Concert Report #3

Outside concert report

I had gone to see the Broadway production of Cabaret on Wednesday, June

at 2:00. The show included Alan Cummins as Emcee Michelle Williams as Sally
Bowles and Tony nominees for their roles, Linda Emond as Fraulien Schneider and
Danny Burstein as Herr Schultz. The plot line of Cabaret is very dark and it brings
you on a complete rollercoaster of emotions, but it is in my opinion, one of the
greatest pieces of Musical Theater ever crafted. Seeing this show done by different
theater companies is thrilling as each director takes on their own approach to the
plot and subplot, and the ending is freely scripted to go in any path the director
chooses. It is always a new experience each time you go.
11th

Under the direction of Todd Holmes, Cabaret takes on its original dark path
and invites the audience into a breaking the third wall setting in which you are
invited on stage, glared at, made fun of, and incorporated into the show. The setting
of the theater is that of an actual cabaret club. You have waitresses and waiters
walking around the theater coming up to your table and taking orders for drinks or
for food. It sets the mood to incorporate yourself into the show, and it makes you a
factor into the plot line as well. Throughout the cast, each member in the ensemble
plays an instrument and the orchestra is beautifully displayed above the stage.
Ensemble members occasionally play their instrument throughout the show. Of
course Alan Cummins is renowned for his role as Emcee and to see him perform as
this character live was exhilarating. He brings life to the character and truly makes
you leave your troubles behind. The ensemble of this show is a huge part in the
musical, as they almost never leave the stage. What I thoroughly enjoyed about the
show, is that the story is true and you get to live through the Nazi invasion of
Germany from a true historical point of view and you see the ignorant beliefs and
actions of the people of this society during this time. You are able to put yourself
into Nazi Germany and understand the fear of this time period.
Quite frankly, I thoroughly enjoyed every aspect of this show and I have
plans to see it again with friends soon. I do not believe there is one bad thing I could
say about this show. It had wonderful music and wonderful performers. Michelle
Williams brought a new light to Sally Bowles as Michelle Williams is more of an
actress and so Williams had portrayed great emotion and showed amazing
character development throughout the show. Michelle Williams truly captured the
role of Sally Bowles beautifully. The ending of the show was the classic Todd Holmes
ending with a bit of a twist. In the last production of Cabaret under the direction of

Todd Holmes, the Emcee revealed himself to be Adolf Hitler himself after portraying
the act of placing the full cast, and the audience into gas chambers. In this ending,
Alan Cummins removes his jacket to show that he himself is a prisoner of the
concentration camps and places himself in the gas chamber as well. The story of
Cabaret teaches you to love life, and to accept one another and each other for who
we are and not how we want others to view us. It is an amazing show to have during
this time period.
This production of Cabaret is absolutely phenomenal and I recommend that
all who can see it should see it immediately. Tickets are fairly priced, and although it
may not have received a Tony, the good news is that the ticket prices wont hike up!
Frank Auletti V51
Mrs. Baskerville prd. 3
Mrs. Ballard prd. 4
Mr. Johnson prd 5