother. “Mein Herr” also foreshadows the fate of her relationship with Cliff. That’s all very dark, but so were the crushing poverty; hyper-inflation; lingering horror/trauma of World War I; rising fascism, and dancing off a cliff, for want of an alternative, that characterized Weimar Germany.
BTW, decadent Germans of the Weimar era are often described as foolishly, “dancing off a cliff”, even though much of their wild and expensive partying was because of hyper-inflation. They were in a rush to spend money that was losing value by the minute. I’m wondering if the Cliff character’s name is an intentional or accidental pun.
“Maybe This Time” can be validly read as about Sally on the verge of finally being loved, or as Germany finally becoming a society whose government, whether democratic or fascistic, can actually deliver for her people. Interestingly, the more Sally tries to remain “free” of the anxieties of moving forward, the more imprisoned she becomes. Knowingly or not, she and Germany as a whole end up opting for shackles.
Even in the versions in which Cliff’s homosexuality or bisexuality are not made explicit, his songs can be read both as being specifically about Sally and as about Sally providing an opportunity for him to lead an apparently straight existence, and escape the loneliness of the closet. His interactions with Ernst are about the seductive power of money, but can also be cast and played as being about Ernst sexually seducing Cliff, or at least pretending to flirt with him, in order to obtain his assistance or to entrap him. It’s hinted that Sally is the only woman to whom Cliff has ever been attracted. Cliff’s conundrums regarding his sexuality and his interactions with Sally and Ernst mirror the positions of many Germans, as their choices regarding fascism gradually became more starkly clear.
The magnetic pull of sex, money, love, escape from loneliness, and fascism are equated in Cliff’s and other storylines.
With at least two songs, we the audience experience some of that perverse seduction, only to learn that the sweet-sounding or comic number we’ve been enjoying is actually a celebration of anti-semitism and/or Aryan “supremacy” and/or fascism.
The Emcee is the voice of the Zeitgeist. He is victimizer, victim, and callously detached observer. At a number of key points, the Emcee’s numbers work as comments on multiple interpretations of the character’s storylines (“Two Ladies” has multiple meanings) and, symbolically, on the progression of German politics and culture in the final days of the Weimar Republic.
This show is a mind bender! Watched the movie for the first time last week, and it hasn’t left my head since. Incredibly eerie and rich in subtext.
I am the EMCEE in Harland’s production of Cabaret! Thank you so much for this video! I used this video as well as many other videos to study the show as a whole even before I knew Hartland was gonna do it! This video is awesome!
I know you NAILED it!
@@MusicalswithCheese THANK YOU!!! I did haha I got great reviews!
The perfect show to do for your 150th. I love hearing people's different interpretations of this one, particularly when it comes to the movie, which as you say is quite abstract.
Personally, when I first saw the movie I found its version of the song 'Cabaret' quite powerful. It was at that moment that the film's message about political irresponsibility (which is obviously a lot stronger in the Mendes version) really hit me. The Nazis are gaining power, and there is Liza's Sally, singing joyfully, dancing her way into the sunset. It seemed to me to represent the sort of nihilist escapism which defined the era.
I would consider the movie a musical in that the musical numbers emotionally enhance the plot, but then perhaps that's because I've never 100% agreed with the definition of a musical as having to have songs that specifically move the plot forward.
I agree with what you said about swapping the old couple for the young one in the film; the younger characters felt a bit pointless. Though perhaps they're interesting as a foil to Brian and Sally.
If I had the choice I don't think I'd have either 'Maybe This Time' or 'Mein Herr' in the stage versions, although I'm no expert on the show, having only seen the proshot of the Mendes production (too much of a wimp to watch some more recent productions!). Yours was the first real defence of 'Maybe This Time' I've heard and I'm halfway to being convinced of its worth.
Thanks for stimulating multiple interesting trains of thoughts!
I will always have Joel's Emcee as my number 1 in my heart, he just hits the sweet spot between 'silly guy' and perfectly menacing
Also, i think the reason it ends as it does in the original (my preferred version) is because the point is about ignorance, Sally chooses to live in ignorance so we end ignorant Schneider choses to give up, so does the story, Schultz dismisses what will happen next and so he in turn is dismissed, Cliff chooses to flee and Em...well he chooses to just keep on singing which is the last thing we see happen. this is about ignorance in the face of the fall of a society, so we end ignorant as to the fall of society
First time watching your channel, and I like what you're doing. But I strongly suggest the hosts read the quoted material in advance, and learn the meaning and pronunciation of the words.
