Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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33 of 33 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A new spin on a classic musical, July 7, 1998
By A Customer
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.
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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Beautiful Cast Recording, June 21, 2000
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.
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Bienvenue to the new, November 30, 2000
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.
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