Theatre Review: Cabaret, Liverpool Empire Theatre

Sep 23 2008 by Vicky Anderson, Liverpool Daily Post

Wayne Sleep and Samantha Barks as the Emcee and Sally Bowles in Cabaret _220

THE decadence and depravity of 1930s Berlin rolled into town last night, from its gender-bending club stars to the terrifying politics that would leave a world at war.

This production of Cabaret, needless to say, takes some getting used to for fans of the film. Its sexuality is brazen and garish and more akin to something like the Rocky Horror Show.

Yet once the audience is bedded in it becomes clear that perhaps as a medium, theatre could go where 1970s cinema feared to tread.

There is some very brief nudity in this production, done once for comic effect and twice to make poignant reference to the Holocaust, so it was embarrassing to hear nervous laughter at a few naked behinds at that point.

However, saucier numbers, like Two Ladies, are ones that might make you think twice before bringing the kids.

To counter all this there is the late blossoming romance of landlady Fraulein Schneider and Jewish grocer Herr Schultz, which begins with two people finding genuine companionship only to be ripped apart by the Nazis, with more trouble certainly ahead.

Carrying the highs of the Kit Kat Club’s hedonism and the tragic lows of its demise is Wayne Sleep, who is brilliant as the Emcee.

Henry Luxemberg, last seen as a serial killer in Hollyoaks some years back, has a good stab at capturing the confusion and the vulnerability of American Cliff, who finds keeping one’s principles when all around are losing theirs easier said than done.

The big question was, could 17-year-old Samantha Barks carry off the iconic role of Sally Bowles? The I’d Do Anything runner up showed she has guts to spare and shone as the troubled, coquettish club singer.

Bursting as it was with life and humanity, this was a great production and the best touring musical to come through Liverpool in a long time.

CABARET is on at the Empire until Saturday.

vickyanderson@dailypost.co.uk