Manchester Theatre News & Reviews

Cabaret - Read Our Review of this 5 star production - 10/10

One of our theatre loving reviewers, Karen Ryder, visited the Palace to watch and review Cabaret for us. The following day, she is still blown away...

“Why all the hatred? It’s exhausting.”

I honestly don’t know how to start this review other than stealing the above line from the show. At the interval, I had several options running through my head - a few play on words about kit kats and clubs, witty comments I’d heard from the audience, a few smutty double entendres - but now, it all seems, wrong. I’m in shock. The whole audience were silenced, and - quite rightly, I’m still carrying it with me.

Everyone should see this production. It’s lasting message rings loud and clear. We must not forget. We must not let history EVER repeat itself. It’s chilling.

The show is set in 1930’s Berlin, just as the Nazi movement starts. Loyalties and friendships are sickeningly juxtaposed against the frivolity and fabulous fun of The Kit Kat Club, where anything goes and everyone is welcome.

The first half is classic musical, brilliant singing and unbelievable choreography. There’s a breath taking routine like no other I’ve ever seen, based around a moving scaffolding piece, where dancers literally leap and fall off it with such speed, grace, and craziness that it left me gaping in awe more than the nudity (and we’re talking full frontal, wish you weren’t sat next to your Dad nudity).

The blend of glitzy costumes, slick movement, music hall, sex, drugs and everything inbetween, provides the perfect Cabaret cocktail. It is served up in the Kit Kat Club to perfection with its secret ingredients - the cast. (And by the way, the audience comments was “I can only imagine the waxing bill for this production!)

John Partridge (EastEnders, Cats but to name a mere few)is phenomenal as the Emcee. He communicates through a variety of pitches, grunts, squeaks, looks, and silences. He has the audience eating out of the palm of his jazz hands. If he wants you to laugh, you laugh. If he wants to hear a pin drop, you’re holding your breath. He has every right to command the way he does, because he takes you on an emotional rollercoaster, from the hilarity of “Two Ladies” which answers how many people it’s humanly possible to fit in a bed, including a random giraffe, to the torture chambers at Auschweitz. He is outstanding, in every way.

Kara Lily Hayworth plays Sally Bowles and thoroughly makes the part her own, in a completely contrasting, yet equally impressive way to Liza Minnelli. She is cool, controlled, and believable. Her version of “Maybe This Time” wasn’t your usual musical theatre big rendition, but I appreciated it even more for the inner emotional fight you could she was going through.

Anita Harris (Fraulein Schneider) is mesmerising, Charles Hagerstown (Cliff) has a voice to melt butter, honestly the entire cast is a work of art in itself. The dancers make me want to dance again, so unbelievably athletic, yet light and graceful. Incredible.

The second half takes a darker turn and really pushes boundaries, taking you out of a jolly musical comfort zone, but boy is it worth it. Sadly, so many of it’s messages are still being learnt today, and this production packs a strong punch. From “If you could see her through my eyes”, to the choreographed scenes of brutal beatings, portrayed through excellent dance and lighting. The final scene is hands down the most powerful piece of theatre I’ve ever seen, and took this production straight to a 10/10 * rating.

We are taken to the gas chambers. We are right there with them. We see them symbolically being knocked down one by one. They are stripped bare, thinking they are going to the showers. They are not.

The curtain comes down to utter silence. No one knows what to do. How do you clap what you are witnessing? It’s wrong. But it’s a play, the done thing is to clap. It takes a good few moments of utter shock and silence before anyone knows what to do. It’s is so, so powerful. I’m getting chills just remembering it.

I urge everyone to go and watch this production. It will entertain, have you belly laughing, have you crying, feeling sick to the stomach, and hopefully leave you feeling more tolerant of “different “.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE DETAILS ABOUT CABARET & TO BOOK TICKETS