I found it interesting that during part of the song he gets really, genuinely serious about loving who you want to the crowd, only to undercut it immediately. It seems as though the narrator, given that he's gay in this version of the show, wants them to take the song seriously for a second but knows he can't, or else give the game away.
The way the Emcee backs away from the audience at 7:10, as if they've been cornered, caught living their life. He looks so afraid... Man, nobody should ever feel that way.
MuppetMollyStarGleek that's why this play is so great It shows the emotions of people I've felt like that before and it's a horrible feeling Nobody should ever feel that way It's hard to imagine how people felt when that's put to a large extreme in the war
i think this song, along with 'i don't care' really showcases his talent the best...you just get a glimmer of it in the opening number, but those 2 songs really give you an idea of just how legen-wait for it-dary his voice is
I have no idea why but at the end of "If You Could See Her" I cried. I can't even explain that. But Alan will always be Emcee in my mind. No disrespect to Joel, but Alan is just to flippin' brilliant .
I don't usually like humanising the Emcee because he's such a metaphor, but after watching the ending which reveals he's Jewish and queer, I don't know, this scene gets a little more personal, makes you wonder if the Emcee does have a little bit of personality beyond being the narrator. Could be a personal song that hits close to home for the character, he seems genuinely emotional at 7:12 and that bridge. I just kinda saw a side to the Emcee character we don't really see ever. Amazing acting choices from Mr Cumming, but we all know everything he touches turns to gold, especially when Cabaret related
Such an incredibly written scene into one of the most stunning, ironic musical sequences ever written or performed in the theatre. Just stellar all-around.
Ever since I saw the movie, I wanted so much to see Alan's version of "If You Could See Her"... Thank you for putting this up. So much. I LOVE this song.
I always thought that Cummings interpretation of the emcee was fascinating, and this song shows how complex he makes the character. He has consistently been portrayed as queer and Jewish throughout this version of Cabaret, and shown- in little ways- his distaste for the Nazis. Shutting off the recorder and singing the last part of "Tomorrow Belongs to me" defiantly, and flippantly mocking the Nazi salute. Mooning the crowd after the reprise of the same song. Yet now, he is performing a song which is openly antisemitic, and- of course, this is my interpretation- uses it to resist. He seems to take the idea of "live and let live" quite seriously near the end. Yet, he must finish the song on a repulsive, antisemitic note, and he seems almost disgusted with himself when he says it. I think that's intentional. My interpretation of Cummings emcee is a man who created a flippant, devil may care facade the pain caused to him over the years, and I think "I don't care" bolsters that idea. He performs at the KitKat club for a paycheck, and knows that fascism is closing in. But, he can do nothing to stop it, so he takes the vaudeville venue and uses it as a tool for resistance, in his own way.
To be clear, the message I got from the song was that it was making fun of the Nazi's stupid views toward the "other" ethnic groups.... Last night when I posted my comment I was under the impression that everyone else got that meaning too, but according to the imdb, that's not the case. -Amanda
Le film poussait les acteurs dans une extrême caricature visuelle... Cette pièce de théâtre est plus douce, plus humaine d'apparence... Alan a une jolie fossette, un petit côté feminin que n'avait pas Joël qui fait plus penser à un mannequin de métal qui aurait pris vie comme Pinnochio. Du coup... Les horreurs, les vacheries, les monstruosités des oppresseurs qui écrasent et exterminent au milieu de la vie banale... Sans que les gens brochent soit par peur soit parce qu'ils sont contents de se débarasser de ceux qu'ils tiennent faussement pour responsables. C'est terrible. Le vrai luxe, ce n'est pas l'argent. C'est la paix, l'amour et la liberté.
"It's ME!!! LOOK!!!" Oh, Emcee, how are you so perverted but so adorable at the same time! Like a little kid proud that he tore up the house. "Look, Mama!"
I think it was his response to the song playing. “Look, it’s ME!” is referring to Tomorrow Belongs to Me. He’s changing the Nazi’s ME in the song to refer him and others who are opposition.
