Eddie Redmayne & Jessie Buckley to lead West End CABARET in Fall 2021

[jacobsnchz14]

Posted: 5/20/21 at 7:55pm

Earlier this month, Baz Bamigboye of The Daily Mail reported that Academy Award-winning actor Eddie Redmayne and BAFTA nominee Jessie Buckley were in serious talks to star in a West End revival of Kander and Ebb's classic musical Cabaret.

Tonight, Baz has confirmed that the high-profile stars have officially signed on to portray the Emcee and Sally Bowles, respectively, in a new production from director Rebecca Frecknall.

Production designer Tom Scutt, choreographer Julia Chen, lighting designer Isabella Byrd, and sound designer Nicholas Lidster, and music director Jennifer Whyte have also joined the team of the revival.

The production is expected to begin performances at "The Kit Kat Klub" in November 2021. Tickets sales begin June 28. Sign up at https://kitkat.club for updates.

https://www.broadwayworld.com/article/Confirmed-Eddie-Redmayne-and-Jessie-Buckley-to-Star-in-CABARET-West-End-Creative-Team-Announced-20210520

Updated On: 5/20/21 at 07:55 PM

[RippedMan]

Posted: 5/20/21 at 9:03pm

Curious to know the venue and what approach they'll take, but this sounds great. 

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 5/20/21 at 9:17pm

It’s going to be at The Playhouse.

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 5/21/21 at 10:13am

Edit - it looks like it’s not going to The Playhouse as originally posted, but another venue they’re remodeling to turn into “The Kit Kat Club”.

[henrikegerman]

Posted: 5/21/21 at 11:55am

Can we talk about Jessie Buckley.  I mean... is there anything this woman cannot do?  Whats more, brilliantly?

[TaylorF221]

Posted: 5/21/21 at 12:00pm

Jordan, it is at the Playhouse, they're remodeling it into the round, reducing capacity, and renaming for the show!

[Sutton Ross]

Posted: 5/21/21 at 12:17pm

henrikegerman said: "Can we talk about Jessie Buckley. I mean... is there anything this woman cannot do? Whats more, brilliantly?"

100%

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 5/21/21 at 12:35pm

TaylorF221 said: "Jordan, it is at the Playhouse, they're remodeling it into the round, reducing capacity,and renaming for the show!"

I see. Thanks for that. In that case it looks like they’ll be taking out around 250 or so seats, presumably in the stalls to make it a true “cabaret setting”. Curious how the Dress and Upper Circles will be, or if they’ll be left alone with the adjustments only being downstairs. 

[JBroadway]

Posted: 5/21/21 at 12:45pm

I predict they'll leave the highest levels mostly untouched, and use it for cheaper seating. I feel like that's a common practice with shows that incorporate immersive seating into the orchestra/stalls. Just a guess though - we'll have to wait and see. 

And yes, Buckley is amazing. Her recent surge of fame is well-deserved. I have a feeling hers will be a Sally Bowles for the ages. 

Updated On: 5/21/21 at 12:45 PM

[Call_me_jorge]

Posted: 5/21/21 at 1:29pm

For those that have seen Rebecca Frecknall’s previous work how do you think she’ll approach this? Wonder if it will be more along the lines of the original or revival.

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 11/30/21 at 5:48am

I saw this last night and honestly, I was just blown away. It's hard for me to imagine any production of "Cabaret" that isn't the Mendes vision, but from the second your ticket is scanned you're just in another world and it sort of forces you to forget everything you knew about the show. My email said to arrive an hour early which I thought was a bit excessive but I did anyways and I'm very glad for that. You're taken through "tunnels" backstage and up and down stair cases in differently lit corridors which really make you feel like you're both in an underground setting and also completely turn you around, knowing where you are. The comparisons to "Sleep No More" are appropriate in the sense that there are musicians and performers who perform in different areas and you can follow them to their next "area" or stay where you are. I followed a few out to the main area (which, looking around I realized after a half hour was actually the usual main entrance) where we were treated to an insane (in a good way) dance performance, followed by a "the house is now open" announcement. Those same performers appeared in the Stalls and also where I was in the Dress Circle (not sure about Upper Circle), playing music and "dancing" until the show began. For 40 minutes or so there was ALWAYS something to watch around you. 

As for the performance, I thought it was just overall spectacular. Eddie Redmayne is a totally different Emcee than I've ever seen and for that, I was grateful. Because of the staging there was really no place for comparison to anyone else - I think Rebecca Frecknall can take as much credit for that as Redmayne, really.  Jessie Buckley's Sally was a lot different than I expected. Having read about her manic performance, I suppose they've decided to tone it down a bit and she was a lot softer in places that I'd heard she was "manic". Her performance of the title song was very strong, I thought and struck just the right balance of sadness and anger that she brought to her Sally. Sally is one of the most interesting characters in all of musical theater to me. It can be played a million different ways and really, none of them are wrong. She can be played as Happy, Sad, Depressed, Angry, Bitter, the list goes on and they can ALL work. 