I'm currently playing the role of Herr Schultz in the original 1966 version of the show at the Shawnee Playhouse in Pennsylvania. Yes, the original IS still being performed from time to time. AND: Herr Schultz DOES have a song in the 1966 version: Meeskite. He sings it during the engagement party. It's a pity that the song was deleted from all subsequent revivals of the show...
The idea of the ending, an exuberant "life is a cabaret" number, is irony. Sally gives up the chance for romance and motherhood, comes in early in the morning after having an abortion, and then goes on that night singing exuberantly, which is a metaphor for "while the fireman fiddles, the barn will burn;" while "no one was looking," Hitler and the Nazis came to power, with everyone in a state of denial. Sally puts the emphasis on her "good-time Charlie" identity, once again, and her despair and desperation are the contrast to the "what-the-hell" "Cabaret" song, "when I go, I'm going like Elsie" -- someone who literally died from "too much pills and liquor" (which is why Liza, in more recent years, changed the lyrics to "I"m NOT going like Elsie" as an homage to her own substance recovery process). But maybe Sally was right to give up marriage and motherhood, knowing "how long would it be" before she hooks up impulsively with someone who promises an escape from banal suburban life, and Brian/Cliff/Christopher Isherwood hooks up with some (male) hottie and ditches the wife and kid(s). It is in that state that she throws in the towel, apart from her absent father who stood her up, her mother so absent she isn't even depicted (except in the "Don't Tell Mama" song from the stage show), her bisexual/gay lover she has zero future with, and she's left with only vague hopes of being a "great film star" if she can just belt "Cabaret" to some sleazy producer in the Klub who can whisk her away. The song "Cabaret" has to be understood in that context, not just a sing-songy feel-good musical number; it's actually kind of sad, pathetic, and chilling -- the ending I'm sure Fosse wanted. (Not unlike "Everything is Coming Up Roses" in "Gypsy", when you realize how psychotically delusional Mama Rose really is, singing that when everything is falling apart; there's a dotted-line connection between those two characters, songs, and situations.) How many of us have been singing "Cabaret" while the Heritage Foundation, Project 2025, and Trump/Republicans are poised to feed all of us the barely sugar-coated poison of Neo-Nazi Fascism, all over again, right here? Christopher Isherwood (original author of the largely real-life stories) got out of Berlin while the gettin' was good. Smart guy. He later ("Christopher and His Kind") wrote how the Nazis tolerated the gay bars in Berlin for a while, just keenly observing, then outlawed them, then all the boyz were either drafted, volunteered to support the new regime, fled the country, or were murdered in camps. He ended up in Santa Monica in his 40s on the beach and hooked up with a 16-year-old he was with for about 40 years until he died. Life is a cabaret, old chum, and I love a Cabaret.
OMG!!! Thank you!!!!
First, Andrew says the movie Sally " misses the point ". Uh, that IS the point. She continues to party on while ignoring what's happening around he
Next y'all pick a review to match your opinions rather than one representative of the ones written at the time. Remember, the movie did win multipleOscar's, including Best Director, losing Best Picture to The Godfather .
And Bri pronounced nuance as nuisance?
Hard to take you guys seriously, but maybe that's your point
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Anyone who agrees Mein Herr and Don't Tell Mama server the same purpose need to see the 2021 Cabaret revival
This was extremely interesting! I would love to see your retrospective on "Parade" considering it's coming out with a revival this coming year. Keep up the good work! :)
Cabaret was produced more as political statement more than anything else. In the ending abortion scene, one is left to ponder the issues while leaving the threater. It was the time of the years before Roe v Wade when the abortion and birth control issues were making their was up through the court system. It's sympathetic to those issues. Originally, it was never created with a good storyline or musical. It was a rush job. The 1970 movie was secondly produced to sell records. As one can see, your female reviewer saw it in a more critical different light from the 2 male reviewers. Too many females, it's religion.
One of the great overlooked works of pure horror. Saw it a few days after trump got elected, and during intermission no one made a sound in the lobby. It was uncanny. When it ended, everyone clapped politely and walked to the parking like theyd been bludgeoned.
