Because it's completely sexless and void of seduction or impish sexuality. The MC is supposed to be a competent guide with a raunchiness. Redmeyne instead gives a malfunction puppet performance which is totally at odds with the function of the MC in the production. It has nothing to do with creepiness. He is not a good MC.
Listen, as someone who has actually played the Emcee, this is a different take certainly, but it's bold and it's different and that is a thousand times better than doing what someone else has already done. An excellent performance in my opinion
Bold and different does not inherently make it a good performance. One of the musical's key messages is about the obliviousness and complicity of ordinary people. The way we as the audience perceive MC and the Kit Kat club at the start is supposed to mirror the real-life complacency of people during the rise of the Nazi regime. If the MC is portrayed as overtly unhinged from the start, this crucial layer of the narrative is lost. The audience can't be confronted about their blindness to the message because they were never given the chance to be blind to it. Instead, they are immediately put on edge, which diminishes the intended gradual realization and the emotional impact of the finale. Cabaret is designed to be a play within a play, where the audience is not only watching a performance but also becoming inadvertently part of it. If I were to judge his performance as a standalone piece, I'd agree that it's highly entertaining and well done overall, but within the context of the musical it reads more as a fundamental misunderstanding of the message of the musical.
@@challengedasmr841 Not at all - in this performance and portrayal, the Emcee does indeed represent ordinary people during the N*zi rise to power, but rather than portraying the journey from ignorance to understanding, he is representing the shift from the people being unknowingly controlled (which is why he is mimicking a marionette) to being knowingly complicit in the actions of the N*zis (at the end of the show, when his attitude is much more like that of a N*zi officer). It's not a misunderstanding at all; it's a reinterpretation, and a rather brilliant one at that.
@@robbiethurston6160 I have nothing against reinterpretations, overall I do enjoy seeing different producers put their own spin on a piece of work that has been done over and over again. My main problem with this reinterpretation (like with many others that seem to cater more to the modern audience) is the lack of subtly, being spoonfed the meaning instead of given the chance to figure it out yourself. I think that Sam Mendes' production remains so well regarded to this day because of that well executed subtlety and why Alan Cumming's version became the blue print for the character in most future productions. Telling someone something will always be less impactful than making them feel it
@@challengedasmr841 it's bizarre to me that people call this performance creepy and extol Cumming's. Don't get me wrong, I adore Alan Cumming, but even though I personally find him very attractive, the way he manhandled the Kit Kat girls and slimily flirted with audience was VERY creepy, on a more personal level than Redmayne's performance.
My guess is they didn't want to show the opening choreography where he kind of snakes into a swastika as a kind of foreshadowing. I can't imagine why else they would make this such a close upshot
Cabaret is meant to be a uncomfortable play/story in general, I believe. I’m fine with this performance. I love how janky some of his movements are, and the song is nice
I have problem with the way this was filmed not with the way that Eddie performed it, theatre is often performed bigger while tv or film is performed much smaller because the audience is “so close to you” the Tony awards is 100% staged for the audience in the building. His “ametuer” performance quite simply might not translate well to camera since I think he perfectly embodied the MC who is quite frankly a little quirky. I’m sorry to say but people who are mocking his performance are looking for something to laugh about because they have nothing else to talk about.
That's what I immediately thought too. Theatre acting is very different from cinema acting. Besides the fact that you have to perform everything on a larger scale, it also usually takes some time for the suspension of disbelief to work on a theatre audience. So, judging after seeing a short clip of the play without having the whole experience is kind of unfair, in my opinion. But yeah, they did a pretty bad job filming it too.
@@happyhoppibthey also had to condense the show and get the overall tone over so it may be exaggerated because of this, they also had no pre show which was amazing when I went to watch it. His timing is excellent and I definitely think I would be drawn in if this was on the side of the street 😂
Just imagine if everything we saw, everything we did, everything we ate, every experience was the same. ... I don't think I would want to live in that world
This performance and costuming is historical, it embraces the show's context in such a fun, much more 1920s vibes and cabaret vibes in a truly pre WWII era where it was its own culture of whimsical 'grivoiserie'.
I wonder if it would've helped if he was actually wearing the emcee's makeup. Like those big expressions might've worked better with the big circles of eye shadow that the london version has.
It for sure would’ve helped. But honestly, not even Joel Grey, Alan Cumming, or even Liza Minnelli could save the show if they were in their primes and performing their roles the way they did back in the day. Some costume design from William Ivey Long could help and perhaps direction by Sam Mendes could make things somewhat better with this clap trap production.
@@louisee7339 I've seen promo videos, heard the soundtrack, seen photos, and read reviews. All of this has not convinced me to go see it over $200 to go see it. It is deeply unappealing from what I've seen, heard, and read, especially the costume designs and the portrayal of Sally as well as the staging. If someone paid for my ticket or if I got a ticket for $20, I’d go. I've seen countless productions of Cabaret and part of the appeal to me is the aesthetic and staging those productions but this one doesn't have anything that seems good quality to me, and it’s not as original as people believe it is.
I hate the way it was recorded. That was the main issue. I would need to see other numbers to actually talk about his performance and not just a two minute song. People are so quick to judge him.