Everytime he says Jewish, I actually flinch. Especially on the recording. I've listen to it a hundred times and it never stops me from flinching. And additionally, I fully support adopting Cummingism as my new religion. :)
the emcee is everything and nothing. He is both the host and the janitor. most importantly, he represents Berlin....and everyone and everywhere who thought ignoring a problem would make it go away.
Joel Gray's interpretation of the Emcee represents Hitler, whereas Alan Cumming's interpretation represents everything the Nazis opposed--in my opinion, the seemingly anti-semitic actions of his character make a mockery of Nazism rather than commend it. However, I do agree that his character is intended to reflect upon all aspects of German society, but I think it's clear, through his sexual and satirical interactions, that the Emcee does not agree with the Nazi Party.
The EmCee is supposed to represent the soul of Germany. It doesn't matter if it's a real person or not, but in THIS production, he's definitely not a literal person. He's allegorical. Note that he breaks the fourth wall all the time. The other characters don't do that. He also doesn't really interact with the other characters much. They almost always ignore him. Joel Gray's MC is more literal. He typically doesn't break the fourth wall. Instead he plays to the audience in the cabaret.
whenever i watch cabaret, especially now that i understand most of the symbolism, i get so upset. these stories could have been similar to some people during this time. cabaret gives us insight on the horrors of the holocaust by merely suggesting that something terrible will happen to all of these characters. by the end we all know the fate of each of our beloved characters without actually seeing it happen. i love this show but damn.
Spoiler alert Since it is revealed at the end that MC is gay he probably relates to this song more than he lets on and thinks about how his own relationships will never be accepted by society
I just saw the movie a few days ago and was blown away by Joel Grey, so it's great to be able to watch Alan Cumming's interpretation and be just as blown away. I don't care for this production as much as the movie (I'm a huge Fosse fan) but Alan and Fraulein Schneider are amazing!
@gaben2n I dont think its ment that way. I think its mocking the nazis, making fun of them. and humor is in fact a very powerfull weapon. ok, making fun of hitler and his men would not have stopped them but maybe, just maybe made them feel like the fools they where. but back then people where probobly too terrified of them to do so. and I understand that of course, but never the less, humor is powerfull
i feel like herr schultz's characte could be so much more in depth, especially in this scene. the historical background (jew during the rise of the nazis) leads to so much more feeling, and this interpretation is very surface level. i just played this, and im not trying to toot my own horn, but i feel like me and the schneider who played opposite me did it better
That's because they weren't trying to make the movie. It's called a revival for a reason. I love both very much. But since this was the televised version they cut several songs as well.
Think about this: The emcee is possessed The actual emcee is the person who sings and dances in the kit kat club but, the second emcee is like a fucked up overlay (Like a filter on a photo). they're there but, they take the actual show performances out of context and give them different meanings(like a actual caberet show) and as the story progresses he gets stronger and more "opaque" to the point where when the emcee sings the first song it's unrecognizable to it's original meaning. Like he's slowly becoming corrupted and possessed by the bloodlust and hate.
Joel Gray's interpretation of the Emcee did represent Hitler, so you're not too far off! However, I would say Alan Cumming's interpretation mocks Nazis, but doesn't assume their beliefs.
I love the "It's meeeee" at 0.46. Alan Cumming is too cute here.
I know right!!!😂
he's so proud of himself
He switches from playful to angry so fast. The way he delivers that last line is how you know the Emcee is not with the Nazis.
I found it interesting that during part of the song he gets really, genuinely serious about loving who you want to the crowd, only to undercut it immediately. It seems as though the narrator, given that he's gay in this version of the show, wants them to take the song seriously for a second but knows he can't, or else give the game away.
Jenifer Joseph 🙄🙄🙄
I've always thought the emcee was bi
@@buckjohnson3748 me too, I thought he was supposed to be bi. Also Alan is bi 💗
I thought the original version of the character by Joel Grey was straight.
He's coded gay in every serious/major version of this musical ever.
