Customer Reviews

Cabaret: The New Broadway Cast Recording (1998 Broadway Revival)

5 star:		(69)
4 star:		(16)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

The current Broadway revival of Kander and Ebb's 1966 musical CABARET is not entirely faithful to the original production. Some changes are based on Bob Fosse's 1972 film version, while others date from more recent revivals. Gone are the songs: "Meeskite", "Why Should I Wake Up?" and "The Telephone Song" and the film's "Money Money" has replaced the original show's "Money Song" - but we gain from the addition of "Mein Herr" and "Maybe This Time" from the film score, and "I Don't Care Much" cut from the original show during previews.

Natasha Richardson handles Sally's songs well - but not too well: You never lose sight of the fact that Sally is a second rate singer in a tacky Cabaret. John Benjamin Hickey isn't given a lot to do on the recording: Aside from a few lines of dialogue he shares but one duet with Ms.Richardson. Pity, as he seems to exhibit a fine singing voice.

The real star of the disc is Tony winner Alan Cumming as the Emcee: Comic and terrifying all at once. While Joel Grey presented a leering Emcee, Cumming is much darker: more decadent - Listen to him relish the word "beautiful" not once but three times in a row during the opening number..

Lotte Lenya brought such depth to the characterization of Frau Schneider, that others have paled in her wake, but Mary Louise Wilson gives the character a quiet dignity and resists any temptation to mimic her celebrated predecessor.

RCA Victor has again done an outstanding cast recording capturing the look and sound of one of Broadway's biggest hits. The accompanying booklet offers several color shots of the production and all the lyrics - but, unfortunately, no synopsis to provide the uninitiated with any kind of story link. It's the only flaw in an otherwise first rate package.

Columbia's classic original cast album (recently reissued on CD by Sony in their Columbia Broadway series) remains definitive - but this new darker more abr! asive production has yielder a very fine CD that crackles with theatrical excitement.

I had heard a lot about Cabaret but until I discovered that Natasha Richardson and Alan Cummings had the starring roles, I never really felt tempted to hear it or really wondered what the production was all about. Now, to my despair, I have heard it but will continue to wonder what it is truly all about.

I have never seen a production of Cabaret being performed, to my utter regret. Especially now, after hearing this wonderful recording, I wish that I had had the opportunity. Richardson and Cummings display such tremendous talent on the recording alone that it makes the listener wish to view their performance on stage.

Cummings's Emcee is joyous and dark. He is, as another reviewer wrote, clearly decadent. But his decadence does not transgress the garishly cheerful atmosphere of the Kit Kat Klub. "Wilkommen" is without a doubt one of the most memorable tracks on this album and serves the dual purpose of welcoming both the visitors to the club as well as the listener who can only visualize, through the voice of the Emcee, what is taking place. "Wilkommen" provides a terrific introduction to a place where you can truly forget your troubles for a while.

Richardson, in her role as Sally Bowles, gives a stirring performance of a second rate performer. Sally Bowles is not a great singer and Richardson never lets us forget it. And yet, we can't help but be moved by the sense of hope she carries about her that is most aptly conveyed in the selection, "Maybe". Sally Bowles may not be a great singer but the listener comes to realize very quickly that it takes the talent of a great one in order to portray the role of a bad one.

Back in April, I heard Susan Egan perform her version of "Maybe" in a concert at UCLA and though I was impressed, I must confess that Richardson's performance of it far surpassed Egan's. While they both reveal Sally's vulnerability, I felt that Richardson's performance was more authentic and this might have been because she didn't have to feign her British accent.

This is a terrific cast recording and one that is to be remembered. There are moments of extreme joy and darkness. And through it all Richardson and Cummings let us forget our troubles because we can't help but sympathize with theirs.

To start things off, Cabaret is my favorite musical of all time. I adore the original with Jill Haworth and Joel Grey most of all, but this one is very good as well.

