Cabaret

Cabaret hits hard in current times. I admit to postponing seeing this show until now, to make sure I was emotionally ready. I originally scheduled it for October, but I continued to grow anxious the show would close early, as so many shows are doing in 2025. When I received an alert that Billy Porter would be out for my October show, I pulled it forward to September, as I did want to see both Billy Porter and Marisha Wallace together. Then I got another alert that Billy would be out for my September date, and I was advised to reschedule for Billy’s (then scheduled) return on Thursday, September 11. I had heard that Billy was in the hospital, so I thought (1) it seems unlikely Billy will actually be back on Thursday, and (2) do I really want to see him try to perform when he has been so sick and likely still recovering?

Literally the day before it was announced he is not returning and that the show would close early on September 21, I secured a seat for tonight. I feel so lucky I did so before the rush of folks rescheduling. While I was not able to get my dead center front row seat in Mezzanine 4 (the closer mezzanine), I was at least able to still get a front row seat in the same section, a bit off-center. I was far enough to the side that Marisha’s first entrance caught me my surprise (not explaining further to avoid any spoilers)!

The next day, after the announcement, my show appeared to sell out. The cast even commented after the show what a great audience we were, as I suspect it may have been their first full house in a while. I booked my seat not knowing if I would get Marty Lauter or David Merino as the Emcee, and I actually did not really care, as I had heard both of them are just so good. I did double check that Marisha would be performing at my show, as I did want to see her.

Before I talk more about the show, I want to first discuss the pre-show. I have come to very much appreciate when directors take the time to establish a vibe before the show even starts. In a Seattle production of After Midnight, I wrote about how the lighting design and view of the set had a significant impact on me when I first walked into the house, well before the show actually started. At John Proctor is the Villain, the loud pop music sets a mood before the show starts. In several shows, there is a show before the show happening on stage. It is always good to get to your seat early! In this production of Cabaret, the director starts setting the mood before you even enter the venue. This pre-show vibe matters and can greatly add to the experience. I will avoid spoilers, so I will just say pay attention to your surroundings as you are entering the Kit Kat Club. It is so thoughtful and so well done.

Once inside, there is live entertainment in the basement as well as several bars. It is fun to walk around and explore. The vibe and mood are being set.

I see enough shows that I absolutely love it when something unique jumps out at me. This only happens in a subset of the shows I see. In this production, I was fairly quickly in awe of the emcee’s stage make-up with this lighting design and on this set. It is hard to explain, but it triggered a unique emotional response. Kudos to the make-up design by Guy Common and the lighting design by Isabella Byrd. Guy and Isabella established my first impression once the show started, and this is standout exceptional work.

I also want to call out the sound design by Nick Lidster. I am picky about sound, and this is one of best quality shows I have experienced for sound design. The acoustics in the venue are so good, and the orchestra placement also worked so well. My ears were very happy throughout this show.

This is where I get myself in trouble writing these reviews after midnight, as I do not have the energy to call out every single member of the company. Instead, I will say the production quality was excellent across the board. Shout out to director Rebecca Frecknall for leading such an incredible team.

My performance had quite a few understudies, and I do want to call them out, as they did such a great job. David Merino was listed as an understudy for the Emcee tonight, perhaps simply because the Playbills will not be updated, but let’s just call them the lead now (along with Marty). They are so fantastic in this role. They were also a joy to meet after the show, as they are so kind and clearly having so much fun with their success in this show. They even photobombed my picture with Marisha, which I love.

Price Waldman filled in for Herr Schultz, Corinne Munsch filled in for Fritzie/Kost, Kayla Jenerson filled in for Rosie, Christian Kidd filled in for Lulu, and Karl Skyler Urban filled in for Herman/Train Officer/Max. Congrats to these performers for their great work tonight! The regulars were also fantastic tonight.

Marisha Wallace lived up to the hype, and her voice combined with the solid sound engineering made for such an enjoyable experience. This is a show I would enjoy seeing a second time, even though it is such a painful story. The rationalization would be to also see Marty, but I doubt my schedule will allow this. My compromise will just be to listen to the cast recording for a while. The music is so good.

I also really enjoyed the set, which is surprising to say given its simplicity. The experience was just so intimate and immersive, and the seating configuration was thoughtful and effective. I sat in the closer of the two mezzanines (aka the new mezzanine), and before the show, it felt odd seeing other audience members across from me in the other mezzanine, but once the show starts, you can no longer see them. I love these non-traditional seating configurations. Just In Time is another example of an immersive seating configuration, which I imagine was inspired by Cabaret. I did have a scare when I first sat down, in that a chandelier was dead center in my line of sight and blocked much of my view of the stage. Everyone around me was concerned about it. I went and asked the front of house staff about it, and they let me know the chandelier would be raised when the show started. I shared the good news with my seat neighbors, and we did a collective “phew!”

There is a limited amount of time to see this show before it closes, and this is a good one to prioritize. I am very happy I got to see it before it closes.

See more show reviews from 2025.