The way Alan delivers the final line of his number here deserves a Tony Award. There's so much stewing under the surface. BRILLIANT.
The way the Emcee backs away from the audience at 7:10, as if they've been cornered, caught living their life.
He looks so afraid... Man, nobody should ever feel that way.
MuppetMollyStarGleek that's why this play is so great
It shows the emotions of people
I've felt like that before and it's a horrible feeling
Nobody should ever feel that way
It's hard to imagine how people felt when that's put to a large extreme in the war
the delivery of that last line actually made my heart stop for a second
Same especially the first time I watched it! It’s so chilling and so good!
omygod that was so clever- you giggle along for the whole scene then you realise the point theyre making and feel awful- pure brilliance
'she wouldnt look jewish at all' .....chilling. god love you alan
So chilling that it was removed from the original 1966 production because people found it so horrifying.
i think this song, along with 'i don't care' really showcases his talent the best...you just get a glimmer of it in the opening number, but those 2 songs really give you an idea of just how legen-wait for it-dary his voice is
I have no idea why but at the end of "If You Could See Her" I cried. I can't even explain that. But Alan will always be Emcee in my mind. No disrespect to Joel, but Alan is just to flippin' brilliant
.
Wow, that last line.
I don't usually like humanising the Emcee because he's such a metaphor, but after watching the ending which reveals he's Jewish and queer, I don't know, this scene gets a little more personal, makes you wonder if the Emcee does have a little bit of personality beyond being the narrator. Could be a personal song that hits close to home for the character, he seems genuinely emotional at 7:12 and that bridge. I just kinda saw a side to the Emcee character we don't really see ever. Amazing acting choices from Mr Cumming, but we all know everything he touches turns to gold, especially when Cabaret related
0:46 is perhaps the most adorable thing ever
I agree. It is the first time a piece of filmed theatre has genuinley socked and chilled me.
Such an incredibly written scene into one of the most stunning, ironic musical sequences ever written or performed in the theatre. Just stellar all-around.
In 2015 I got to see this show with Alan Cumming in it. It was such an amazing show. It was my first Broadway show and I’m so glad to see it.
Oh I know...I'd never heard the song before, and when he sang that last line, my mouth dropped open....and I loved him even more.
-Amanda
That "It's meeee!" Was amazing!!
Ever since I saw the movie, I wanted so much to see Alan's version of "If You Could See Her"... Thank you for putting this up. So much. I LOVE this song.
in my production of cabaret, during married reprise we had children singing tomorrow belongs to me
I love Cabaret. I absolutely love it.
You know what I find interesting? ...I think Alan's more attractive dressed as a woman than most of the actual women in the kick line! :)
I prefer this version of If You Could See Her to the Joel Grey one.
"its me look"! haha!!! i luv alan, soo funny. super hott
I always thought that Cummings interpretation of the emcee was fascinating, and this song shows how complex he makes the character. He has consistently been portrayed as queer and Jewish throughout this version of Cabaret, and shown- in little ways- his distaste for the Nazis. Shutting off the recorder and singing the last part of "Tomorrow Belongs to me" defiantly, and flippantly mocking the Nazi salute. Mooning the crowd after the reprise of the same song.
Yet now, he is performing a song which is openly antisemitic, and- of course, this is my interpretation- uses it to resist. He seems to take the idea of "live and let live" quite seriously near the end. Yet, he must finish the song on a repulsive, antisemitic note, and he seems almost disgusted with himself when he says it. I think that's intentional.
My interpretation of Cummings emcee is a man who created a flippant, devil may care facade the pain caused to him over the years, and I think "I don't care" bolsters that idea. He performs at the KitKat club for a paycheck, and knows that fascism is closing in. But, he can do nothing to stop it, so he takes the vaudeville venue and uses it as a tool for resistance, in his own way.
3:52-4:05 What an adorable smile!
@MandyBuglet There are two versions. The milder one is "She isn't a meeskite at all." But since they cut that song, it defaults to the original.
