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Great recording, bought to have in the car so that I can listen to it whilst driving.
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: Pre-owned
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: New
What can I say about this version of Cabaret? I'm afraid I'm going to have to gush. This is the Sam Mendes/Rob Marshall version of the show, which wowed London (with Jane Horrocks at The Donmar) and took Broadway by storm (with Natasha Richardson wearing the basques!). This is the Broadway cast album which was the culmination of this extraordinary production and even compared with the London production- this slays 'em! I must admit that it is one of my favourite shows, and I can be a little biased, however this, for me, is THE recording of the show. I own about 8 different versions of 'Cabaret', but never has Isherwood's Berlin been brought more to harrowing life. Alan Cumming as the MC is incredible. Before I heard this version (or saw him) I was convinced no-one could improve upon Joel Grey's take, however, how wrong could I be. Cumming is dark and sinister and the show revolves around him like never before. His performance is simply breathtaking- I'm really not sure how it can possibly be bettered. Natasha Richardson's Sally Bowles is also superb. Gone is the fake glitz and, frankly, inaccurate portrayal by Liza Minelli- this is on par with Judi Dench's legendary London performance. Sally is not a great singer- she's a deeply flawed character- yet Richardson brings a sense of desperation to the performance which mirrors the spiralling nightmare of Weimar Germany. 'Don't tell Mama'? I feel like the De Bris' production team in 'The Producers'- "Love it!!" The supporting cast are also wonderful- everyone plays their role with aplomb- and as the show rushes to it's (almost) inevitable conclusion, you are left shellshocked by the trip. Cabaret is one of those shows in which you are never quite sure what you are going to get. Every revival has songs cut or added and it is easy to be disappointed if you are a fan of say, 'The Money Song' as opposed to 'Money'or you like the scene setting of 'Meerskite'. However, in this production the mix of old and new songs from the Kander & Ebb songbook is, to my mind, perfect. Every song has dramatic purpose and the arrangements are spare and lean or lush as is required. As a side note, I recently saw one of the last shows of the Spanish version of this production in Madrid, and it still felt as vibrant and fresh then. Having booked tickets for the forthcoming (Autumn 2006) London revival, I suspect that I am going to be disappointed compared with this. So- and with a deep breath- to summarise, this is a fantastic recording of the greatest production of a (simply!) marvelous musical. If you are a fan of musicals, this must be an essential part of your collection. Buy it.Read full review
Having seen the musical at the theatre recently I wanted to get a copy of the CD. I chose this version as it has the songs that were performed in the musical (rather than the movie version which doesn't have them all). Great music, great lyrics and great performances on this version of the soundtrack.
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