My favorite version is ‘98 specifically with Susan Egan and Adam Pascal
Congrats on 150 episodes!
Cabaret is such a very interesting, fascinating show!
Thank you so much 💕
I wonder why the 1968 London version of Cabaret with Judi Dench as Sally Bowleys didn't get a mention. Maybe there isn't a video version of the whole show to see these
days - but there are some videos of Judi Dench in rehearsal and singing some of the songs. This was Judi's first singing role and she was described as the Best Sally Bowleys ever!
It’s not ‘dance-y’ in the traditional sense but still well choreographed (and directed) by Fosse.
Perhaps it is because I am a 65 year old gay man who grew up in Alabama but I find the story of the rise of Nazism and the crushing of the gay, liberal, open, and fun-loving society to be powerful and profoundly meaningful. Yes, it is a complex story. If you break out sub-plots to tell about a woman getting an abortion or make it a typical love story you lose the real power and reality of it. Please realize that the play and movie were based on a novel by Christopher Isherwood and was based on his real-life experiences in Germany. The contrast of fun, love, and life against the fear, control, and destruction of the Nazi is not an easy thing to portray while keeping it entertaining and captivating.
The original play and film musical is actually based on stories from two books by Christopher Isherwood, Goodbye to Berlin, and Mr Norris Changes Trians. Both semi autobiographical novels by Isherwood.
The Sally Bowles character is based on a real English singer who lived in Germany in the early 30s called Jean Ross
I recently saw Cabaret at the Playhouse in London with zero prior knowledge of the show. I actually thought I was going to A cabaret, not THE show Cabaret 🤣 Pre-show was incredible but I was not enthralled with the first half which felt aimless and without stakes story wise. The second half though blew my mind. Aimee Lee Wood's rendition of 'Life is a Cabaret' grew almost deranged, and the effect was multiplied by acting to both sides of the audience surrounding the circle stage. The choices for the MC as narrator, and every decision to do with 'Money' especially the costume design and entrance which I believe was a satirised vision of the stereotyped/racist tropes of Jewish people as created by the nazi's. This and every wonderful art choice they were able to make due to the stage being a spinnable circle in the middle seem to be unique to this version. It was just incredible. I wish there was a filmed version so I could see their performances again. Not knowing the story, I was genuinely bereft at the ending, and my clapping was quite somber at closing 😅
I just finished reading “Goodbye to Berlin” yesterday. The book itself really rarely mentions Nazism until the last few pages where it’s the main focus.
The 1972 movie tried to merge the original book and the musical into one. I found many similarities and nods to the book in this movie, which is probably why it seems like the “Nazi thing” is an afterthought.
It’s not meant to be. It’s just that you’re supposed to see how things are slowly progressing. I think the movie did well at showing that.
The only version I saw was the movie but I loved it. I have watched this movie several times over the years and it is a movie I could keep watching from time to time. The first time I saw it, I was 17. Even then I understood about the horror that loomed ahead because of my father teaching me about World War ll history since I was 7 years old. Years later when I watched it, I understood more about the Weimar Republic and how desperate times were for the people. At that time, Berlin was the sex capital of the world. I especially liked the part about the Nazi boy singing, "Tomorrow belongs to me". The way the audience joins in the singing, first just a few people and it builds up to a crescendo of most of the crowd singing fanatically. That scene symbolizes how the regime rose to power.
You should add a review on the latest version of Cabaret with Mason Alexander as Emcee in it.
This is wonderful! I learned so much more about this show. Thanks!
Hume Cronyn's turn in the "Tomorrow Belongs to Me" in the movie version is massively important. Can't believe you overlooked it.
When was Hume Cronyn in Cabaret?
@@emilygracey I don’t believe that was Hume Cronyn?
Oh my god..... too funny. That is EXACTLY who that old man looks like.
"Mein Herr" is, as every rendition tells you, pronounced "Mine Hair"--perfectly easy for Anglophone tongues.
And it's FROY-line!
I'm about to do a local production of Cabaret and trying to familiarize myself with the many versions. I just watched the movie and the Alan Cummings Sam Mendes version and some other nice, recent productions on UA-cam, though haven't yet gotten hold of an early Bway version or the revival. When searching on UA-cam your commentary video came up and I found it quite interesting. Thanks for your sharing your thoughts and including great clips from so many versions!
