Cabaret

Review by Sam

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Every now and again a musical comes along that becomes the hottest ticket in town, 4 years later and with more than 2500 performances globally, Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club remains one of the greatest pieces of theatre to see in London.

The immersive world of the Kit Kat Club is brought to life in Rebecca Frecknall's multi-award-winning production of the Kander and Ebb classic at the transformed Playhouse Theatre. This electrifying production begins from the moment you enter the stage door, with an exquisite prologue company welcoming audiences to Berlin upon arrival, before taking a seat in-the-round to witness the story of Sally Bowles unfold in a truly remarkable way.

I have been fortunate enough to see this production multiple times, with each principal cast delivering their own take on characters to keep the show feeling fresh upon repeat visits. As a huge fan of Rob Madge, I was excited to see their Emcee and I can confidently say that Madge delivers one of the best performances I have seen of this role to date. They deliver a striking portrayal, adding their own comic flair to humorous moments, whilst starkly contrasting this by unsettling audiences with nuanced yet-powerful fear and terror. Alongside Madge, I was fortunate enough to see the sensational alternate Sally, Anne Marie Wojna, who much like their co-star gives a spellbinding emotive performance that utterly broke me in its final moments.

No show is as timely today as this production of Cabaret. With the rise of antisemitism across the country, seeing the persecution of the Jewish people showcased in such a poignant and emotive way from an empowering cast, left me speechless. 'If You Could See Her' has always been the hardest hitting number of the show, but to hear Madge's brutally aggressive delivery of the final gut-punch line made me feel incredibly uncomfortable for all the right reasons. I hope that all audiences feel the true weight of this story in the same way that myself and other Jewish audience members do.

The current cast are performing until 20th September, so make sure to grab your tickets before they say Auf Wiedersehen to the Kit Kat Club!