I saw Cara Delevingne in CABARET | my thoughts on the new West End revival cast

I actually loved Cara's performance, she did miss her opening cue during the first song, but from her first appearance on the stage she owns that role, and I agree that the most important thing for the character of Sally is being able to portray the nuance and complexity, fire and feistiness, yet vulnerability and sense of isolation, and in that respect Cara ticks all the boxes for me. I actually liked her voice, you'er right she doesn't have a typical musical theatre voice, but it still stands up on its own, and she manages to get some great playfulness, subtlety, and at times pure raw emotion into her songs.

I also found myself not being convinced by Luke Treadaway, his vocals were probably the weakest of the Emcees I'd heard, either live or in recordings, plus I felt he was holding back, and that was a real shame, because I love when an Emcee has a flamboyance and enigmatic quality about him, which I felt was lacking in Luke's performance, particularly in "Two Ladies" where he did struggle with the vocals. Like when I first saw this production it was with Fra Fee, and whilst he wasn't as extroverted and flamboyant as his predecessor, he still provided us with a great deal of enigma and charm, as well as real depth and versatility.

Michael I also loved, and his onstage chemistry with Cara was fantastic, but the cast member I was most impressed with whom I hadn't seen in the show was Beverly Klein as Fraulein Schneider, her voice was probably the best on show that performance, and her "What Would You Do" absolutely tore my heart in pieces, she left absolutely everything out there on stage, in a thoroughly powerful and sincere performance!

I'll never forget her being a complete and utter jerk to a poor local morning news reporter trying desperately to help her promote her film.

I’m going to see this at the end of July. I regret cheapening out on my seats (trip from Canada already $$$) so I hope I get a decent view. Disappointed I won’t see Cara in the role, though still very much looking forward to it!

This is on my list for when I'm in London later this year so thank you for assuring me!

Cara’s acting was one of the bests among all people who played Sally! I love her voice but obviously she’s not the best singer out there which is ok for Sally. So even though she doesn’t have the voice for it, her acting and physical performance of Cabaret truly was fab.

Luke was a miss for me. My fav Emcee is Jake and I saw him 5 times! For an emcee, I need someone super mysterious looking and somewhat flamboyant (not too much tho! He needs to still keep that mysterious vibe which is why MAP wasn’t my fav). Luke could not portray the emcee well, looked and sounded out of place, and could not do any of the songs or choreographies justice imo especially in the second half.

Michael as Cliff is AMAZING! I finally care about Cliff! He has emotions and I get his charisma. I felt truly emotional at the end bit when he was wrapping up everything. Love him so so so much.

I got back from NYC almost 2wks ago and now after hearing your review I need to return to NYC for Eddie Redmayne and CABARET. Hope you and Aeron are have an enjoyable time in NYC. Stay well.

I was recently visiting friends in London from Canada, and my Cabaret tickets happened to fall on the first night’s performance with this new trio. I thoroughly enjoyed the performance and the energy of a new cast. I did not know who Cara was but really enjoyed her Sally; without comparison to previous Emcees, I thought Luke was really solid and I really enjoyed the production’s more menacing elements of the character (previously, most professional productions I’ve seen have been Roundabout replicas); and Michael was a true standout as Cliff. Such a lovely nuanced performance, and you’re right about his accent work. Having lived in both Canada and the UK, I am very particular about actors’ accents in either direction, and it’s incredibly tricky to manage in live theatre. Michael’s Cliff is definitely my all-time favourite thus far, and the whole Kit Kat Club experience was fantastic and absolutely worth splurging on the stalls. This and Mincemeat were my favourite musicals I saw this trip.

Funnily enough, I saw Fra Fee (along with Faith Omole) in the Almeida’s King Lear, and in that production it felt a bit like Yaël Farber went, “I have actors who can sing, and sing they shall!” It was one of the elements that didn’t make sense to me - yes, I know original practice productions would end in a jig, but it is very odd to have the corpses get up and sing, especially when I couldn’t make out any of the lyrics. Farber also brought the Fool back and gave him some of the play’s final lines, which I have Big Feels about. But there were also some genius elements - opening the play with Lear’s daughters dressing him and Cordelia placing his necktie sent shivers down my spine. The Almeida always gives me thought-provoking productions.