Natasha Richardson does a fair job as Sally Bowles. She lacks emotion in places, however. I think she may have attempted the "dead fish" mental breakdown method during the title song, as opposed to Jill Haworth's screaming collapse, but I prefer the original. Hey, as long as it's not Liza Minelli's total misunderstanding of what she's supposed to be doing, I'm cool.
Alas, I'm not good with names, so I can't recall the names of the actors portraying Frau Schneider, Herr Schultz, Fraulein Kost, or Cliff Bradshaw, but they're all damned good ones. No complaints here.
The orchestrations are fantastic. I'd love to see them on the original recording. To hear Haworth growl through Don't Tell Mama with the orchestrations of that song from this revival would make me a very happy person, as would being able to here her sing Mein Herr or Maybe This Time in any way shape or form at all. Oh well.

My only problem with this show came in the form of a person who won a Tony for it. That's right, folks: I hated Alan Cumming's Emcee. I really did. Joel Grey's original performance was marvelously creepy, sinister, and relatively subdued. Cumming was over the top. Much too far over the top. He sounded like Danny DeVito in some places. He was relying too much on the Emcee's sexual excess for the role and not enough on his terrifying Nazism. Oh well again. Just one person's opinion.

Unfortunately, the frequent presence of the Emcee made this recording impossible for me to listen to. Everyone else seems to like him, so find out for yourself.

It's still good.

Right, so most people usually wait til they have seen the particular broadway show BEFORE picking up the disc. However, I thought it would be well worth it to do the reverse. Is it? You bet!

The usual problem with revivals is that everyone is on tetherhooks wondering, "Do we really need an update?" When you think of landmark musicals, the 1972 version with Joel Grey springs to mind. However, the new cast does the material justice.

Brit actor Alan Cumming does the (nearly) impossible of improving the Emcee. Rather, he brings his own vocal style, which comes across on audio. Tracks like "Wilkommen" and "Two Ladies" feature the mask that the Emcee shows to the world: "I run the world, and everyone else are my understudies". However, a track like "I Don't Care Much" shows him as he truly is: a person afraid to open the club doors and face the world.

Natasha Richardson puts her limited vocal range through its paces. Her Sally Bowles is brave to the last, even when she returns to the club in 1930. Where she used to be brash ("Mein Herr", "Don't Tell Mama"), she is now somewhat wiser ("Cabaret"). She knows life provides its own surprises, and you've little choice, but to endure.

Ron Rifkin and Mary Louise Wilson's Fraulein Schneider and Herr Schultz, respectively, prove to be poignant, even as the world begins to fall down round their ears (the brick through the window in "Married" (reprise). Wilson's smoky voice shows Schneider as a tough old woman, who isn't afraid to give you the boot if you annoy her ("So What").

The entire cast is great, and does this revival justice. Though I'd recommend your seeing the show (just so you can visualise the action inbetween songs), it isn't necessary. At the very least, hearing this disc should whet your appetite to snag a ticket and see a live performance.

Alan Cumming plays the devilish emcee in this amazing 5 star cd of Cabaret. Buy this without thinking.

This is one of the best Broadway Cd's...EVER! Don't listen to any of the reviews that put down Natasha Richardson or Alan Cummings. Many people were complaining about the vocal performance of Natasha (as Sally Bowles). Sally Bowles isn't suppose to have a good voice. That is the point. And it isn't like she is absolutely terrible to listen to. She is just authentic. Since when was that a bad thing. She won a TONY and Drama Desk Award for her performance! As for Alan Cummings (the Emcee) he is absolutely amazing too. Like Sally Bowles he's not suppose to have an absolutely amazing voice! He wouldn't be at the Kit Kat Klub if he had such an amazing voice. Many of the reviews said that he was unusual. That too, is the point. He does anything to keep the audience amused.He is also being authentic. To make a long story, short...buy the CD and see the show...it's amazing!

absolutely must get for any fan of musical theatre or alan cumming. alan reinvents the role of the emcee into this wonderful raunchy but approachable character. natasha doesn't have the most wonderful voice but her interpretation of the tragic sally is commendable and enjoyable. alan please come back to broadway! the rest of you must get this soundtrack now!

I believe that Sam Mendes' 1998 revival of Kander and Ebb's "Cabaret" has finally captured the spirit of the "Cabaret" story. The raunchiness of the seedy Kit Kat Klub; the decadence; the disturbing nature of the performance. Here's a gritty "Cabaret," served the way it should be.

