John Kander's "remixed" Cabaret?

[darquegk]

Did anyone get to see the "remixed" edition of Cabaret supervised by John Kander? Last I heard, he was demoing it with a prestigious youth company, mixing elements from the four canonical versions of the show (Broadway, film, Broadway revival and West End revival) plus material that had never been showcased in a major production before.

What did this production end up looking like, and what was the song stack?

[Ledaero]

Yes, I saw it! It was produced at Manhattan School of Music this past spring. It was essentially Kander's "perfect" version of Cabaret, splicing together pieces from all forms of the show. I thought it worked well, though the cast was pretty amateur since their MT program is so new. My highlights from the evening were the new arrangements of some of the songs, particularly Married having an added choral part that is reminiscent of 'Til Tomorrow from Fiorello. Would be interested in seeing this draft put on its feet again in a more professional setting, but I'll live with the current licensed versions as well.

[darquegk]

Do you have the program with a song list from that production? I’m curious what was in and what was out.

[darquegk]

Update: I found the program and song list; It looks (song-wise) as though they took the 1987 and added the three "1990s" songs to it.

ACT ONE
“Willkommen” Emcee and Company
“So What” Fräulein Schneider
“Don’t Tell Mama” Sally and Kit Kat Girls
“The Telephone Song” Company
“Mein Herr” Sally and Kit Kat Girls
“Perfectly Marvelous” Sally and Cliff
“Two Ladies” Emcee and Two Ladies
“It Couldn’t Please Me More” Herr Schultz and Fräulein Schneider
“Tomorrow Belongs to Me” Tenor and Men
“Don’t Go” Cliff
“Maybe This Time” Sally
“Money” Emcee and Kit Kat Girls
“Married” Herr Schultz and Fräulein Schneider
“Tomorrow Belongs to Me (Reprise)” Fräulein Kost and Ernest and
Company
Intermission
ACT TWO
Entr’acte
“Married (Reprise)” Herr Schultz
“If You Could See Her” Emcee
“What Would You Do?” Fräulein Schneider
“I Don’t Care Much” Emcee
“Cabaret” Sally
“Finale” Cliff, Emcee, Sally and Company

[CATSNYrevival]

Did this run 3 and a half hours?

[darquegk]

I wouldn’t be surprised; the 1987 is already rather ponderous and usually runs close to 3. I think part of the success of the Mendes version was how comparably sleek and streamlined it felt.

[Someone in a Tree2]

And even in this exhaustive song list, poor unloved Meeskite failed to make the cut.

[darquegk]

The authors never loved the song, according to their autobiography. Soon as Jack Gifford was gone they started cutting it, and when Fred Ebb played Schultz on the reference recording of the 1987 version, he admitted the song only worked for Gilford, and nobody else quite got it.

[qolbinau]

darquegk said: "The authors never loved the song, according to their autobiography. Soon as Jack Gifford was gone they started cutting it, and when Fred Ebb played Schultz on the reference recording of the 1987 version, he admitted the song only worked for Gilford, and nobody else quite got it. "

I’m not aware of this recording. Who are the cast? Is this something that accompanies the licensing of the show?

[CATSNYrevival]

qolbinau said: "I’m not aware of this recording. Who are the cast? Is this something that accompanies the licensing of the show?"

It’s the Jay Records recording.

https://www.jayrecords.com/recording/cabaret/

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

Well, ****, now I don't feel so bad about being inspired by Hal's autobiography to go back to the three-act construct if I ever do Cabaret...

[BJR]

Talk about a top-heavy Act One! I'd say the most egregious is Cliff's Don't Go. I'd be curious to see how it's worked into the book, because I just don't think it's needed.

That said, others, like Telephone Song, could easily be worked back in.

[darquegk]

Plus, if I recall the '87 version (which seems to be the model here), this version of Money is a three-part suite with "Sitting Pretty," "Money" and "Parade of Nations/Sitting Pretty (Reprise)," the Telephone Song also includes the extended dance sequence, and there's the Fruit Shop Dance, which I believe the '90s version used as underscoring instead.

[The Distinctive Baritone]

Being very familiar with all three licensed versions of Cabaret, I have to say that the Roundabout version is by far the best. Cliff doesn’t get a solo in it, but neither “Don’t Go” nor “Why Should I Wake Up” are particularly good songs, and both stop the momentum of the show dead in its tracks. Cliff just isn’t that interesting, which has always been the show’s biggest (and only) flaw.

[darquegk]

I’m a fan of the Roundabout version too. I’ve twice done the ‘87; and those three “dance sequences” just kind of go on and on.