Cabaret at Whilshire Theatre, L.A. April 20, 1999 Table 21 # 4

When I went to Broadway last September and got the Mezzanine table seats for Cabaret by luck: Bliss!!. But then, Alan Cumming took 10 week off (actually much longer than that) and I ended up seeing Robert Sella. I must admit I was less than satisfied with the whole production (see the review). So, when I learned that the first national tour of Cabaret was coming to L.A. with Teri Hatcher, I wasn't sure if I wanted to folk up another $70 to see the production. The luke warm L.A. Times review about Hatcher didn't help me either, and when I saw the opening number "Willkommen" performed at Jay Leno Show, I was turned off. Nobert Leo Butz shouted the song away most of the time and I felt the casting was all wrong.

Boy, how wrong I was when you see it as whole in the theatre!! I was in L.A. last Tuesday and saw the show from the front table seat (obtained a few days ago!) and was totally blown away by the production. Yes, Nobert's emcee was totally different from Alan's: he is more butchy, in-your-face attitude, not as sensual as Alan but still sexy and creepy. He did not play on Sunday performances, so he had extra energy to grab your heart. I think that Sella had to follow somewhat the line of Alan (understandably) when filling in on Broadway, so he faced with the limitation, which made me (and others) think it wasn't just right. But Nobert could work on his own emcee interpretation, totally away from Alan's influence (it must be easier to do so because the touring production is physically very far away from Broadway) and established his own style. Even though I feel Alan was made for emcee, I still could accept Nobert's style and truly appreciated his naughty performance.

Teri Hatcher was absolutely brilliant and whether she took an intensive vocal training after the opening night or the L.A. Times reviewer completely missed it, she was fabulous both in singing and acting. Maybe too good for a second-rate singer at Kit Kat Klub. Definitely much better than Jennifer Jason Leigh. Hatcher's Sally had an irresistible charm (which is VERY important for Sally role) and was totally care-free. Not only I was mesmerized by her long legs (so skinny!), I was pleasantly surprised by her rendition of "Don't Tell Mama" and "Mein Herr." I had a real problem with JJL's former song, her dictation was terrible and I couldn't hear her lyrics well. Hatcher perfectly executed the latter song, and it gave me chills. She has a tendency to speak out some lyrics rather than singing, which is okay unless she overuses it. JJL's "Cabaret" was sung like she is totally stoned and at the end, she shouted the lyrics, but Hatcher sang it with piercing pain. The only thing stuck in my mind was that her appearance might be a bit too modern for that era (hair style especially. BTW, her make up is quite different from the press photo). She could have portrayed a bit troubled side of Sally (She didn't have an ounce of "bad news" allure) and shown a bit more street-smartness, which my favorite Jane Harrock did extremely well.

I cannot say enough about Rick Holmes as Clifford Bradshaw, that he was so sweet! When I saw the show on Broadway, it was hard to believe that Clifford was really interested in Sally or really cared about her (especially the last scene when Clifford was packing to go to Paris). But Rick made the role more compassionate at the same time interesting. Clifford doesn't have a full solo song in the show and the role is often seen as insignificant compared to other powerful characters. Yet Rick managed to pull the attention of the audience well. For some reasons, he reminded me of Nathan Lane, but he is another Hunk Watch potential!

I saw standby Fraulein Schneider, Olga Tayln, and she was fine except she looked more Jewish than German. Herr Shultz was played by Dick Latessa whose "Married" was tender and sweet. Another wonderful performance was given by Jeannie Morick (Fritzie, Fraulein Kost). Her make up was border line grotesque, and she danced with full of bitterness. Yet when I saw her painful expression when she said "and I'm looking for two Marks" to Herr Schultz, I could see Fraulein Kost's complexity, which I did not experience in Broadway production. I did not realize that when she tells Ernst that Herr Schultz' identity, in this production she told so innocently (like it's slipped), not because of spite for Fraulein Shneider. Is the direction the same in Broadway too? I couldn't catch such subtle nuance from Mezzanine.

The stage structure was slightly different from Broadway too. There are two elongated steps for each side of front stage where actors can go in and out. So at the telephone scene, Clifford was standing between the tables. Cabaret setting seats was definitely a plus, not only the audience can enjoy the atmosphere but the cast can interact with the audience much better than the traditional theatre setting. It's unfortunate that this table seating won't be carried on after L.A.. One complaint, why they didn't serve any alcoholic beverage at Whilshire Theatre? They do on Broadway (and charges arms and legs). When I saw "No under 21 yr old at table seating" on the ticket, I thought they were going to serve some drinks.

Overall, in my mind the tour production clearly triumphed over Broadway one. I felt it was overrated after I saw the show on Broadway, but after seeing the touring company, my impression was turned around.

I strongly recommend catching this touring company if it comes to your town! I heard after D.C. run, most of the principles will leave the tour company in August (definitely Hatcher), so try to see the show before D.C. !


Want to read more reviews? Go to 1997, 1998, or 1999 1st quarter.

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