IF YOU’RE LOOKING FOR GLITZ, GLAMOUR, AND A NIGHT OF REVELRY, CABARET IS NONE OTHER THAN “PERFECTLY MARVELLOUS”

By Rachel Cameron-Potter | Stuff Rachel Says | Press Invite

Queuing up outside the Playhouse Theatre under a gloomy London sky, I wasn’t quite sure what to expect from John van Druten’s sultry spectacular 55 years after it had debuted on Broadway. Before entering, a sticker was placed over my phone camera, with instruction to “keep it in the Kit Kat Club.”

After descending a set of stairs overlooked by the iconic Kit Kat Club eye, I followed a narrow corridor lit by flickering, fluorescent lights, stopping to pick up a free shot of Schnapps before entering a speakeasy-style bar. Gin martini in hand, I headed upstairs to watch the first performance of the night: two cabaret dancers performing above a chintzy gold bar, where champagne was poured for the audience below.

The pre-show performance continued right up until the show’s opening number, ‘Wilkommen.’ Performed by Luke Treadaway as the Emcee, the number encouraged viewers to “leave their troubles at the door”, and the audience got their first glimpse of Cara Delevingne as the Toast of Mayfair, Sally Bowles.

The story takes place on a central circular stage, introducing aspiring American author Clifford Bradshaw (Michael Ahomka-Lindsay) visiting Berlin for the first time, before meeting Ernst Ludwig (Wilf Scolding) who directs him to the boarding house of Fraulein Schneider (Beverley Klein). Lodgings secured, Cliff sets out to the Kit Kat Club, where he meets enchanting chanteuse and soon-to-be lover, Sally Bowles.

A STARK, SOBER REALITY: WE CAN’T SIMPLY LEAVE OUR TROUBLES AT THE DOOR

As Cliff and Sally’s relationship blossoms, so does Fraulein Schneider’s relationship with Jewish fruit-seller, Herr Schults (Teddy Kempner). However, the optimism that defined the first half of the show — much like the optimism of the early 1930s in Germany — splinters when Ludwig takes off his coat towards the end of the first act, revealing a Nazi armband beneath.

The dreamy, drunken haze enveloping both characters and audience evaporates, leaving a stark, sober reality: we can’t simply leave our troubles at the door.

This becomes evident in the second act, where at the end of ‘Married (Reprise)’, the Emcee shatters a glass under his foot and the lights go out with a bang. Confetti litters the stage, and the ceremonies of a traditional Jewish wedding are darkly contrasted with the violence and vandalism of Kristallnacht. The confetti are never cleared, sequined outfits are swapped for grey suits, and the characters scatter as the Nazis rise to power.

Within this powerful play were powerful performances from Delevingne and Klein, notably ‘Cabaret’ and ‘What Would You Do?’ sending shivers down my spine. This show marked the final performances of Delevingne, Treadaway, Klein and Kempner, and you could tell they gave it their all, each wholly deserving of the rapturous applause from the audience at the end.

The Club may have bidden “auf wiedersehen” to its core cast members, but the story remains timeless, and the costume, set and score can only be described as perfectly marvellous. In there, life truly is beautiful.

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Photo Credit: Marc Brenner