Track Listing

1. Willkommen
2. So What
3. Don't Tell Mama
4. Mein Herr
5. Perfectly Marvelous
6. Two Ladies
7. It Couldn't Please Me More
8. Tomorrow Belongs To Me
9. Maybe This Time
10. Money
11. Married
12. Tomorrow Belongs To Me (Reprise)
13. Entr'Acte
14. Married (Reprise)
15. If You Could See Her
16. What Would You Do?
17. I Don't Care Much
18. Cabaret
19. Finale

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #26169 in Music
• Released on: 1998-06-30
• Number of discs: 1
• Format: Cast Recording

Amazon.com
The 1998 Broadway production of Cabaret is that rarest of revivals, one that feels like an utterly new show. Despite their incredibly familiarity, the songs of Kander and Ebb sound as lively and lascivious as ever, and the revised score augments the original with several tunes written specifically for the Oscar-winning 1972 film ("Mein Herr," "Maybe This Time"). In the central roles of deluded chanteuse Sally Bowles and the MC, respectively, Natasha Richardson and Alan Cumming have big pumps to fill; they successfully do so with distinctive flair, eschewing the ham-fisted tendencies of Liza Minnelli and Joel Grey to impart this complicated yet enthralling vision of 1930s Berlin with a fiercely individual spirit. --Kurt B. Reighley

Entertainment Weekly
Natasha Richardson's modest Sally Bowles quite resembles originator Jill Haworth's, making Liza the anomaly. The new disc is splendid....

People
Natasha Richardson, as Berlin nightclub singer Sally Bowles, has none of the emotional neediness Liza Minnelli came by so naturally. Alan Cumming makes a suitably decadent Emcee, but without the undertones of menace mustered by Joel Grey.

Customer Reviews

3.5 New better than old!
"Life is a cabaret..." Indeed it is my friends, and no horrifyingly beautiful music can tell it quite like the Cabaret itself. This musical is nothing but beautiful ballads, and that is what I love. While the original Broadway cast comes with five additional songs, they are just songs from the show, sung by someone else with bad quality. This recording actually comes with "Maybe This Time" which is not on the original cast, and it is one of my favorite songs! The major difference between old and new casts is the evilness of the emcee. In this recording Alan Cumming is sinister and almost sadistic in his portrayal of the emcee, while in the Original Grey takes a much milder tone with the character. In addition to that, the music in this recording is much more interesting and engaging. So if you are having to decide which Cabaret to get, get this one hands down. If your just looking for the next addition to your Broadway or music collection, this is full of Jazz and burlesque style music. I think it's good to listen straight through, but not exactly a typical Broadway CD. Favorite Song: "Maybe This Time"

Cabaret CD
This was a great production. My son is an actor and loves Broadway. It's one of our favorits.

A TRULY REMARKABLE REVIVAL
The 1998 revival of John Kander and Fred Ebb's `Cabaret' belongs to a handful of revivals that actually stand equal, if not better, to the original production. Although most people know `Cabaret' as the Oscar winning movie with Joel Grey and Liza Minelli, the stage production, which bears little resemblance to the movie, remains the definite version of the story and the score.

This CD captures the main musical numbers of the highly acclaimed 1998 Broadway revival of the show. Directed by Sam Mendes, it run for six years and won four Tony awards. We follow the events in 1929-1930 Berlin, during the rise of Hitler and the Nazis. This main plot has few other layers: the relationship between a young American writer Cliff Bradshaw and the London cabaret singer Sally Bowles, together with the problems facing the relationship between Cliff's landlord, Fraulein Schneider and her Jewish suitor Herr Schultz. The whole plot is presented and affected by the Emcee (The Master of Ceremonies) who is the main character and runs the cabaret at Berlin's `Kit Kat Club'.

This revival has considerable changes when compared to the original production (directed by Hal Prince in 1996) and the 1972 movie version. The score was re-orchestrated and played by the bigger orchestra. The orchestrations themselves feature a fresh, lively sound. Some of the songs written for the movie are also featured here (`Mein Herr'; `Money'). There were some differences in the staging as well. Whereas in the original production at the end of the show the Emcee himself is shown wearing the Nazi insignia, this revival has him stripped in the concentration camp striped suit, with a yellow star of David (denoting a Jew) and a pink triangle (denoting a homosexual). The appeal of this revised score is easily seen on this CD. The highlights include `Willkommen' (Emcee's invitation to come in and leave our troubles outside); Sally Bowles' and Emcee's cabaret numbers (`Cabaret', `Don't tell mama'; `Two ladies', `Money'...) or the deeply disturbing `Tomorrow belongs to me' (where a group of party guests shows their enthusiastic support for the rising Nazi Party). The score is generally very enjoyable and grabs you from the start.

One of the main reasons this revival was so successful is its excellent cast. The highest praise goes to Alan Cumming who deservedly won a Tony award for his new take on the role of the Emcee. Joel Grey's great interpretation (both on the stage and in the movie) gave us a puppet-like character in a tuxedo. Cumming created a whole new personality for this revival. His Emcee is far sleazier, humoresque and sexualized, with a vulgar make up and less clothing. He gives a truly inspiring performance on this recording; since his voice alone manages to capture all these things and leaves no doubt that his Tony was well deserved. Natasha Richardson makes a vivid Sally, yet a bit more in the borders of what this character should be (not sheer talent as shown by Minelli in the movie). She and Cumming make a wonderful driving force for this show, supported by the rest of the wonderful cast.

The CD is another one of RCA Victor's lush releases with the production photos, a libretto, reviews and accompanying production notes. The sound on the recording is excellent.

Whether this is another recording for your `Cabaret' collection or you simply want to get a single `Cabaret' recording, this is the one to choose. Alan Cumming's interpretation of the Emcee is worth the price of the entire disk. A must have for `Cabaret' fans.