The Folies Bergère was the perfect venue to see Cabaret on Wednesday evening, a fabulous romp through the Kit Kat Klub from an intimate table at the edge of the stage. Visually stunning, emotionally stimulating Sam Mendes' production drew us into a two-and-a-half-hour twilight zone of music and dancing and flesh.
For the first time, the musical was performed completely in French and the adaptation was excellent. Willkommen, Mein Herr, Deux Ladies all oozed the Kit Kat Klub's cheeky decadence, which was gradually eroded in the build-up to the finale which cut like a knife through the café-cabaret atmosphere. The cast are all multi-talented wunderkind who sang, danced and played the sax, clarinet or trombone all at once with time for a wink and a slap to the audience. Fabian Richard, previously best-known for his straight roles, sparkled from his blue glitter eyeshadow to his army boots as cheeky Emcee and Claire Perot lit up the stage as Sally Bowles, but the bendy, bawdy, dancing girls were my favourites.
It's on until January 28th, so go and see it if you're in Paris.
