Review: Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club, London
Cabaret is perhaps one of the best-loved and most iconic musicals of all time. That’s why I was surprised when I saw it for the first time about ten years ago and left the theatre feeling rather flat and underwhelmed. I’ve always wondered if that was down to the production or if it was the show itself that I didn’t connect with. That question has now been firmly answered.
The London revival, Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club, opened at the restyled Playhouse Theatre in the West End in November 2021, starring Eddie Redmayne as the Emcee and Jessie Buckley as Sally Bowles. The production went on to sweep the 2022 Olivier Awards, taking seven awards including all four awards for actors in a musical.
What’s it about?
At the start of the 1930s, struggling American writer Clifford Bradshaw arrives in Berlin, seeking inspiration for his novel and rents a cheap room . On his first night out in the city, he finds himself in the Kit Kat Club, a seedy establishment overseen by the strange and omniscient Master of Ceremonies (Emcee), where he meets English cabaret singer Sally Bowles.
Set in the last days of the Jazz Age, Cabaret tells the story of two doomed love affairs against the backdrop of the Nazis’ rise to power.
Any content notes?
I’ve attempted to sum up the main content notes of Cabaret here, but the theatre encourages you to contact their access team if you have any concerns about specific themes.
Nazism is a major theme and Nazi imagery is shown on stage
Antisemitism features heavily
A character is physically attacked and beaten up
A man hits a woman in the face
A character has an abortion
There are some moderately explicit sexual references
Characters drink alcohol and smoke onstage
In Act 2, there’s a sound of smashing glass
The official website recommends that Cabaret is unsuitable for anyone under 13.
Cabaret: My Review
If you’ve seen Cabaret before, forget everything you think you know, because you’re about to see something entirely different.
From the moment you step into the Playhouse Theatre, thoroughly redesigned and reimagined for this production, you’re transported to 1930s Berlin and the Kit Kat Club. A free shot of schnapps is offered on the way in and, as you get your pre-show drinks, buy your programmes, and find your seats, performers - the Prologue Company - entertain you with music and dancing. The performance space is an intimate in-the-round setting, with performers appearing and disappearing from all angles.
The company of Cabaret. Photo: Marc Brenner
This bold, beautiful revival directed by Rebecca Frecknall leans into Cabaret’s inherent darkness, juxtaposing the hedonistic but sleazy nightlife inside the Kit Kat Club with Germany’s decline into fascism outside. It’s a spectacle, yes, but it’s also poignant and profoundly moving.
BAFTA-winning actor Aimee Lou Wood (best known for her role in Netflix’s Sex Education) stars as Sally Bowles, making this iconic role entirely her own. Her understated “Maybe This Time” is heartbreakingly earnest, while her dizzy obliviousness to the rise of Nazism around her is infuriating but also devastating. Wood is joined by Nathan Ives-Moiba, who delivers an assured and passionate performance as Clifford Bradshaw.
Aimee Lou Wood and Nathan Ives-Moiba. Photo: Marc Brenner
The indisputable climax of the show is Wood’s performance of the title song “Cabaret.” In this number, we witness Sally - defeated and alone - have more or less a complete breakdown. It is visceral, unsettling, and electric. I have never seen anything quite like it.
Throughout all of this, John McCrea’s ethereal Emcee observes and comments on the action. McCrea’s performance exudes flamboyant physicality, utterly magnetic and with just enough edge to be more than a little sinister. Ernst Ludwig is played by Danny Mahoney, who in one memorable scene manages to seemingly suck all the air out of a room with the simple action of taking off a jacket.
John McCrea as The Emcee. Photo: Marc Brenner
The secondary plot of the doomed romance between Herr Schultz and Fraulein Schneider is beautifully brought to life by Richard Katz and Vivien Parry, respectively. Katz and Parry have a gorgeous, gentle chemistry, and their “It Couldn’t Please Me More” is as adorable as their inevitable downfall is tragic.
The leads are supported by an ensemble company featuring some exceptional dancers who interact directly with the audience members closest to the stage.
Aimee Lou Wood as Sally Bowles. Photo: Marc Brenner
Tom Scutt’s costumes evoke Jazz-age glamour married with contemporary theatrical glitz and gender fluidity. With tassles, ruffles, corsetsy, leather and glitter aplenty, Cabaret’s aesthetic is as sumptuous as it is striking. Bold makeup completes the various looks, and atmospheric lighting design by Isabella Byrd sets it all off to perfection.
This stunning and truly original production is sure to be saying “Wilkommen!” to London theatre audiences for a long time to come. Not to be missed.