Cabaret (2021 London Cast Recording) Review
This began as a text to my mom, but it became something I’m honestly kind of proud of. I have no one else to send it to, so Tumblr it is.
I am completely blown away by the new Cabaret recording. Jessie Buckley is amazing as Sally. Her voice is incredibly smooth and jazzy, but carries her emotion so profoundly. It’s a vessel for pain, pleasure, fear, and extravagance. She can really sing, which is rare for most Sallys (they usually rely on screaming the whole time). In my opinion, her standout performances are “Mein Herr,” “Don’t Tell Mama,” and “Maybe This Time.” The only song her voice is slightly underwhelming on is, ironically enough, “Cabaret.” That’s the only recorded performance from the show they’ve released though, and from what I’ve seen from it, this is her chance to act rather than sing. It’s more unhinged, but equally as chilling. Redmayne brings his Les Mis vibrato to the Emcee, which is rare for the character, and it’s just stunning. As iconic as Liza and Joel Grey are, the London cast certainly rivals them. Tomorrow Belongs to Me sounds like a church choir instead of a creepy Small World Doll (the reprise is like a soldier’s march), and Money is like a chilling mystery-movie score instead of a quick gag to separate acts. Buckley and Redmayne are inarguably the standouts, but not to a fault of the rest of the cast. No one leaves Cabaret and says “I guess Liza Minnelli was okay, but wow that Fraulein Schneider really blew me away!” It’s okay to have standout performances. I really like that, I’m assuming, they recorded it live. The laughing sounds really organic and without it a lot of Redmayne’s comedic timing would fall flat. The score and vocal performances become grittier and more like the “typical” Cabaret as it progresses, symbolizing Berlin’s fall to Nazism. It brings a lot of nuance and artistry to the show that is usually sidelined for the sake of it being Cabaret. The third to last song, “I Don’t Care Much,” sounds like it’s out of Phantom or such. It’s always been in the show, but this is the first time I’ve taken note of it while listening. That really speaks to Redmayne’s portrayal of the Emcee. The last number is chilling. It wraps up the absurdity of the show and weighs it down with the gravity of the reality of 1930’s Berlin. Redmayne ends the show singing alone with a single accordion, then with a gradual build-up of percussion that finally resembles the brutal sounds of war.