I saw Park and Apatatow. I really enjoyed it and this adaptation. I thought Park played the emcee less as a character and more as a force or representation of what was happening. Loved it.

I completely agree with your assessment of Cara & Luke. She was precisely “feral” and had pounded on her chest so hard during “Cabaret” that it was still red during the final bow. I saw Madeline Brewer last year, and her performance was excellent, but more contained.

If I hadn't been impressed w. Delevingne's performance in the current season of 'American Horror Story: Delicate' I might've been surprised by your review. But it seems she's turning out to be a model who is making a successful transition into acting. Good for her!

Haven't seen it or her, however am not a fan of stunt casting, I feel the show should be the star

I’m on the same page with everyone here about Michael, Cara, and Luke. Michael is the actor who finally made me enjoy Newsies, and he’s done it again by finally creating a Cliff Bradshaw I can actually believe Sally would fall for. He and Cara have the most genuine Cliff-Sally connection I’ve seen (and funnily enough I’ve seen the exact same casts as you for this production, including the current Broadway cast).

I had no idea what to expect from Cara and I was absolutely impressed. She is easily one of the most appealing Sallys. I feel that some of the Sallys lean mostly into the character’s brokenness, and not much into her charm. That makes it difficult to grasp why Cliff falls for her, but with Cara’s Sally, you can completely understand why he does.

Have to agree that Luke’s portrayal of the Emcee lacked impact. He definitely seemed to be acting in the style of a straight play, with an irrevocable subtlety throughout that doesn’t fit the character or the production. I do wonder if he hasn’t been afforded as much time with the director as past casts with the show having begun in New York. He is clearly talented and I think can evolve his portrayal with the right guidance.

I knew this would be a perfect casting. Raw, bold, and not needing to be nuanced so not bogged down by it. Glad I was right

love this look mickey <33

Went to see this last Thursday with the alternative playing Sally Bowles. What a fantastic performance, was totally blown away. Was lucky enough to get heavily discounted tickets and sat in the second row of tables from the stage in the stalls. The atmosphere was electric.

We saw Aimee Lou Wood as Sally B last year who was amazing - it's a shame you never officially reviewed her performance as she played the role so differently tp other Sally Bs like Jessie Buckley

love your videos! gonna see my first west end show this summer and i'm super excited. i'd love to see a do's and don'ts video from you, i have no idea what actually going to theatre is like haha

I agree with every word you said. I’ve seen 5 Sally’s (Sally Frith, Emily Benjamin, Amiee Lou Wood, Maude Apatow and Cara) and by FAR Cara is the best. She is unbelievable for all of the reasons you listed.
I’ve seen 4 Emcee’s (Matt Gent, John McCrea, Mason Alexander Park and Luke Treadaway) and my god does Luke get lost in the star of Cara. His Emcee was everything you said, not close to nuanced enough, very flat.
Cara with Mason? My god what a show that would have been. Mason will remain my favourite Emcee for a long time.
Michael as Clifford was also stand out. Historically I’ve just found it to be nothing, the role is just happening. Michael makes him matter for all the reasons you listed.

