Reader Reviews
Cabaret (The Lowry, Salford)
Back to Show Details| Score | Comment | Date |
 | Saw this production at The Savoy yesterday and I was not disappointed. I agree that Michelle Ryan's Sally Bowles is rather too naive but she can certainly sing the big numbers - and that's not easy to do when following Liza! Will Young is superb and I think you are meant to feel uncomfortable by the performance - it keeps it edgy.And yes, Sian Phillips and Lanz Haft are excellent. The production is certainly worthy of the West End - Chris | 07 Oct 12 |
| this was an amazing threatre experience. i was blown away by the brilliant show. will young has great stage presents. i saw him a few years back in the vortex and i realised then what a great actor he is. if you get the chance go to the savoy saviour every moment of this production. you will not be dissappointed. money well spent. - pauline | 02 Oct 12 |
| Completely agree with Wesley. Liza Minelli and Dame Judi would be disappointed to have Michelle Ryan follow them in the role of Sally Bowles. There was no passion in her songs and whilst you waited for her to belt it in Maybe this Time and Cabaret, she did a Henry Higgins and sang/spoke it or cut the notes short. Equally she was far too innocent and not streetwise enough for Sally and am sure there were some worthier contenders for the role in the ensemble. Will Young however, was a revelation. Totally mesmerising with a supportive ensemble and leading to a very poignant and sad climax. Worth a trip to see. - Paul | 29 Sep 12 |
| On the whole the performance was exciting I felt captivated by the love story between Frauleine Shneider and Heir Schultz who quite frankly upstaged everybody. Will Young's version of Emcee was faultless, he managed to capture the crazed behaviour but could also show his velunerable side. My only criticisms are with Michelle Ryan. The character of Sally Bowles is not supposed to be that of troubled teenager, she is woman in her late 20's early 30's, sassy, over the top and quite obviously an attention seeker. Miss Ryan completely lost all of this in her performance, she played the character far too innoncently and all of the big numbers sally sings (maybe this time, Cabaret) were a flop. If she had only been less English and a bit more rough round the edges then maybe we could have seen a more believable performance. The stageing and set design were simple but very effective and the ensemble were amazing each playing multiple roles but acting with confidence and their movements flowed. Harriet Thorpe was a very convincing 'lady of the night' her perfromances never fail to be anything other than brilliant. I would most certainly recommend anyone to see the show putting Michelle's performance aside, which I'm sure will improve with more practice, it was worth every penny spent. The ending was both moving and poetic and if i'm telling the truth a little upsetting. Brilliant Theatre. - Wesley | 28 Sep 12 |
| I don't go to the theature much and had no clue what the show was going to be like, to be honest I thought my friend had said we were going to see Carousel. The first half was frivolous and debauched and I thought I was going to be bored as we started the second half, but the mood changed to something far darker and far more interesting and I was captured by both the story and the performances. Very moving indeed. Will Young is of course an amazing singer but also brought humour to his role. Michelle Ryan, well wow, what an amazing voice. And I agree with the critic here when he says "Sian Phillips and Linal Haft are both brilliant conveying poignancy and fear in equal measure as Fraulein Schneider and Ernst Ludwig". All in all, thought-provoking. - CG | 28 Sep 12 |
| I think Glen Meads review is very fair. This is a production which doesn't quite work, although there are some excellent individual performances. Will Young was excellent, both vocally and in his energy and commitment to the role. Where he was overacting, it felt like the result of poor direction rather than any fault in the performance. Equally, the chorus did well with what they were given, but I didn't feel that they were given enough. Sian Philips in "Marlene" mode was excellent, and most of the deep emotion in the show came from her scenes with Linal Haft. Cliff (didn't buy a programme so not sure of the actor's name) - excellent in every respect. Biggest letdown for me was Michelle Ryan as Sally Bowles. She was fine in the showgirl numbers but, didn't stop the show when she should have done with "Maybe this time" and Cabaret. I know this is a difficult show to stage, given its rather dark setting but this production didn't have the sense of threat that makes the whole piece work and the laughs were definitely overplayed - the Hawaiian dancers only needed to appear once! Overall, I enjoyed it, and I had a good evening, but there were aspects that undermined it preventing it from being a "great" show. - ivy2012 | 26 Sep 12 |