There is so much in Cabaret. Maybe it's trying to cover too many different themes? I'm curious. You don't discuss the LGBTQ elements of the musical at all. Why not? I read that in the original book by Isherwood (I hope to read it soon) it is central that the Cliff character is a gay or bi man who has a relationship with a female on his stay in Berlin. What I noticed is that it is much downplayed, more subtle in earlier versions, but is pretty clear in the movie version (Cliff and Sally have a 3 way with the German baron for one thing and anger each other when they reveal they have both been having sex with him) and continues to expand in later versions. There are more and more transgender elements in recent productions, with the dancers and the couplings of various characters. The Same Mendes version ending with Alan Cummings in the prison uniform having both a pink triangle and a yellow star seems to want to raise awareness that LGBTQ people were (and also still are) treated as badly as Jews were (and still are).
I had no idea the neo-Nazis have latched onto the song Tomorrow Belongs To Me, although I guess it isn't that surprising. It's ridiculously ironic.
I also find it fascinating how different productions of Cabaret can be from each other. Not just in the costuming and staging of the dances, but even in the jokes and banter by the Emcee in the club. Directorial choices seem to make a huge difference on which plot elements receive more focus.
Thanks again. Whether or not a person loves the musical Cabaret, it is certainly one of the more thought-provoking musicals out there!
Hey there! Thank you for watching. This is a truncated version of a full podcast where we go into much more, including the LGBT stuff, it just didn’t quite fit into the video version.
@@MusicalswithCheese That's cool. Where would I find the podcast.
@@loricevans9695 check it out here: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/musicals-with-cheese-podcast/id1436673419
Liza Minelli is too talented to be Sally. Sally is supposed to be a mediocre singer and performer. I dislike the movie out of all the versions I have seen, because while there are good moments, it is too vague.
The 2014 versions are so much better than the older ones
re: the comment about n/zis coming back, they never really left. they just got louder
Big Orange told them to stand back and stand by. They’re standing by right now.
There be no more terrifying moment in any movie than the song Tomorrow Belongs to Me ending with Joel Gray flashing the mirror.
Emma Stone does a great version. Sally Bowles is NOT a great singer so Emma Stone's rededition is spot on.
The ‘98 production with Natasha Richardson is my favorite, hands-down. It is the most effective, streamlined, and powerful, especially nowadays. Richardson is also my favorite Sally, so there’s that.
Did you totally miss that Brian/Cliff/Christopher I is gay? That is as important as the Jewish angle. Terrible reviews, wont be watching more
It was brought up thoroughly in the longer 90+ minute podcast episode this was truncated from. 🙄
Sally wasn’t supposed to be a great singer
The original director cast someone based on the novel's character. She ISN'T much of a talent or person...she is NOT supposed to sing like Liza Minelli--that's why she's stuck in a seedy bar in Berlin. He cast for the character; it just so happens the character is untalented. But the critics and audiences of that era wanted to see a star and someone, frankly, they'd like to nail :/ Not someone they'd find on the corner of 44th and 8th back in the day.
I am very interested to see what they're going to do with the Eddie Redmayne revival next year...🤔
It's insanely good totally recommend
an amazing production, if you saw it with redmayne, you know.
What I like about the movie:
I think the movie’s version of “Tomorrow belongs to me” gives me more chills than the musical’s version. I also wish the nazi being thrown out, should be included in the musical too - perhaps after the Kit Kat Club-version of “Tomorrow belongs to me”? There is an instrumental fast song that could be a good basis for a chasing scene, with the Emcee chasing a nazi. It sounds like something that would look fun.
Apart from that, the musical is better, in my opinion
That Ben Brantley review was kind of hilarious
I would LOVE to see you guys' take on the currently running 2021 West End revival/2024 Broadway revival and the Rufus Noris-directed productions! 💚💚
“It’s evil edelweiss!”😂
In the movie I think they tie the Nazi presence in really well. It's literally everywhere but in ignorable places like the posters and the disabled man's scooter until it becomes overwhelmingly in your face. I think the movie doesn't hold your hand and lets you as the viewer just be a complicit observer. The MCs songs and actions directly comment or egg on the apathy. Money is paired with them getting swept up with Max and if you could see her is paired with fritz learning that Natalia is Jewish and having to decide if hiding and turning a blind eye is worth giving up the woman he loves.