T.L. Young they should never change the final line, or else the entire point of the song is lost
I Love emcee.
I love Alan here
Alan Cumming may actually be god
I know! That part's so cute!
-Amanda
Can't beat Joel Grey as the MC
To be clear, the message I got from the song was that it was making fun of the Nazi's stupid views toward the "other" ethnic groups....
Last night when I posted my comment I was under the impression that everyone else got that meaning too, but according to the imdb, that's not the case.
-Amanda
7:12!
i love this so much
where is this recording from?
The 1993 London cast. (the 1998 Broadway production was based on this one)
She would look what?
Pee Wee Herman did an excellent job.
Le film poussait les acteurs dans une extrême caricature visuelle... Cette pièce de théâtre est plus douce, plus humaine d'apparence... Alan a une jolie fossette, un petit côté feminin que n'avait pas Joël qui fait plus penser à un mannequin de métal qui aurait pris vie comme Pinnochio. Du coup... Les horreurs, les vacheries, les monstruosités des oppresseurs qui écrasent et exterminent au milieu de la vie banale... Sans que les gens brochent soit par peur soit parce qu'ils sont contents de se débarasser de ceux qu'ils tiennent faussement pour responsables. C'est terrible. Le vrai luxe, ce n'est pas l'argent. C'est la paix, l'amour et la liberté.
@magicalquaxo Will there be a second Cumming?
"It's ME!!! LOOK!!!"
Oh, Emcee, how are you so perverted but so adorable at the same time! Like a little kid proud that he tore up the house. "Look, Mama!"
That’s how I felt too! His face was so cute!
Don't tell mama!
I think it was his response to the song playing. “Look, it’s ME!” is referring to Tomorrow Belongs to Me. He’s changing the Nazi’s ME in the song to refer him and others who are opposition.
Can I just say, I'm sad that this isn't titled, 'Cabaret. Part nein'?
Part no 😂
Ouch!
Everytime he says Jewish, I actually flinch. Especially on the recording. I've listen to it a hundred times and it never stops me from flinching.
And additionally, I fully support adopting Cummingism as my new religion. :)
I can't tell if the emcee is a real person or just a symbol himself
the emcee is everything and nothing. He is both the host and the janitor. most importantly, he represents Berlin....and everyone and everywhere who thought ignoring a problem would make it go away.
the Emcee represents the different parts of Germany and German society. Which includes both sides, Pro-Nazi and Anti-Nazi
Joel Gray's interpretation of the Emcee represents Hitler, whereas Alan Cumming's interpretation represents everything the Nazis opposed--in my opinion, the seemingly anti-semitic actions of his character make a mockery of Nazism rather than commend it. However, I do agree that his character is intended to reflect upon all aspects of German society, but I think it's clear, through his sexual and satirical interactions, that the Emcee does not agree with the Nazi Party.
The EmCee is supposed to represent the soul of Germany.
It doesn't matter if it's a real person or not, but in THIS production, he's definitely not a literal person. He's allegorical. Note that he breaks the fourth wall all the time. The other characters don't do that. He also doesn't really interact with the other characters much. They almost always ignore him.
Joel Gray's MC is more literal. He typically doesn't break the fourth wall. Instead he plays to the audience in the cabaret.
Not to be annoying to any of the wonderful points made in this comment thread but, cliff says "there was a master of cerimonies"
whenever i watch cabaret, especially now that i understand most of the symbolism, i get so upset. these stories could have been similar to some people during this time. cabaret gives us insight on the horrors of the holocaust by merely suggesting that something terrible will happen to all of these characters. by the end we all know the fate of each of our beloved characters without actually seeing it happen. i love this show but damn.
thats a bitch of a costume change for the MC... kick line to if you could.. like as fast as you can.
I love how Alan does "If you could see her", he really slaps you in the face with last line
In our production we just let that last line linger in silence and cut to black. Very emotional.