As for talk of Broadway, I can't see how this could work anywhere without the same "Underground Berlin Nightclub" experience they have here. The show looks and feels expensive and lavish and that would all have to find a way to transfer with it. Is there another theater that would (right now) completely renovate itself for a show? Much like the Roundabout production, this one feels like it was built to last - it's not going anywhere anytime soon.

[dramamama611]

Posted: 11/30/21 at 7:24am

Wow, that sounds amazing....thanks for taking the time to tell us those details.

[adotburr]

Posted: 11/30/21 at 7:39am

Circle in the Square? You have to go downstairs to get to the theatre. They could renovate the stairs with a slow transition from daylight to dark with wall lights for the tunnel feel. The backstage are is so small (some of the dressing rooms are literally steps from the stage) so I’m not sure that would work. But if it did, then patrons can enter at a bunch of new spots in the theatre vs the doors in the downstairs lobby. 

[east side story]

Posted: 11/30/21 at 7:50am

Jordan Catalano said: "I saw this last night and honestly, I was just blown away.
 
You're taken through "tunnels" backstage and up and down stair cases in differently lit corridors which really make you feel like you're both in an underground setting and also completely turn you around, knowing where you are.
"

Okay, this just doubled my excitement. I cannot wait to see this production later this winter.

Updated On: 11/30/21 at 07:50 AM

[BJR]

Posted: 11/30/21 at 7:54am

Well damn. I guess I need to get to London to see this asap.

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 11/30/21 at 9:46am

It is the kind of show/event that if you’re able to travel, is worth it.

[Someone in a Tree2]

Posted: 11/30/21 at 9:50am

Curious if the song list is the original, the Mendes version, or something else entirely?

[Huss417]

Posted: 11/30/21 at 9:58am

Had a feeling this production was going to make me head to London sooner rather than later. :)

Thanks for the review Jordan.

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 11/30/21 at 10:07am

Someone in a Tree2 said: "Curious if the song list is the original, the Mendes version, or something else entirely?"

That, I believe, is the Mendes version - unless I completely missed something.

 

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 11/30/21 at 10:12am

Just looked at the program - it’s the Mendes version song list. 

[Wick3]

Posted: 11/30/21 at 11:23am

Jordan Catalano said: "As for talk of Broadway, I can't see how this could work anywhere without the same "Underground Berlin Nightclub" experience they have here. The show looks and feels expensive and lavish and that would all have to find a way to transfer with it. Is there another theater that would (right now) completely renovate itself for a show? Much like the Roundabout production, this one feels like it was built to last - it's not going anywhere anytime soon."

So glad you enjoyed it!!! The 'maze' portion reminded me of the off-bway musical KPOP where you go through different corridors to see different parts of the KPOP 'factory'. Not sure of any Bway theatre that can accomodate that same environment as the Playhouse Theatre in London.

I'm glad they toned down Sally's maniac episodes and I agree that Sally can be performed in many ways. I wonder how they do the timed entries. When I saw it two weeks ago, my entry time was 30 mins before curtain. That was just enough time to grab my free schnapps shot, watch a piano performance underground, go to the restroom, and find my seat. I wish I could have gotten there an hour earlier!

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 11/30/21 at 11:56am

I wanted that Schnapps’s shot so badly but given everything, you couldn’t pay me to remove my mask for anything right now. I’m curious what the entrances are like for other areas since the one I was told to go to was for the Dress Circle. Of course once inside it just led to the main area where the entrance to the Stalls was, so that was confusing. 

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 11/30/21 at 11:56am

I wanted that Schnapps’s shot so badly but given everything, you couldn’t pay me to remove my mask for anything right now. I’m curious what the entrances are like for other areas since the one I was told to go to was for the Dress Circle. Of course once inside it just led to the main area where the entrance to the Stalls was, so that was confusing. 

[Wick3]

Posted: 11/30/21 at 12:25pm

I sat in the stalls and our entrance was on the side. You immediately go downstairs where there's that big EYE logo pops at you. 

I went to the second preview two weeks ago and back then mask wearing was very lax. I recall I only saw 10-20% of the audience wearing masks. No one in the tables by the actors were wearing masks (then again, they had food out and champagne flowing etc.) My understanding at the time was because the theater required each and every patron to show a covid negative test taken within 48 hours before curtain, it was ok not to wear a mask indoors. 

Hopefully more people were wearing masks when you watched this show! 

[binau]

Posted: 11/30/21 at 12:29pm

Do any shows in the west end actually mandate masks? The compliance is indeed very low. Maybe it'll change because of Omicron.