Cabaret: The New Broadway Cast Recording (1998 Broadway Revival) [Cast Recording] [Cast Recording]

Editorial Reviews
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....

Cabaret: The New Broadway Cast Recording (1998 Broadway Revival) [Cast Recording] [Cast Recording]

Cabaret: The New Broadway Cast Recording (1998 Broadway Revival), Music, John Kander, Fred Ebb, Cast Recordings, Musical, Musicals, Original Cast Recordings, Pop, Show Tunes, Showtunes / B'way

Average customer rating:

Cabaret CD

A TRULY REMARKABLE REVIVAL

"Cabaret" revival

Alan Cummings can ruin anything!

I didn't see the show

Cabaret: The New Broadway Cast Recording (1998 Broadway Revival)
John Kander , and Fred Ebb
Manufacturer: RCA Victor Broadway
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B000007QGL
Release Date: 1998-06-30

Tracks:

Willkommen
So What
Don't Tell Mama
Mein Herr
Perfectly Marvelous
Two Ladies
It Couldn't Please Me More
Tomorrow Belongs To Me
Maybe This Time
Money
Married
Tomorrow Belongs To Me (Reprise)
Entr'Acte
Married (Reprise)
If You Could See Her
What Would You Do?
I Don't Care Much
Cabaret
Finale

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

Customer Reviews:

Cabaret CD.......2007-04-03

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

A TRULY REMARKABLE REVIVAL.......2007-03-05

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.

"Cabaret" revival.......2007-02-20

We are actually performing this show at TMCC (Truckee Meadows Community College, Reno NV) next month, so I purchased this CD for reference. For those only familiar with the Liza Minelli movie, the play itself is very different. There are some good songs by Kander and Ebb and Alan Cumming does a wonderful job as the Emcee. Natasha Richardson cannot vocally compare to Liza Minelli; however, on stage, perhaps this served her well to better embody a Sally Bowles who sings in a tawdry Berlin cabaret. For the most part, although I am performing in it, it is not a show I would care to see, and I am not so fond of the music that I'll listen to the CD after the show is over. As a matter of fact, our music director asked us to stop listening to it since it is different from the actually score we have.

Alan Cummings can ruin anything!.......2006-07-22

I am NOT an Alan Cummings fan, everything I have seen him do has grated on my nerves like chalk on a blackboard. Aside from him, terrific interpretation, realistic, and the other performances, Richardson imparticularly, are first rate. Never mind Richardsons less than Minelliesque singing voice, she acts the part dead on, she IS what Sally Bowles would have been.

I didn't see the show.......2006-04-19

But I am a big fan of the music. While I get the fact that Sally Bowles is supposed to be second-rate and I'm all for doing Cabaret as realistically as possible, I still find it extremely difficult to listen to Natasha's Richardson's singing. I just can't figure out why one would voluntarily subject oneself to something so terrible and painful to listen to. The patrons of the "real" Kit Kat Club were obviously really drunk and depressed while listening to Sally Bowles, but I'm not prepared to get wasted every time I want to listen to the music of Cabaret. I don't doubt that Natasha Richardson was great in the role, but maybe it was necessary to see her in the the show to derive pleasure from her songs here.

Everyone else is fine.

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