Cabaret review, The Savoy Theatre

Will Young as the emcee in a sleazy Berlin club filled with prostitutes and bisexuals... It isn't an image that naturally presents itself, but Young is the undisputed star turn in this revival of  Cabaret. By turns mischievous and manipulative he offers us safe refuge in the city's dark underbelly as Nazism takes hold outside. His joie de vivre rescues a shaky first half where none of the pieces fit, and carries us through a second where it all finally gels.

Emmcee bared

Cabaret is based on the stories of Christopher Isherwood whose on-stage alter-ego, Clifford Bradshaw, has such a bitty script his only value is as a mirror to the global revulsion at Hitler's rise. His relationship with the cabaret singer, Sally Bowles, makes no sense as it starts after a scene in which he's snogged a man. Sally, played by Michelle Ryan, has a great set of legs as well as a terrific set of lungs, but limited emotional range.

Sian Phillips and Linal Haft are the unexpected heart of the evening as the elderly couple who can't commit because one is a Jew and will compromise the business of the other. The allusions to what will come are deeply moving, as is the ending. It is Young, however, who is the real revelation - he's elegant, nuanced, funny, and his character visibly grows and changes. What he isn't, is sexy. None of them are, not even the dancers. Fans of the songs, and of the singer, won't mind.

In conclusion: The start is a struggle saved only by Young, and by Katrina Lindsay's spectacular set. The puppet song and dance routine for Tomorrow Belongs to Me is a triumph and the ending deeply moving. It works where you least expect it.

References
Savoy Theatre, tickets
Charles Spencer review in The Daily Telegraph