The Emcee: Cabaret- Page 2

[spidey_882]

Posted: 11/22/07 at 12:21pm

I saw Alan as the Emcee right before he left the show and he was really electric. He was both alluring and terrifyingly creepy at the same time. I couldn't take my eyes off him when he was onstage. I could see how that performance might seem hammy in video, but in person, he was absolutely magnetic.

[Josh Freilich]

Posted: 11/22/07 at 1:51pm

I agree with some people. He's not supposed to be the bad guy of the show. We all know that's Ernst Ludwig, representing the Nazi Party. The Emcee is not trying to support the Nazis. We all know that it's an anti-Nazi show. The things he was doing in the revival version, like doing the Nazi salute and stuff? That's all a joke, because as he makes the salute, he grows a mock Hitler mustache with his fingers. Soon after he does, he then makes a sign that says something like, "Ahh, screw it." In addition, he sings part of "Tomorrow Belongs to Me", a Nazi-esque anthem, in a mocking, utterly Anti-Nazi tone. And when he says "She wouldn't look Jewish at all" in the number "If You Could See Her," that, too, is supposed to be a joke, because he's not really on anyone's side. He's just here because he's illustrating the hatred of the people in Germany. He's trying to embody the whole "Life is a cabaret" philosophy, and that's the message at the end.

[EdmundOG]

Posted: 11/22/07 at 3:41pm

This seems like a good place to ask as any. Does anyone have a picture of Hall as the Emcee? I just got into "Dexter" and I'm curious to see him in his Emcee costume, but my internet searches, they do nothing.

[misschung]

Posted: 11/22/07 at 5:50pm

I could literally spend the whole day talking about the Emcee. He's my favorite musical theatre character given he's basically the more debauched and delluded version of the Stage Manager in Our Town.

That's interesting - I never would have thought of that.

In regards to Alan Cumming, there's no doubt the man looks gorgeous in that strange suspender-pant contraption. As for his accent, I've never warmed up to it. His acting, however, is brilliant. He plays the role so deliciously decadent that it's hard to resist him.

I completely agree with you. I've never seen him live *cough* and I still think he's a fantastic actor. The accent was just off-putting to me - he sounded more French than German; it was just a bit too loquacious IMO. No question that the Emcees succeeding him followed his lead, though.

I prefer Grey's interpretation only because I feel like he's more sinister - hiding more. But then again, the productions are so vastly different that it's almost impossible to even imagine transplanting Grey's Emcee to the Mendes production.

[TheBatBoy]

Posted: 8/6/13 at 6:55pm

I want to bring this topic back up again only because I'm curious about some possible research options for background. I am going to playing the Emcee soon and I wanted to find out if anyone has any recommendations on books, articles, videos, pieces to read that would help prepare for the character.

[The Other One]

Posted: 8/7/13 at 12:14am

I saw Esparza. Perhaps I caught him on a bad night, but he sleepwalked through Act One and his performance left a bad taste even though he did seem to wake up during intermission.

I heard that John Stamos was excellent, and it seems unlikely that he would have imitated Alan Cumming.

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 8/7/13 at 11:56am

This thread makes me feel 17,000 years old.

[CarlosAlberto]

Posted: 8/7/13 at 11:58am

....and you look it sweetie.

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 8/7/13 at 12:08pm

Anyway, to answer the actual question that brought it back:

Read Christopher Isherwood's stuff. I remember the first time I read The Berlin Stories, being a little disappointment that the Emcee and the clubs, etc. weren't mentioned as much as I had expected. I think I was bracing for Cabaret: The Memoir, which obviously was not what I got. But he's in there, and so is Sally, and on a much broader scale you'll get a sense of Berlin before the war. Isherwood's writings are some of the best (and only) firsthand records we have of that scene. Read The Berlin Stories and Christopher and His Kind. That one also touches on his time in Berlin quite a bit.

You should also read Van Druten's "I Am A Camera," which Cabaret is based on.

I can't vouch for them personally, but I do know I have seen books on cabaret in Berlin on some academic library shelves. If that's your thing, they exist. But I think it might help you, given what the Emcee sees, knows, and represents, to have a good command of what was going on in Berlin and in Germany at large at the time. Understand how and why the Weimar era came to be.

You might also want to watch some of Marlene Dietrich's films, and read about her life. The timing doesn't line up exactly, but she's still an important figure who might give you an idea of the time.

And then there's also the Cabaret coffee table (?) book. It's got the libretto but there's also some analytical material in there.

I'll see what else I can think of. I was just in Berlin recently and spent some time in what used to be the cabaret district in the 20s and 30s. It's a really elusive (but fascinating) period.

Updated On: 8/7/13 at 12:08 PM

Posted: 8/7/13 at 12:10pm

I saw Norbert Leo Butz as the Emcee and he was spectacular- one of the best stage performances I've ever seen.

And it seems there is some confusion over "If You Could See Her." It is mocking the Nazis, not Jews. He's talking about his girlfriend (a gorilla) being discriminated against even though she is a wonderful person and an upstanding citizen- then he springs it on the audience that she is treated this way because she's JEWISH.

Updated On: 8/7/13 at 12:10 PM

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 8/7/13 at 12:20pm

Also, a lot of the museums and other cultural institutions in Berlin are working together on what they're calling a "Theme Year" dedicated to commemorating the Weimar years, particularly all of the downfall and cultural destruction that happened in the years leading up to the war. You may want to look into what you can find about them online -- some of their websites are more thorough than others.

The anchor exhibition is at the Deutsches Historiches Museum. They have a free booklet that catalogs the exhibition -- I only have one that I'm not willing to part with, but maybe they would send one to you.

http://www.berlin.de/2013/start/ (There's a ton of stuff in their downloads section, looks like - Google Chrome will translate these pages.)

http://www.visitberlin.de/en/event/11-09-2013/diversity-destroyed-berlin-before-and-after-1933

http://www.berlin.de/2013/en/partners/central-projects-within-the-theme-year/diversity-destroyed-berlin-1933-1938/

http://www.dhm.de/ausstellungen/zerstoerte-vielfalt/en/

Some other stuff I have hiding in my bookmarks -

http://www.cabaret-berlin.com/

Some interesting book recs here: http://weimarstudies.wordpress.com/category/berlin/

Updated On: 8/7/13 at 12:20 PM

[PalJoey]

Posted: 8/7/13 at 12:45pm

Your first stop (after the Isherwood stories and the Van Druten play and film) should be this documentary that Alan Cumming narrates called "The Real Cabaret":

http://dangerousminds.net/comments/alan_cumming_the_real_cabaret

[GlindatheGood22]

Posted: 8/7/13 at 2:18pm

Must check out that documentary. Thanks!

And on a related note, when are we ever gonna get an official revival announcement?

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 8/7/13 at 2:22pm

When it's real?

[Gmerchant123]

Posted: 8/7/13 at 3:27pm

This link is proabbly the best understanding of the show that I have found!!
Analysis of Cabaret

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 8/7/13 at 4:01pm

Your link doesn't work; I got a weird mobile thing, and when I tried to take that out of the URL it said the page couldn't be found.

[g.d.e.l.g.i.]

Posted: 8/7/13 at 4:56pm

Try this.