Cara, Mason and Michael would make for a killer cast 😭

I’d agree, Michael is a revelation. 😂❤

I thought Cara was incredible but Luke struggled to characterise

The styling is peak here, how you’ve done your hair is great, keep growing out the top and shaping back n sides as for the look, you’ve levelled up! This is far from sue Perkins cosplay! 🤣 👏🏼 🥰

Just a quick comment to say I LOVE this hair and fully endorse this being your new look non ironically

I'd booked to see it for the third time (Amy/Fra and Madeleine/Callum before) because of this casting - I got an email yesterday to say that Cara, who was scheduled to appear at the performance I'd booked for, has withdrawn from it and would I like to change my tickets for another date.
Well, I'd booked for my birthday and frankly I am more than happy to see Nic Myers, her current cover.
I'm not sure I made the right decision now, after your review.
It's a great show - I don't care really

I would love for you to visit Les Mis again and review Milan as Jean Valjean ❤️

I saw Cara last Saturday she was incredible. such a raw performance

I had no idea Luke Treadaway was in this. Interestingly enough, he has tried his acting chops in a musical manner before, in the excellent and bizarre 2005 mockumentary "Brothers of the Head", along his brother Harry. In fact, they were SO GOOD in it that I bought the CD soundtrack for their fictional band, The Bang Bang. I cannot recommend it enough if you want to see a real dense and raw performance from Luke singing full volume.

You're a brilliant critic. Very knowledgeable and highlighted aspects of the show I hadn't considered. Enjoying your content!

I saw this with John McCrea and Aimee Lou Wood. Both excellent. A superb experience

she is a mess, as usual........

I saw this production at the end of March and it was the first time I had ever seen Cabaret performed live. Cara really blew me away, leaving everything on the stage. In my opinion, she gave Sally a real/raw sense of humanity with a youthful, unhinged, and almost punk energy.

Have we ever seen the EmCee played by a woman? A Marlena Dietrich type?

You are right, I enjoyed far way better her performance than Luke's. She was actually very good. However, I think she would've needed more time playing the role to completely settle in, there were bits where I could hardly listen to what she was saying. Aimee Lou Wood is for me the epitome of Sally Bowles, she understands the role perfectly without the "she should be that way" factor.

What are the best seats to choose my loves? I'm happy to drop a decent amount of money but I don't want to be disappointed with the view...

So who were your other top 3 Sallys? I've only see the show live once with Madeline Brewer but based of everything I've seen online no performance has hit me quite like Emily Benjamin's. Seeing it again next with Cara and can't wait

She is amazing in this role. Would love to see it again.

I saw it the other week, and I want to say my piece to a comments section that knows about musicals unlike my family I saw it with. I thought Delvigne got the acting down pat. Her singing didn’t hit so well in some areas, she missed a few notes and she could definitely do with some breathing exercises (couldn’t we all?), but you would also expect those kinds of mistakes from an actual nineteen year old who’d run away to work in a night club, so it all could have been intentional, and if not still worked. I think she encapsulated the bratty stubbornness of the character whilst still making her endearing, sympathetic and ‘perfectly wonderful’, to quote the song.
I agree Treadway didn’t hit quite so hard, especially bc I constantly rewatch Mason Alexander Park version of Wilkommen from the Olney theatre and that’s my favourite version. What I will say is that during don’t tell mama, he actually came up right near where I was sitting upstairs, and we made eye contact and he waved at me and I think I actually saw stars. I liked how he holds up the blonde wig in act one he ends up wearing in act 2, and I personally think he did get creepier/more aggressive through the show, possibly bc I saw him later into his run. The possible lack of energy worked well in his ‘tomorrow belongs to me’ to make it a little more benign before being hijacked at the engagement party, but his ‘money’ lacked some impact.
I completely agree w/ everything said about Ahomka-Lindsey , he was wonderful especially in his final monologue. No notes. And finally, Klein and Kempler as Schneider and Schultz just had such great chemistry. It was my first time seeing cabaret live, possibly over endearing me a little to the cast, but it was great. Pretty much the same review as the one everyone here is watching, but honestly I just needed to get it out of my system.

I don't understand why this show exists, other than "this time with 20% more immersion!" Like the Sweeney Todd currently in New York it really doesn't add anything new to the show except for celebrity headliners. You rightfully criticized the West End for allowing an Ivo van Hove production go up and suck up stage space that should be going to worthy new projects, yet somehow Cabaret 5 gets a pass. I love the show and it's fun to see it live, but this should be in a repertory theater, not the West End.

