Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club: Theatre Review

The musical Cabaret has opened a new production at the Kit Kat Club in London’s West End. This unique and iconic venue and production really brings this well known musical to a new audience. Here’s my Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club theatre review.

Overview of Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club

Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club is a new production of the famous musical Cabaret. It’s at the iconic venue of the Kit Kat Club in London’s West End. My Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club theatre review won’t give too many spoilers, but hopefully will help you know what to expect a bit more,

This venue really helps bring the show to life. The circular stage and audience sat around the stage are really used to full advantage throughout the performance. The whole venue feels a bit like a night club, with dancers and music as soon as you walk through the door. As soon as you enter, you feel like you’re in the world of Cabaret and it really sets the mood for seeing Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club.

The musical follows the story of a cabaret nightclub in 1930s Berlin. There’s the underlying theme of the Nazi’s rise to power, which becomes more prominent in Act Two. But the main storyline is the developing romance between Sally and Cliff. Sally is a performer at the Cabaret club. Cliff is an American aspiring novelist, who has come to Berlin for inspiration to write his novel.

There’s another prominent developing relationship in the musical as well, between Fräulein Schneider and Herr Schultz. Fräulein Schneider is renting a room to Cliff, and Herr Schultz is a Jew (who also happens to like fruit a lot…more about that later).

For anyone who’s seen Cabaret before or seen the film, you’ll know that the storyline is a bit weird. While there are these traditional and more serious elements of the plot, there’s also a lot of weird stuff. The Emcee of the Cabaret bar is an iconic character, and the Cabaret dancers are key characters as well. It’s the type of show that you really need to see.

What I liked about Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club

I thought this production of Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club was amazing, for the production. The costumes were great, as was the make up. The performers were all great too – brilliant singing voices, great dancers, and great acting. I liked how both male and female performers were part of the dancing group, with their unusual costumes and make up. It was visually quite spectacular.

The venue of the Kit Kat Club is perfect for this performance. I loved how you felt immersed in the show from the moment you walked in. I was sat up in the Upper Circle but still had a great view down to the stage. But I can imagine the experience would have been even better if you were sat at one of the tables right next to the stage, with the performers in the aisles next to you. These tickets are really expensive, but would be worth it if you want the maximum experience.

The circular stage adds another slightly unusual dimension to this theatre experience, that I thought really well. Parts of the stage move around or go up and down, and these elements were used really inventively in the performance.

What I wasn’t so sure about

The musical Cabaret is…it’s a bit weird. I kind of liked the weirdness, but there were some elements I wasn’t sure about. The sort-of-love-song to a gorilla in the middle of Act Two was very weird. Although that did add a lot of humour when an audience member sat near the stage suddenly screamed when the gorilla first crept up behind her.

There was also an entire song between Herr Schultz and Fräulein Schneider the centred around a pineapple. There was literally a pineapple on a raised section of the stage that they were both singing to and about.

The musical Cabaret deals with many serious themes in the plot – most notably the rise of the Nazi’s and the concerns of Herr Schultz who is Jewish. But it also deals with themes of prostitution and poverty. So in my mind, it was slightly weird having these serious plot points interspersed with some really weird, random stuff.

I’m also not the biggest fan of a lot of the songs in Cabaret. There are a few I really like. But there aren’t many that I’d choose to listen to on Spotify a few weeks later. The slightly underwhelming songs, coupled with the fact that there isn’t actually a huge amount of plot in this show, meant that it was close to feeling slightly boring at times. I think the costumes, set and acting are the main thing that saved this performance for me – the songs and plot didn’t really.

Would I recommend Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club

If you’ve never seen Cabaret live on stage, I’d definitely recommend going to see Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club. It’s quite a unique theatre experience and I thought it was produced really well. Also, if you’re a big fan of the film Cabaret, I’d recommend going to see Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club to see how it’s interpreted and produced in this venue. It’s definitely a good experience. But just be prepared that it is just a bit weird. It’s best to go with an open mind and just immerse yourself in the experience. And don’t think too much about what you’re watching!

Check out dates and tickets here.

Hope you enjoyed reading my Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club theatre review! If you’d like to see more shows in the UK, check out my latest theatre reviews here. Seeing a show at a theatre is a great thing to do in any UK city, and makes a great evening out when you’re travelling in the UK. Check out more top things to do in the UK here.