Also Sally is supposed to be a bad/hacky singer. Cabaret the song is about burying your head in the sand and choosing to stay ignorant for your own comfort until it kills you.
Y'all see multiple versions of "Mein Herr," a song where the word "Herr" is repeated nearly every other line, but somehow don't know how to pronounce it correctly? I mean, it's just... it's pronounced "hair." Not "air."
Similar awkwardness while reading the reviews aloud. Maybe later episodes the hosts should do a practice run?
I really enjoyed the takes on the different productions. Though it seemed a shame not to compare the two most iconic Emcees, especially given the role has been so re-emphasized in the Mendes/Marshall-based productions.
Anyway best of luck with the series. I's a fun premise.
Hey hey! This is a shorter version of a much longer podcast episode which can be found on the Broadway Podcast Network where we dove deep into the different Emcee portrayals.
We’ve had it going for four years now, I think the show is doing pretty well so far there. Thank you so much for watching.
I’ve bumped into your shows a couple of times now and I will move on next time you appear. I’m fascinated by how “straight” your expectations of plot or narrative are at no point do you expect the audience to do any work. You need the tabloid version of a show with big dynamics and a clear payoff.
Thanks for watching. Glad you loved the video! Don’t forget to like and subscribe! 💕
@3:34 The person talking about the message of Cabaret, gets it! All the main characters’ lives are MEANINGLESS! And the vacuum their hedonism sucked out of the culture made Nazi-ism appealing to the population.
"that only a film actor could do?" are you kidding me?? no, dude, a good actor (not a film actor or a stage actor) makes subtle, interesting choices ,and only when when a director will allow (or direct for) such an interpretation.
the west end revival is amazing
I don’t even know what to say… please study history before commenting on something that heavily depends on its historical context… there are so many dumb things you said
The song cabaret by Liza shows her rocketing headlong into what she wants her future to be without taking the political situation as pivotal enough to end life as sh knew it
Sally was girl trying hard to sordid,but her dream replaces a life with Brian when she feels his withdrawal from the dream the next day
Seriously though, who watches a doc on the evolution of Caberet that doesn't know there are going to be depictions of ratzies?
The movie got the sense of security and fun at the seedy cabaret spot on, but it really fumbled the plot IMO. And as much as I love Liza Minnelli in the movie, I do tend to prefer someone who’s not such a competent singer to play sally, or at least portray her as such
The reason Fr Schneider has great songs, the role was originally written for the legendary Lotte Lenya.
I think the point has been totally lost. Please guys read the diaries.and the history. Isherwood was not writing musicals..
Ok whomever is talking about the movie version makes a great layered movie multi-faceted story seem insipid.
You guys miss two different time periods 1966 WW11 was still fresh on people mind 1998 gay and abortion was just being talk about, sexually now is the focus
In addition, life is a Cabaret….the pendulum swings back and forth…
The current London production (opened in late 21) is phenomenal! Jessie Buckley gave what is by far my favourite performance of the title song. Eddie Redmayne was also amazing.
Rufus Norris version is outstanding
I love this rating. You all are spot on.
EVIL EIDELWEISS
Content warning? Oh FFS. Grow up.
Ok
This was a really thoughtful critical review of Cabaret. Very well done! I subscribed to the podcast and can’t wait to binge it.
Good explanation of the Weimar republic, and events leading to the horror of WW2.
Glad you're covering Cabaret right now. It's always been an important show, never more than these days. This is the first episode of your podcast I've caught, and I enjoyed it! I was surprised though at the mispronunciations... just a little more homework on names of people, songs, and historical context, and you guys will have it tightened up.
Glad you enjoy it!
I saw this in NYC in 2001 and it was starring John Stamos as the MC.
I’ll probably regret asking, but what word was “cross-desser” replacing?
does anyone have a bootleg of the 2014 version…. please….
My gay anarchist ivy League mom hates hating things.
It's bautiful João Roberto MARMORAT Brasil
Donmar Warehouse Cabaret wins imo
"Mein Err"?
I would love to see this updated withe the 2021 London production which takes elements of all versions and somehow makes it darker and more relevant to the modern day.