When Fangirls is on fringe in July-August you NEED to see it. It's got such a special place in my heart and I'm so glad the UK a will get to see it!

i like the 90s boyband hair cut

Can we talk about Cabaret's insane ticket prices?

Oh wow you saw “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?” in person? I saw the ntlive broadcast at my local cinema and felt so wrung out by the end. Can’t imagine how gutting it would be in the room.
Thanks for the review, wish I could see it!

Hey, recent-ish subscriber, loving your reviews and analysis. Question for the theatre buffs - am hoping some folk might trawl the comments who can answer this for me.

Vaguely pondering the possibility of popping down to catch this in late October, but while May looks quite comfy in terms of seating, with the expected scattering of free seats spread all across both sides of the stage, availability drops off a cliff in June, with seating limited to a smattering in the rear staging area all the way through to early 2025.

Any more adept West End types able to give insights into why this might be? I appreciate that the show is popular but it's not leaving any time soon and it just looks weird seeing the front staging area completely greyed out, even on week nights, while perfectly decent rear stage seats (which I understand do get played to slightly less but surely not to the point you'd favour the nosebleeds in front over the stalls to the rear?) are available. It's just so consistent, with the sellout so complete, that it looks a bit odd? Are they all bought out by scalpers, is that a thing with West End tix? (Confession: I do this like once every couple of years and usually from priority mailing lists/for more niche shows.)

Maybe I'm just naive thinking the show has been running long enough that I'd've expected a decent selection six months in advance - and to be honest there ARE rear stalls seats that look perfectly nice. It just seems a bit odd???

Is that a vinyl record? Is the NYC production selling a vinyl record?

I think she's an unbelievable model. Like, UNREAL! I was excited for her during the 2010s because she's such a stunning beauty. She's extremely funny and I've watched some of her movies and they're alright, like she's cute. I just don't think she's a convincing actress. It doesn't come from an authentic or artistic place, it's just pure ego. I know it sounds harsh, I've tried to like her acting but I can't.

I saw Cara and Rebecca Lucy Taylor in the Sally Bowles role. Cara was excellent, different to Rebecca obviously. I think they both brought something unique. One wasn’t better than the other

how did NY critics react to Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club as transported to New York? ... almost universally with disappointment. Not hate, just a big "meh," but more of a negative "meh" than a positive "meh"

Saw it today, thought Cara was excellent, but i didn't get why she was totally 'switched off' in the applause. She looked as if she didn't want to be there. She looked cold and dead....I wanted to believe the director told her to act like that, but she just looked like she was in a right strop....

After a punishing year in which I barely had five minutes off work, fate smiled on me and I saw this version of "Cabaret" not once but twice in the last two weeks. Cara Delevingne is OUTSTANDING. Her Sally Bowles reminded me not of Liza Minnelli, but Twiggy in Ken Russell's film version of "The Boyfriend", with elements of Oliver Reed and Keith Moon debauchery at appropriate moments. The first time I saw the show was a Saturday night she was excellent, but the second time - last Saturday matinee performance - she was transforming into one of the stage greats. Weird as it may sound, I could sense the spirits of theatrical giants of the past on her shoulders. I can't wait to see her on stage again. I also loved Luke Treadaway and he handled the role of Emcee in the understated steady manner it should be played. Although Luke and Cara were there, there were a number of understudies at the matinee performance in the smaller roles and I have to admit not naming names I thought they were better than the billed performers! Unmissable.

Saw it last night and definitely agree with you and everyone else - Cara was incredible!! I was in A7/8 so I had all the immersion and a phenomenal view, but Cara really took it to another level. Her choices in Don't Tell Mama floored me honestly 😭 Luke was fine as the emcee, had some cheeky interaction and good presence, but vocally he really pales in comparison to past emcees like Jake Shears. That being said - it's still my favourite night at the theatre and well worth the extortionate London prices lol

Saw it on the penultimate night. Cara’s “Cabaret” was surprising good!