I rarely leave something thinking, I'd like to watch that again. I did this in fact I already booked the tickets. Not to be missed - Amanda
11 Jan 13
Poor production. Lots of pregnant pauses and minimal settings diddn't come up to top theatre standards. Will Young great, rest very average - bd
08 Dec 12
DISAPPOINTING - tHE EDGE HAS BEEN TAKEN OUT OF THIS PRODUCTION AND ALTHOUGH CONSIDERABLY BETTER THAN THE FILM -THE CLOSING OF THE SECOND HALF WHICH I STILL REMEMBER VIVIDLY HAS REALLY BEEN DUMBED DOWN - RRC
30 Nov 12
Michelle Ryan ooozes passion and star quality...she dominates the stage from the moment she steps onto it and you miss her when she leaves. Her voice is a revelation too and the dancing is exceptional. Will Young also great, very moving particularly towards the end. Leaves a bitter but brilliant taste in your mouth, long may it reign! - Samantha
14 Nov 12
I thought Will Young got it spot on as did Sian Phillips & linal Haft- Michelle Ryan was a little too posh & forced for me
But I thought the production was excellent- it should have that shock tactic- the cocaine taking, the nudity, bisexuality all taking us towards the final developments and the stark reality of the Nazis- and the use of the letters of Kabaret used perfectly to indicate what the change of scene indicated.
I was v uncomfortable with the 'If you could see her' section but surely that was exactly the reaction that was appropriate.
It was so much more of a play with music (which was rather excessively loud at points) than the sanitised film so i guess those people who found the film sufficiently challenging will hate this production - potentiallya real Marmite production- but i enjoyed it very much - jacqui ratcliffe
08 Nov 12
Went to see this amazing production last night at the Savoy in London..I am still buzzing from a superb performance all round..I do not get certain reviews pulling this apart. Michelle Ryan is very good in the part of Sally Bowles.Yes she may not have the edge of Liza Minnelli i her vocals, but as someone that is a trained actress and not a trained singer she does a great job. Sian Phillips & Linal Haft give great performances as the elderly, couple looking for love in a nazi torn country keeping their union apart..greta pathos and sentiment..The staging and choreography were first class...The second half conjured up the darkness of the era and the poignant and stunning ending was so chilling to leave the audience in stunned silence...However the star of the whole show was Will Young..What a fantastic performance, camp, eerie, funny..sheer genius.. The "Two Ladies" number was so funny and so well directed...See this show before it ends in January..money well spent.. - Paul Assirati
04 Nov 12
This is really two shows. One is a Will Young showcase where he sings and clowns. The other consists of a band of actors trying to perform the rest of Cabaret around him. The latter is dull, unimaginative and offers nothing new. The former, the Will Young bit, is sensational and represents the arrival of a West End superstar. Well done Will and wake me up when you're next on stage. - Ben Jeffreys
24 Oct 12
It is worth the ticket price to see Will Young and the amazing Sian Phillips.Will has made this role is own and he surely will be up for a Bafta.Sian gives a heart breaking performance. What a wonderful actress! Every nuance thought out. Matt Rawle did well in the difficult role of Clifford, too. Michelle Ryan does not show sufficient acting experience to inhabit the role of Sally. She can sing but does not put any meaning into the lyrics. In my opinion it is very odd casting. Sally has to be one minute coarse,excitable then fragile and most of all, believable.It seemed all very karioke. I felt sorry for her she seemed so out of her comfort zone. This could have been a great production. - Stuart
23 Oct 12
Attended the matinee on 20th October with a friend. Having seen the 2006 revival I was interested to see this version. Will Young as Emcee was in my view excellent. His vocals shine through, especially in the almost acapella "I Don't Care Much". I can see why some other commentators above may have felt uncomfortable with his OTT performance but I felt his ability to switch from total manic comedy to dead calm was very appropriate. Ryan as Bowles was less impressive. Whilst she has a nice voice, which was a pleasant surprise, she lacked the stage presence to carry off the emotion of certain solos (in particular "Cabaret"). I sometimes felt her performance was wooden and she waved her arms around quite a lot. I note one review says what an amazing dancer she was. Whilst her opening appearance in "Mein Herr" was certainly sensual and dramatic, she performed minimal dance moves and the remainder of the show gave her very little full on choreography.
The rest of the cast were very good, though I felt Linal Haft was a very weak singer (maybe he had an off day) and I got a bit tired of Phillips 'speak-singing'. The dancers were stunning - flexible, good looking and certainly brave in respect of the grand finale.
The staging was very clever, with use of the minmal set and very good lighting techniques. One final disappointment - the reduction of my favourite song in the whole production "Don't tell mama" to a tiny background number.
All in all we enjoyed the show, it is different from the previous version, and it was mostly very worthwhile seeing. Would I go back - no. Would I recommend - yes.
- AJR
21 Oct 12
Cabaret and Rocky Horror are 2 shows I always see everytime they are revived and must say that this Cabaret is the best version so far. All the cast were superb and Will Young excelled as the Emcee (shame he wasn't as good giving time to the very few fans waiting for him afterwards--maybe one day when he is not so famous he will want us to wait for him backstage. I was pleasantly surprised with Michelle Ryan and did not realise she had such a good singing voice and thought she was a good Sally Bowles. Sian Phillips, Linal Haft and Harriet Thorpe always as good and dependable as always. I must also say what a sexy dance/singing troupe too--very Chicago style. - Joe Spiteri
21 Oct 12
I can't believe anyone would enjoy thi show. We left at the interval - boring, vulgar, poor dancing, overweight dancers, poor set and poor singing! Terrible show, complete waste of money. - Joneses
20 Oct 12
Just saw the matinee of Cabaret. Will Young was bloody fantastic and a revelation. Michelle Ryan was outstanding and has a stunning singing voice. Some parts were a bit slow but overall this was a very edgy and moving production and the whole supporting cast were very good. - Samuel
14 Oct 12
Will Young spoilt it for me. Apart form this Sian Phillips, Matt Rawle, Linal Haft and Harriet Thorpe were really really good! - Samuel Zernig
10 Oct 12
Wonderful production. I saw it at The Lowry and was very impressed. Michelle Ryan could have been a bit more passionate about the role but the same could not be said for Will Young who gave it everything he had and more.He is a multi-talented artist and the part of Emcee is perfect for him. Sian Phillips is also wonderful in her role, she is a brilliant actress. - Kate
09 Oct 12
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
will young truly talented . i was blown away by his superb performance. tickets booked for dec. if you get the chance go and see this great production. i agree michelle ryan did not do her part justice.nice singing voice but thats about it really. - pauline
07 Oct 12
Will Young was brilliant and has certainly found a niche in this production. Michelle Ryan was ok and tried hard. Sian Phillips was also very good. - Lynda
06 Oct 12
Will Young is born to play this role. Michelle Ryan cannot sing. Lacks charisma, and is unbelievably unattractive in her costume. - Daniel
05 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
Will Young is superb in this: he acts, sings and moves so well, and bares all at the end. Michelle Ryan has a nice voice but lacks the passion and vulnerability of Liza Minelli (and of course the comparison is hard on her).Sian Phillips is great, as is her admirer, and the dancers are sexy (great choreography by Xavier de Frutos). The dark aspects of the period are not minimised. An excellent evening in the theatre (oh and the on-stage band is great too). - David Pollak
12 Sep 12
An excellent production great performances from the cast. A must see theater event. I saw it at the Mayflower Southampton. A few technical issues but I am sure these will be ironed out before its move to London. - Ian Taylor
