All I knew of Cabaret before last week was it had a club named after a chocolate bar. I’m very pleased to say the show exceeded my expectations, and I was glad to “have a break” and visit the Kit Kat Club!
Keeping spoilers light, the show follows Clifford Bradshaw (Daniel Bowerbank) as he moves to Berlin, looking for inspiration for his latest novel. He meets Kit Kat Club performer, Sally Bowles (Hannah Dodd), and Cliff’s Berlin experience takes some unexpected turns. Meanwhile, Cliff’s landlord, Fraulein Schneider (Vivien Parry), has a relationship of her own with fruit connoisseur, Herr Schultz (Fenton Gray), with life-changing implications. Overseeing all this is the master of ceremonies, Emcee (Rob Madge) in a role that effectively serves as the narrator, with his performers.
The word I’d use to describe the show is “unsettling”, but in far from a bad way. The story lulls you into a false sense of security, with the first act being much longer than the second (at 1 hour 45 mins) and lighter in tone. Emcee is eerie, wild, and unpredictable here, both hilarious yet shocking. His performers, who feel like puppets he controls on stage, weave through the audience looking menacing, interacting with theatre-goers. Sally’s care-free attitude kept me on my toes, and her songs are full of flare and had me toe-tapping throughout. You know though this laissez-faire attitude will come at a cost.
The second act is much shorter (at 45 minutes) and the atmosphere takes a shift very quickly. There’s a song early on involving Emcee which had audience members in my showing laughing just as they did in the first act. As the song progressed however, the laughter dissipated and audience members realised what was happening. You could hear a pin-drop in the Kit Kat Club. This tone continues throughout the act, being heavy, but very cleverly done and the messaging behind it is on-point.
The performance I went to was just the third or fourth performance by Rob Madge and Hannah Dodd who took over the roles of Emcee and Sally respectively on 29 May 2025. These roles often cycle big name stars, and I was a bit unsure as I’d not seen much about Rob and Hannah. They were wonderful though! While I didn’t have any comparisons to make having not seen the show before, Rob’s portrayal of Emcee was intense and assured, and made me want to laugh (and cry!). Hannah was also excellent, conveying Sally’s very diverse emotions, and exploring some complex themes and decisions. Rob and Hannah will appear until 20 September 2025!
The entire cast were fantastic, and the venue itself was immersive and a perfect fit for the show. The stage, while simple, was dynamic and allowed for audience members on all sides of the stage to get a great view. I can’t recommend the show enough – a huge kudos to the cast and crew.
Get yourselves down to the Kit Kat Club!
Chris
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