Monique Wilson From Kim to Sally Bowles
Credit to Author: The Manila Times| Date: Fri, 07 Feb 2020 05:30:54 +0000
TWO beloved stage musicals, Cabaret and Miss Saigon kick off with two similar production numbers. They’re both set in girly bars and the numbers provide the chance to introduce the performers or exotic dancers. Cabaret has “Wilkommen” while Miss Saigon has “The Heat Is On In Saigon,” which seems to have been inspired by the disco hit “Lady Marmalade.”
They also offer a venue to introduce the heroine of both musicals. In Miss Saigon, it’s the tragic Kim who falls in love with an American soldier. In Cabaret, it’s Sally Bowles, who falls for a British writer.
The actress, singer and director Monique Wilson played Kim in London and now she gets to essay Sally in Cabaret, which is currently on stage from her repertory group New Voice Company.
Wilson laughed when the similarities of the two musicals were mentioned to her. Both are set in turbulent, uncertain periods though she was careful not to say which offered the better material.
“I played Kim when I was only 19 or 20,” she points out to the Sunday Times. “My horizons weren’t as ‘expansive’ then. If I were to present Miss Saigon today, I would tinker with the material and try to make it more relevant to the times.”
She noted that this production of Cabaret is from a revival that was staged in New York in 1998. It starred Natasha Richardson as Sally and the material was updated. “Both the original production and the film version are dated. This revival is different in that the characters—young, old, straight, gay, bisexual and undecided—are allowed their sexuality.”
Director Sam Mendez, who won the Oscar in 2000 for directing the film American Beauty, did the reinvention of Cabaret. This version is costly to produce, says Wilson. “For every performance we do, we have to pay the people who own the property $1,000!”
Wilson is not only starring in Cabaret; she is also co-directing it with Rito Asilo. She said they chose to present Cabaret to mark New Voice’s 10th anniversary because its social themes are still significant today. She described Cabaret as an astonishing artistic expression of life at the brink of the millennium as seen through the prism of history. It’s a show that gives voice to a “singing and dancing commemoration of promiscuity, prostitution, sexuality, oppression and the rise of Nazism.”
She admits that Liza Minnelli, who starred in the 1972 film version, has become synonymous with the role of Sally Bowles. Minnelli won the Academy award for her performance and the song “Cabaret,” (along with “New York, New York”) has become one of her signature themes.
“The movie version is very different from the original stage version and this revival,” she explains. “Many of the original characters and songs were discarded. The movie focused on Minnelli. Sally is supposed to be a British earning a living as a singer in a Berlin club in the early thirties, when Hitler was on the rise.
“In the film, they turned Sally into an American to fit Minnelli’s personality. Furthermore, the sexual content is too tame for today’s standards.”
Wilson adds that the role of the “Emcee,” played to perfection by Joel Grey both in the original production and the film, was reduced considerably in the movie. She says the Emcee is supposed to present and comment on the proceedings, much in the same way “Che” had done for the musical Evita.
Wilson fails to note, however, that Cabaret was originally conceived and written for Minnelli, who happens to be a close friend of the creators John Kander and Fred Ebb. She would have starred in the original production in New York but other commitments prevented her from doing so. As a result, British actress Jill Haworth played the role instead.
The revival includes the original songs from the movie (“Money,” “Maybe This Time” and “Mein Herr”) and the songs that were cut from the film (“Don’t Tell Mama,” among others).
Kander and Ebb, the same duo who did New New York, New York, Chicago, Funny Lady, Kiss of the Spiderwoman and Woman of the Year penned the popular score. Their works have been experiencing a resurgence during the past decade, with many of the shows being revived on Broadway.
Sadly, lyricist Fred Ebb passed away several weeks ago in New York after a long illness. “We were doing the read-through of Cabaret when we learned about his death,” notes Wilson. “So we all agreed to pay tribute to him by presenting a really special and memorable Cabaret next month.”
Costarring with Wilson are Michael Williams, Jaime Wilson, Joy Virata and Lynn Sherman.
The cast is game and the choreography by Dexter Santos is indeed naughtier and more blatant. Yet it’s less imaginative and not nearly as erotic or dramatic as Bob Fosse’s choreography for the film. Wilson is made up to look like a “butch” Sally Bowles, but her torchy rendition of “Maybe This Time” is impressive. Still, she lacks the nervous edge that Minnelli brings into the song.
Nevertheless, it would be interesting to see what Wilson can to do Sally Bowles, who is light years away in terms of personality from Miss Saigon’s Kim. Kim had the baby and killed herself when the American father wouldn’t adopt him. Sally simply has an abortion.
Cabaret is currently on stage at the Music Museum and will run until December 4.
Dennis Ladaw