Cabaret - Playhouse Theatre

I totally agree Joseph. I bought what looked to be a reasonably ok stalls seat when the show first went on sale last summer, and paid £70 - an amount I’d only usually pay for a seat I felt confident would be one of the best in the house. That same seat (stalls row O) is now £200 at the performances where it’s still available. When I went, I was pleased to find the view was good and the seat felt closer to the stage than I’d expected, but it certainly wasn’t worth £200. That’s an amount that’s only just acceptable for the absolute very best seats, packaged with some sort of extras - be that drinks or the gourmet supper they’re offering at Cabaret.

I’m lucky that in recent years where I’ve been to the West End a lot, I’ve learnt enough about how to find cheaper tickets that I don’t usually pay top whack for my seat. Nevertheless many don’t have the time to shop around, or the awareness of how these things work, and of course with a show as popular as Cabaret the ‘buying at the last minute’ tactic won’t work. It’s scary how the prices are escalating as it prevents so many people from being able to afford to go, or even for those who have the money, it’s hard to justify spending the cost of a weekend city break on a couple of tickets to a West End show.

You’ll have to share your secret on how you can get tickets for £50, because I can’t see them! If you could let me know, I’d be grateful

I went to yesterdays matinee, and had a very good time. I think they've nailed it - the preshow, the auditorium reshuffle, being in-the-round, the set, the lighting, the costumes, the directions. Eddie is great. Jessie Buckley is outstanding. I'm surprised (although I suppose always glad of the discussion) to see her rendition of 'Cabaret' dividing opinion, I could hardly breathe through the last 2 minutes of it, one of those theatrical moments I'll never forget.

I wonder if there's a bit of a generational divide, this morning I've been watching the recording of the Mendes production which is clearly of great quality but quite different in it's approach, and it doesn't appear to me to be obviously superior in the way people describe. As Frecknall says in that great interview with her and Kander, a revival of a show like this has to be of the moment, and I think this feels like a 2022 production of Cabaret, whilst watching the mischievous Alan Cumming in the previous seminal production feels incredibly 90s. As someone who had never seen Cabaret (avoiding the film whilst waiting for a new production) I had no pre-conceptions of what I would encounter, and thought what I got yesterday was wonderful. The only weak link was Cliff, which for us was Douglas's understudy, and whilst the actor did a perfectly fine job I think the character comes across as a bit of a wet lettuce, and isn't the most compelling protagonist I've ever watched. I didn't really linger on the race issue, just as there appeared to be gender neutral casting (to some degree) I just took it as read that the same was being applied to race.

Didn't find myself dwelling on the ticket price either when I was there because the quality of the experience was so high, but obviously I agree about access to theatre and am equally dismayed at the recent batch of high ticket priced events.

I had so much fun.

It's only Cabaret that are charging these prices. If people are willing to pay those top prices, they will sell, if not, prices will come down. If they cant afford it, go and see something else.

There are also £30 tickets for Cabaret available in the upper circle.

I was there on Saturday night, having nothing to compare it to, i don't even think I've seen past the first 30 minutes of the film...I loved it, from the arrival pre show, free drink and seeing what they have done with the theatre

I was in row H of the stalls, right in front of the mixing desk, which I was worried about after I booked but it was no problem, great unobstructed view and plenty of leg room

Agree with Andrew above, Cliff was a bit drippy but Jessie's Cabaret although a slow burner at first turned into and absolute tour de force with a capital F, whoever is replacing her has some very big shoes to fill

I was at 2nd preview and a lot of people were dressed up especially those of us sitting at the cabaret tables. I was better dressed than normal for the theatre but that was because it was my birthday. But by no means was everyone dressed up so go with what is most comfortable. But you won't be out of place if you dress for the occasional especially as this show is quite an event.

Oh and can anyone remember the bar prices ?

I’m assuming they’re exorbitant like the ticket prices

If your idea of dressing up for theatre includes sequins, sparkles, glitter, feathers, silk, or bright colors, you won't be the only one so dressed.

I was this last week - my first production of Cabaret on stage (I have read Goodbye to Berlin and seen the movie several times). I thought it was absolutely thrilling. The decor of the auditorium was breath-taking. I loved Eddie Redmayne's interpretation of Emcee and what a beautiful singing voice. Jessie Buckley was a force of nature - a great, rather harsh Sally. Her rendition of the title song left the audience gasping for breath. There was quite a gap before the applause afterwards. Lisa Sadovy was just wonderful as Fraulein Schnieder. A great experience you can't stop thinking about for days afterwards. Shattering and stunning.

Is there any other way to dress up ? - though for this show I would have imagined black to be more appropriate