This production is not your typical night at the theatre. It is much more immersive without being an immersive theatrical event. No audience participation is required.
The whole venue becomes “The Kitkat” club. From the time you walk the carpet to the entrance, and are welcomed by the doormen, you feel like you are stepping back into a night club in Berlin just before the second world war.
We had been asked to cover our phone cameras with stickers as no photos are allowed in the venue. Once inside the décor sets the scene and you are greeted with the scenes setting the tone for the night’s performance. You can see why they want to keep the secret of the venue as it enhances the immersion. This really had the feeling of a club atmosphere instead of a theatre.
We peeled away from the performance taking place above the bar to find our seats. A few performers slinked in and interacted with audience members. As we got nearer to the start of the show, and more audience arrived, more cast appeared. Again, very graceful and sinuous in movement.
We ordered a bottle of wine via “table service” which arrived at our seats with a wine cooler, in keeping with the whole decadent club vibe. There was a definite feeling of extravagant pleasure going on.
The play itself was very good, with great acting, singing and dancing. We found we knew more songs from the show than we thought we did.
The story line starts with embracing pleasure after the horrors of the great war. Sometimes this includes morally questionable actions but always has lightness and fun at its heart. As history shows, this feeling will not last and soon the play takes a darker tone. We know there will not be a happy ending for the characters.
This show makes a wonderful evening out and is something a little different. Seeing it with an adult audience, we knew what was coming as soon as we saw the swastika armband. Taking a school group may bring a different reaction to the play. I remember seeing the film on TV as a teen and it not having the impact this play had. But then again, with the times we are living in now, there are many parallels to be drawn. Are we all just enjoying pleasure while we can?
A fantastic production that we highly recommend seeing.
Cabaret playing at Kit Kat Club At Playhouse Theatre. Tickets are available from Theatre Tickets Direct (affiliate link) https://tidd.ly/3LaaTQ0
The City Adventurers were kindly invited to see this show by London For Groups. This does not affect our review of the show.
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