Spoiler alert
Since it is revealed at the end that MC is gay he probably relates to this song more than he lets on and thinks about how his own relationships will never be accepted by society
He's also (in this production anyway) Jewish, which adds another layer, and explains the anger with which he drops the last line.
He's not singing just speak-singing which is extremely difficult to do I love the raunchiness of Cumming's performance
I love "If You Could See Her." Alan Cummings makes an excellent Emcee.
I also love his facial expressions through-out the whole show. He's so funny!
This song gets more and more relavant by each year
Sadly true..we must never let it happen again!
Just hit me. Alan did a pretty quick costume change.
I just saw the movie a few days ago and was blown away by Joel Grey, so it's great to be able to watch Alan Cumming's interpretation and be just as blown away. I don't care for this production as much as the movie (I'm a huge Fosse fan) but Alan and Fraulein Schneider are amazing!
This version of "If You Could See Her" rocks
i love Alan's "I-know-something-you-don't-know" smile.
*swoon*
@gaben2n I dont think its ment that way. I think its mocking the nazis, making fun of them. and humor is in fact a very powerfull weapon. ok, making fun of hitler and his men would not have stopped them but maybe, just maybe made them feel like the fools they where. but back then people where probobly too terrified of them to do so. and I understand that of course, but never the less, humor is powerfull
"And she doesn't smoke or drink gin...like I do"
My favorite part!
🙈
The subtext of If You Could See Her is awesome and so well portrayed
lol Alan is such a troll, innocently walking in and just tossing a brick in and leaving.
:troll:
4:33 beginning of if you could see her
My Lord, this is beautiful: this version and the whole scene.
Except for the hairy armpits,Alan makes a cute girl,lol! :0
Holy crap I just turned gay :p
in my production of cabaret, during married reprise we had children singing tomorrow belongs to me
Favorite version of If You Could See Her.
IT'S ME LOOOOK!
Such an eccentric character. I love it
i feel like herr schultz's characte could be so much more in depth, especially in this scene. the historical background (jew during the rise of the nazis) leads to so much more feeling, and this interpretation is very surface level. i just played this, and im not trying to toot my own horn, but i feel like me and the schneider who played opposite me did it better
Ok, maybe its just me but, with Alan in the white suit jacket, is anyone else reminded of Desire from Neil Gaimans Sandman?
first time I've seen cabaret and wow, what a powerful piece
Where is the money song?
who agrees with the fact that Alan Cumming is one of the omst wonderful actors they have seen...not to mention good looking!
They are both good. It depends on which one I'm watching.
That is kinda the point...
Damn, Alan Cumming can kick it!
That's because they weren't trying to make the movie. It's called a revival for a reason. I love both very much. But since this was the televised version they cut several songs as well.
Mine too. Herr Schultz is such a nice man, too.
Amo a este hombre
4:30
@C9H9NO3 Shit, man, if you're on pain killers, I'd recommend something more light-hearted. Like, I don't know, Hair or something.
Alan CUmmings.....*sigh*
George raistrick is absolutely brilliant in this role
*drool*
You stole the words out my mouth
ohmygod, this was somehow the sexiest bit of acting ive ever seen, it topped frankenfurter....kinda reminded me of Adrian Brody in "Oxygen"
4:40
6:10 😂😂
Theory: the Emcee is the Devil
Think about this:
The emcee is possessed
The actual emcee is the person who sings and dances in the kit kat club but, the second emcee is like a fucked up overlay (Like a filter on a photo). they're there but, they take the actual show performances out of context and give them different meanings(like a actual caberet show) and as the story progresses he gets stronger and more "opaque" to the point where when the emcee sings the first song it's unrecognizable to it's original meaning. Like he's slowly becoming corrupted and possessed by the bloodlust and hate.
Joel Gray's interpretation of the Emcee did represent Hitler, so you're not too far off! However, I would say Alan Cumming's interpretation mocks Nazis, but doesn't assume their beliefs.
Joel Grey owns this. He's far more nuanced
Oh please, nothing about cabaret is meant to be nuanced. Cabaret is perfectly crude and brash as intended.