Eddie Redmayne reminds me of Happy Mask Salesman in this, and from what I gather about the musical version (not the film) that is exactly how it should be
@@robbiethurston6160 that doesn’t happen until later in the show. Yes the MC is creepy from the start, but my problem with Eddie Redmayne is that he isn’t creepy. Why do I prefer Joel Grey over Eddie Redmayne, because Joel is hella creepy, puppet like, androgynous, clownish, and alluring. Eddie Redmayne is none of that.
I think Eddie could’ve had the talent to pull off a great MC but whether his performance is the result of his own choices or that of the director, it comes across as an attempt to do an over-the-top Joel Grey impersonation pretending to be original. Like he sounds like a parody of Joel Grey.
where the f can I watch this performance?? please do not tell me this is only broadway stuff so unfair for people that do not have the money to afford or get access to go there :( I want to see this version of cabaret !!
Completely different take on this character - you either like it or don’t - this is more presentational. The jarring movements distracted from the score , that’s my opinion. THATS WHAT ART IS ALL ABOUT!
Willkommen! And bienvenue! Welcome! Fremder, étranger, stranger Glücklich zu sehen Je suis enchanté Happy to see you Bleibe, reste, stay Willkommen! And bienvenue! Welcome! I'm cabaret, au cabaret, to cabaret! Meine damen und herren Mes dames et messieurs Ladies and gentlemen Guten abend! Bon soir! Good evening! Wie geht's? Comment sa va? Do you feel good? Ich bin eur confrencier! Je suis votre compère I am your host! Und sage Willkommen! And bienvenue! Welcome! I'm cabaret, au cabaret, to cabaret! Leave your troubles outside So life is disappointing, forget it! In here life is beautiful The girls are beautiful Even the orchestra is beautiful And now presenting the cabaret girls! Each and everyone a virgin You don't believe me Well, do not take my word for it Go ahead, ask her! Ha ha ha ha Outside it is winter, but in here it is so hot! Every night we have the battle to keep the girls from taking off All their clothing, so don't go away, who knows, tonight we may Lose the battle! Und sage Willkommen! And bienvenue! Welcome! I'm cabaret, au cabaret, to cabaret! We are here to serve you! Bleibe, reste, stay Willkommen! And bienvenue! Welcome! I'm cabaret, au cabaret Wir sorgen! Willkommen! And bienvenue! Welcome! Fremder, etranger, stanger Glücklich zu sehen Je suis enchanté, enchanté, madame! Happy to see you, happy to see you Bleibe, reste, stay Und sage Willkommen! And bienvenue! Welcome! Fremder, etranger, stanger Glücklich zu sehen Je suis enchanté Happy to see you Bleibe, reste, stay Willkommen! And bienvenue! Welcome! I'm cabaret Au cabaret To cabaret!
You know what? I love the boldness, the precision choreography & the concept of puppet/eer but I don’t understand why he had to swallow his words. The enunciation & vocal clarity is just awful, & I don’t see how it contributes to the vision.
I think people don’t understand that in this version Emcee is supposed to be a representation of Germany as a whole. He’s supposed to be like a marionette, playing the role of Germany during its downfall.
I saw Alan Cumming live and it was phenomenal. This looks too far a flung … this is after all, a hidden political statement and if the performance is entirely of this variety, you don’t bring the audience with you. There should be a wink and nod in this and a charm so that the grotesque is a shock. This looks all one note grotesque. But ok - it’s just a snippet.
My problem is the pronunciation of the german and french words and the exaggerated pronunciation of the other words that I barely understood what he was singing.
It's difficult to believe that handsome Eddie could be as sinister as the MC...maybe with more make up...and the eyeshadows ...really good, but not as good as old Joel...just a matter of opinion.
I don’t find him creepy. I just find him to be an annoying Joel Grey rip off trying to convince people that he’s original. Just because he’s refraining from wearing make up does not hide the fact that he’s ripping off Joel Grey. The only thing he’s doing by not wearing any make up is making the performance worse. Put on some heavy make up and you’ll make it a little bit more enjoyable. I’m attracted to the MC because he’s creepy. Joel Grey and Alan Cumming as well presented the creepiness of the character perfectly. Prior to Joel Grey, there was nothing on Broadway like the MC and even after Joel Grey, there was nothing on Broadway like Alan Cummings prior to his performance. They broke ground and have been inspiration for so many different things, including my work. I don’t find Eddie Redmayne creepy at all, he seriously lacks with those other two had. That’s my big problem actually with Eddie. He’s not creepy! He’s not androgynous! Yes, you can be androgynous without wearing make up, but that does not apply to him. He looks like Peter Pan played by Mary Martin! I don’t want Peter Pan, I want Cyril Richard playing Captain Hook. At least he’s wearing heavier make up. There’s nothing original about this production. At least not in the groundbreaking way that the 1998 revival was original. You’re better off seeing a community theater production or even a college production. By far more talented MC’s and Sally.
quite the opposite - it is, in fact, artistically brilliant. maybe your understanding is just a little too 'amateur' to grasp the depth of the portrayal
@@David-ln8qh The role in context is the audiences window into the Weimar excess. He is a truth teller. He sees the writing on the wall and knows where Germany is headed. This is just a foppish village idiot take. It removes the dramatic tension entirely. I say it's amateur because it's just energetic presentation without any depth. It's essentially walking the same direction Alan Cumming went without a human center.