First of all, to address the performances. I find Richardson's Sally Bowles and Cumming's Emcee difinitive. Liza Minnelli, granted is a great vocalist, but that doesn't make her right for the role. Sally is a self-destructive whorish woman working in a second rate night club in a foreign company shrouded in decadence. This most definitely indicates the opposite of "stardom." This is why Richardson is perfect for the role of Fräulein Sally Bowles. She "smokes like a chimney," (like Sally) and her singing voice is flawed, but in a way that doesn't affect the music's beauty. The same is with Alan Cumming. I have not read much criticism about his singing voice, but some negative reviews claim that his voice is, also, mediocre. Agian, seedy night club emcee. Besides, Cumming took a new stab at the role. Joel Grey's Emcee, though interesting, is far too chipper and just not sleazy enough. If anything, the film was mediocre: Joel Grey's and Liza Minelli's performances cluttered and confused the plot even more than the severe changes it had already undergone.

In addition to the performances, I also feel that the updated orchestrations add to the arc of the musical's decadence. The downward spiral is completely apparent through the musical interpretation. Also, the decision to set "Cabaret" in a Cabaret environment (a nightclub--Studio 54) was nothing short of brilliant; that is, after all, where "Cabaret" belongs.

Everything about this revival seems definitive; so much that it doesn't seem like a revival. The disturbing nature has finally been fully realized and everything about the show reflects this.

Thus, this CD is amazing. Both humorous and disturbing, Mendes' interpretation shines through with stunning performances. Alan Cumming (of Julie Taymor's film "Titus")is truly the highlight of the CD. His vile and demonic portrayal of the Emcee is nothing short of mesmerizing. The choices he made are expressive and contribute heavily to the arc of the show.

I feel that this is the single best recording of "Cabaret." It's themes and symbolism have finally been fully realized. I'm thrilled that somebody finally had the [courage] to stage this raunchy and poignant rendition of "Cabaret">. Enjoy.

Taylor

After seeing Cabaret live you would expect to find the recorded soundtrack sadly dissapointing, right? Wrong.

During the intermission period between Act One and Two of Cabaret's 1998 revival I ran straight to one of the many suvonier tables scattered about and purchased the soundtrack to the show which had already affected me in just the hour and a half I had been watching. I shelled out twenty five bucks, ran back to my seats before the preformace started without me and was immeadiately tossed back into the smokey atmosphere from which I came. Listening to the CD after running errands or shopping at the mall is the same way. You can go from your every day life and be transformed into the darkest recesses of the Kit Kat Klub with just one press of a button. That's how good it really is.

For those whom have never heared the music to Cabaret, it may seem a little garish and off-key at first, but once you allow yourself to really REALLY listen, you will find that it only adds to the character of it all. With charming interludes of diolouge and script, Cabaret is sure to make you laugh. The famous opening number "Willkommen" (sung by my absolute favorite actor in the world, Alan Cumming) is seasoned with audience laughter, jokes by the Emmcee and other novelties not found on most recordings. Natasha Richardson plays a fabulous interpretation of Sally Bowles and really shows off her talent of holding those painfully long notes.

My personal favorite tracks are "Don't Tell Mama" a humorous club act preformed by Sally and the Kit Kat Girls, "Perfectly Marvelous" a duet between Sally and Clifford Bradshaw (John Benjamin Hickley), "Money" a very sexy and provocative ode to the world's favorite thing sung by the oh, so georgeous Emcee, "If You Could See Her" a comical song preformed by the Emcee and a Gorilla. "I Don't Care Much" still brings a lump to my throat and "Cabaret" is and has always been a classic.

Experience all the great music, humor, stories and more that Cabaret has to offer. I, personally, think that it is better than the origional version preformed by Joel Grey and Liza Minelli...but that's just me. Oh, by the way....Come to the Cabaret.

I have seen the show and loved it, but it took me a couple of months to get the CD. IT IS FANTASTIC! I don't know why I waited! Alan Cumming is a showstopping Emcee, and his performance is wonderful. Natasha Richardson suprised me, and while her singing is not the stonrgest I have ever heard, she is perfect for the role, and I could not imagine having it done another way. I enjoy her speaking parts immensly. I cannot wait to see the show again. I absolutely love the songs, and every time I listen to the CD, I feel like I am back at the cabaret!