| This is a must-see production.Will young is a revelation to all who dont yet realise how multi-talented he is and only know him as a superb singer.He is very bizarre and funny as well as tragic at the appropriate points.Sian Phillips acts superbly. The whole production and choreography are a wonderful theatrical experience and choreography . I would recommend it to anyone. Well done all concerned - p paget | 26 Sep 12 |
| I can't understand the negative review.I saw this wonderful show in Bromley and was completely blown away by it. The whole show was so beautifully staged, choreographed and given new life by the great actors involved. Usually, when seeing a show, there are certain little niggles about it, but I can honestly say that I couldn't fault this. Will Young was superb in his role of Emcee and gave it his all and of course, his singing was sublime. I don't normally see a Show twice, but in this case I might make an exception. - Stu | 26 Sep 12 |
| I'd have to agree with the poster above. This show is amazing. Yes Will young borders on overacting at times but I think it is in keeping with the role. Michele's singing is stunning, it was crystal clear and gave me goosebumps. Judging by the audience's standing ovation last night and 3 (or 4...can't remember!) curtain calls I think the majority of people enjoyed it. - richey | 26 Sep 12 |
| Is it possible to "overact "the role of Emcee? This Emcee bought humour and pathos to the role--- oh-- and a great singing voice which has not always been there in past productions. I challenge anyone not to be moved by "I don't care anymore" sung by this Emcee and despite his critics--I doubt that he does! - Apple | 26 Sep 12 |
| Will Young definitely over acted his role as Emcee. Occasionally, it was uncomfortable to watch. Keeping n mind that the scene was set around 1931, the Nazi element in the musical was a sort of reinforcement of the obvious, and ought to had been directed more subtle. I couldn't envisage that in Berlin, around that time, dancers wore Nazi armband in any given nightclub. The supporting cast was absolutely brilliant and the dancers played their part perfectly. The stage scenes were indeed inventive, but the direction of the musical lost it true intention of making it a great night. - U.Wetter | 26 Sep 12 |
| In my opinion reviews such as this that reflect pre-conceived ideas about both a production and its stars have little value. What’s more, such reviews don’t only hurt those involved in a production they hurt all those who have been to a show and loved it, and who look for reviews, as I have done, to share in the delight at seeing something wonderful on stage, only to find that a critic has gone along with the intention of pulling something apart. For those who haven’t seen the show, please read some of the many other, glowing reviews and ignore this one. As a regular theatre goer, both in London and in the regions, I was blown away by this version of Cabaret, of which I have seen many productions. Rarely have I been so moved by a piece. Sian Phillips and Linl Haft are indeed wonderful, and the supporting cast superb. The dancers are top notch and can sing to boot. Michelle Ryan depicts a vulnerable, child like Sally Bowls in a rather lovely way and belts out a tune as Sally Bowls the Cabaret star. Will Young’s Emcee is camp, as expected from the part, and he is also extremely funny. But the pathos, the vulnerability, the sense of loss and of desperately trying to keep control of events that were spinning out of control displayed by Young in the second half of the play were, to me, quite astonishing. We all know he can sing (and boy can he) but his ability to turn on a knife edge, to hint at darker fears whilst smiling and performing, to move an audience to near tears and total silence, was completely unexpected. His performance matched seamlessly with the beautiful portrayal by Phillips and Haft of the fragility of the life they knew, caught up in the zeitgeist of pre-war Germany. If you love theatre, go and see this show. If you have pre-conceived ideas that won’t be moved, then don’t go and don’t think about what you might miss. - Simon | 26 Sep 12 |
