Catherine Bennett resumes the weekly look at the performing arts world, with the sad end of Jerusalem, the luck of a cabbie, and French revolt. Do you hear the people sing?
Adam Alcock reviews Nigel Kennedy playing Vivaldi's Four Seasons and his own Four Elements at York Opera House.
Catherine Bennett highlights the trends in the performing arts world today.
Jonathan Cridford reviews 'Ghosts', one of the Freshers' plays for this year.
Cabaret is set in Berlin during the rise of the Nazi party. It follows an English performer and prostitute Sally Bowles who has a rose-tinted view of life and a total aversion to the nation's politics. Bowles is expertly played by Siobhan Dillon, the second runner up from the BBC programme 'How do you solve a problem like Maria'. Her understanding of the character added an incredible complexity and emotion to her performance, stealing the show and lifting triumphantly the sombre tone of the story.
Despite having to deal with the harrowing themes of terror, despair, death and anti-Semitism, the production maintained an atmosphere of class and sophistication. The subtle introduction of Nazi imagery throughout the show built a growing sense of dread and made the audience visibly stunned during the finale. The song that closes the first act is beautifully sung by one of the more charismatic chorus members. This image is then purposely ruined by the unveiling of his full Nazi attire which sets the tone for the slicker second half.
This show did feature nudity and scenes of a sexual nature and in some cases it felt slightly unnecessary. The groping and kissing of the chorus members occasionally seemed to overwhelm the activity in the foreground, yet the competency of the leads held the show together. Instead of relying on the iconic movie with Liza Minnelli for inspiration, this production established its own style and approached the show with fresh eyes. The clever use of oversized free-standing letters, sliding ladders and glittery curtains created a cohesiveness between the cast and the set which really drew the audience in.
Unfortunately, after having watched eighty minutes of pure escapism and entertainment, the atmosphere of the performance was unfortunately punctured by Wayne Sleep as Emcee and his decision to break with character and interact with the audience. By letting his German persona drop and making references to York and the Theatre Royal he somewhat ruined the dramatic tension the cast had worked so hard to create. It brought the audience crashing back to earth and reminded us that we were simply sat in a theatre.
Overall, this is a entertaining production which managed to keep the audience engaged for the entirety. The chorus lacked the energy and enthusiasm that the leads possessed, yet they seemed to understand the intense and sometimes difficult nature of the musical and its subject matter.
Cabaret is showing at the Grand Opera House York until the 21st November.
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