Cabaret: The best-kept secret in the West End

It’s Christmas Day. My sister and I are opening a shared present that feels suspiciously like bars of chocolate, though we’ve been promised it’s a “big surprise.” As we open it, my sister suddenly yells, “We’re getting a cat!”. I look down at the Kit Kat chocolate bars in my hand, confused, until it dawns on me. “No,” I say. “We’re seeing Cabaret.”

I’d known little about Cabaret before that day. Only that Eddie Redmayne and Jessie Buckley had won well-deserved awards for taking on the roles of the Emcee and Sally Bowles, and, most importantly, that the show took place in London’s Kit Kat Club. Hence, my great detective skills, and my sister’s apparent lack thereof. Later that same day, after she’s recovered from being spectacularly wrong, my sister lets out another yell while scrolling through Cabaret’s social media. “Oh my god, we’re seeing Reeve Carney and Eva Noblezada!” She was wrong again. Well, half-wrong. Although both Noblezada and Carney are performing in West End’s Cabaret until  January 24, 2026, the day we booked happened to be Reeve’s one day off. Talk about bad luck. Still, we had Eva, and as we would soon discover, her talent more than made up for his absence.

I was surprised to find very little online. Aside from the odd iconic scene, such as the opening number, there were hardly any social media clips at all. I could barely glimpse what the stage might look like, let alone its finer details.

As with every musical I manage to get tickets for, I began to “study,” so to speak, what to expect before the big day. Some of you might call this “spoiling,” but I prefer to think of it as “contextualising” – I simply can’t go into a show blind. Yet, beyond Wikipedia’s background notes and synopsis, I was surprised to find very little online. Aside from the odd iconic scene, such as the opening number, there were hardly any social media clips at all. I could barely glimpse what the stage might look like, let alone its finer details. So, when the day finally arrived and we found ourselves queuing up outside the theatre, I felt almost like a student waiting to sit an exam I had not revised for. However, as some may know, sometimes the best results come from simply winging it.

The answer to the lack of social media posts became immediately clear as we had circular stickers bearing the Kit Kat Club logo placed over our camera lenses upon arrival. Filming and photography were strictly prohibited inside. As the sticker on the back of my phone still reminds me, “Keep it in the Kat Kat Club.”

We were immediately transported back to 1930s Berlin. The show had already begun and we hadn’t even taken our seats.

I may not exactly be “keeping it in the Kit Kat Club” by writing this review, but I feel that I need to share this secret before it becomes too much to keep to myself. Apart from a lousy photo we took outside the theatre, I have no real proof that I was even there. And honestly, that’s part of what makes the whole experience feel even more magical. It’s a memory that exists only in my head.

On our ticket, our entry level was simply “basement.” We made our way through the stage door and down some steps. We were immediately transported back to 1930s Berlin. The show had already begun and we hadn’t even taken our seats. With this in mind, it’s definitely worth arriving early in order to appreciate in everything the pre-show has to offer. There’s not just a stage cast to see, there’s a prologue cast too. Their job is to simply set the mood for Cabaret the moment you step inside. We spotted dancers and musicians (very scantily clad might I say) performing behind curtains that you’re invited to peek through, or entertaining guests at the Gold Bar. Overwhelming is an over-statement, but be prepared to be thoroughly captivated from the moment you step in the door.

We took our seats in the Dress Circle, ready to focus on what my “studies” could not reveal, the stage itself. The Playhouse Theatre operates in the round, featuring a small circular stage that revolves, creating a much more intimate atmosphere than its usual layout. With the capacity reduced from 832 to 590, the stalls below us felt completely part of the action. There were cabaret-styled tables, each with a lamp, and even landline phones. It felt a bit intrusive watching everyone eat, as if we were at a bougie zoo, but I’m sure no one down there paid the slightest attention to our stares.

Then, the show began. Joe Atkinson took the stage as the brilliant Emcee. Though I was slightly disappointed to not see Reeve in the role, Atkinson proved to be the best possible replacement… so much so that I had already decided this by the end of the opening number. The Emcee, Master of Ceremonies, is the gender-bending host of the Kit Kat Club. He acts as a darkly satirical guide through 1930s Berlin using entertainment to mask the horrors of Nazism. The role is said to evolve with each production. Some of you may have seen Eddie Redmayne in the part, a performance I would describe as “animated” and “creepy,” in all the best ways. But, if I had to sum up Joe Atkinson’s take on the Emcee in this production, I would say “mischievous” and “unsettling,” amongst many other words. He was flawless.

[Eva Noblezada] fully embraced Sally’s wild, almost psychotic side, while equally portraying her childlike vulnerability. 

 

Before I move on to the queen of musicals herself, I would like to give a shout-out to another standout performance: Lucas Koch as Ernst Ludwig, the villain if you will. Koch himself said, “My character, Ernst, is German and he is part of the Nazi Party. And for me, the challenge as an actor is to not jump ahead and alienate him. It’s a difficult acting challenge to play him like a human being and not play him like a Nazi.” And I can tell you, his performance was chilling. His allegiance isn’t revealed until the second act, and Koch did a fantastic job conveying the subtle layers of his character up until this point. One particular line delivery literally made me jump out of my seat; he was that good.

Now, Eva Noblezada. What can I say about her that hasn’t already been said a hundred times? By far, THE best performance of the show. I hate to admit it, but she might have even outshone some of her fellow castmates. She took on the role of Sally Bowles, a flippant and vivacious British cabaret singer at the Kit Kat Klub. She embodies a hedonistic lifestyle, performing outrageous numbers while largely ignoring the rising political darkness outside the club.

From her very first line, “Hello darlings,” it was clear that she had absolutely nailed the English accent (a compliment I rarely give to Americans). Her gestures, glances, line delivery, and timing, were all absolutely flawless. She fully embraced Sally’s wild, almost psychotic side, while equally portraying her childlike vulnerability.  But those vocals were beyond compare. Perhaps the best rendition of “Maybe This Time” I’ve ever heard.

I’ve definitely reached my word limit by now, but there is so much more I could say. Ruthie Henshall as Fraulein Schneider, Baker Mukasa as Cliff Bradshaw, Robert Hands as Herr Schultz, and all the rest of the outstanding cast.  Maybe it’s for the best that I don’t say anything else; I do have to “keep it in the Kit Kat Club” after all.