Brantley is stale and full of himself. His reviews become more self indulgent all the time. It is hard for me to take his opinion seriously at this point.
“I regard the theatre as the greatest of all art forms, the most immediate way in which a human being can share with another the sense of what it is to be a human being.”
``oscar wilde``
How have Danny and Linda fared in all of these reviews?
Burstein certainly won't provide much of a challenge to James Monroe Inglehart.
Regardless of reviews, I have Ingelhart and Nick Cordero ahead of Danny, but I was just wondering if he got overall positive notices! He is one of my favorite Broadway actors working today.
I looked at the 5-6 major reviews and Burstein fared well. Very well. I wouldn't count him out of anything. Sometimes the flashier roles don't get the gold. Sometimes it's the quiet ones that win. I'm a fan of his too. I also happen to think that he and Emond are the heart of Cabaret. I wanted to cry (I mean BIG cry) at the end of their scene in Act 2. It broke my heart. Subtle, beautiful acting. I know they're not flashy, but they both deserve nominations and, perhaps, even to win. I wouldn't be surprised - I guess that's what I'm saying.
"Of course the woman in this revival is the object of ridicule. Shocker"
If you discard both the nuance of the discussion being about her performance and not her personally, and the definition of ridicule, then you're correct.
It would make sense for the major new addition to this revival to get more attention than Cumming, since he is doing the same performance for which he won a Tony. Had he come back and been unable to recreate that same magic, he'd get a lot of attention, but that didn't happen, so there is less to discuss about him.
Saw this last night and my god it was worth all those years of waiting. Definite nominations for Linda and Danny, and I'd love to see Michelle Williams win. Most deserving of a nomination, though, is Gayle Rankin. She exudes this perfect blend of desperation and malice that never renders her utterly unsympathetic, which is a pitfall Fraulein Kost can easily fall into.
This is one of the best things I've ever seen, and it was most definitely the best audience I've ever been a part of. I've never heard an audience go crazy like we all did when the spotlight first hit Alan Cumming's face. I know entrance applause isn't everyone's favorite thing, but everyone was just so obviously happy to see him that the theatre erupted.
I know people have been talking about the final image for years, but for me the one that I'll remember the most is the one just before that, when one by one the characters are hit with spotlights as they watch Cliff leave Berlin. Fraulein Schneider looks utterly hopeless, Sally doesn't have any expression at all, Fraulein Kost is grim determination, and Herr Schultz is smiling. My God.
I assume they'll be performing at the Tonys even though they won't be up for best revival. I really hope they go with Cabaret over Wilkommen, even though I don't see that happening.
Edit: Forgot to mention how great it is when the orchestra plays the title song during the entracte. The audience went insane. I teared up several times during the evening, but this was the most emotional.
The production has a great deal going for it. Cumming may be better than ever. Emond is outstanding. Burstein gives the performance one would expect, which is just fine.
Heck and Williams withhold the vulnerability that is necessary to through-line the tragedy at the core of the show, a play about people we should care about doing the best they can under the yoke of history. Heck makes Cliff an even duller role than it usually is. Williams's works far too hard to prove she can handle Sally's hard edges and musical reqs. She certainly can. But it's a case of three goose-steps forward and six Munich Agreements back, sacrificing what could have made her Sally brilliant. All of this great actress's famous warmth, sensitivity and charm - and a great deal of her intelligence and intuition - is no where to be seen. Instead we get a Sally who steamrolls in willful eccentricity but is almost completely unlikeable. What a shame as Williams, in addition to being far more than capable of handling the singing and dancing, could have completely nailed the character. Perhaps Mendes was asleep at the wheel.
I do know there is a bootleg in existence but I haven't seen it on any of the tumblr sites I visit. Only one person saying it is a limited trade item and that they have it. I like it better when people just upload them.