CABARET VILLE MAGAZINE. P298. CONT'D FROM P297

WHO IS THE BEST ON STAGE CABARET PERFORMER? WHO WAS OR IS THE BEST SALLY BOWLES?

Liza Minelli.

 

Linda Romoff.

And now, let's put everything in perspective. A case study would be very a propos. Let's take for example the "ultra-modern" Cabaret theater and musicals vedettes who starred in the Broadway's Cabaret show and depict their persona. First, who are they?  Many artists took the lead, played Sally Bowles and  shined in a modern Cabaret production, but who are the ones we are likely to remember and not to forget? I have some names, here: Natasha Richardson, Marisa Berenson, Susan Egan,  Deborah Gibson,  Jane Leeves, Molly Ringwald, Katie Finneran, Lea Thompso, Mary McCormack, Kate Shindle,  Jennifer Jason Leigh, Natasha Richardson, Sally Martin,  Joely Fisher,  Amy Downing. (Their photos are published on the following pages). And of course CABARET IS THE cabaret show of all time in America. On the following pages, I synopsized the show and provided ample information on the leading artists who played Sally Bowles in CABARET. This should shed enough light on the talent and different personalities of those well-known cabaret vedettes.

Photos, from L to R: An American Cabaret artiste type,  Lea Thompson. and Kiki Heessels, an European Cabaret artiste type. Two different looks and two divergent "persona".

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

THE TOP PERFORMERS

Natasha Richardson

Born: May 11, 1963. Birthplace: London, England. Parents: Actress Vanessa Redgrave and the late Tony Richardson, who died of AIDS in 1991. Spouse: Liam Neeson since July 3, 1994. Children: Two sons, Michael and Daniel. Education: Trained at the Central School of Speech and Drama. Natasha Richardson was destined to grace the stage and screen. With actress Vanessa Redgrave and the late director Tony Richardson as parents, this bright-eyed British girl grew up watching Broadway productions and hanging out on film sets. She was constantly surrounded by movie stars, fantastic theaters and costumes. This exposure, along with her mother's acting, inspired her to pursue the craft. "I loved hanging around movie sets when I was a kid," she told the Orange County Register. "I loved the whole world. I loved the way a movie crew becomes an extended family. And I loved the idea of dressing up in costumes and playing a character. I remember being moved by great performances, and often those performances where given by my mother, so I guess you could say she influenced me in that way." Although her parents split when Richardson was a child, the family remained close. Her father and mother never pressured her to go into acting, and they always supported her decisions.

Yet Richardson's childhood was, by her own account, unconventional. "My mother raised me and there was some painful and difficult times," she told celebrity interviewer Jeanne Wolf, "because she was pursuing a career and also very actively involved in expressing her political views. "But, looking back, I wouldn't switch her for a normal mom, even though there were moments when I'd come back from school and wish she'd just be there in a gingham dress putting dinner on the table. I never had that. But now I'm really glad I have her." Following in her mother's footsteps, Richardson started out acting in British theater. Before graduating from the Central School of Speech and Drama, she performed in several productions in London's Leeds Playhouse. After graduation, she graced the London stages with her roles as Nina in Chekhov's "The Seagull" and as Ophelia in "Hamlet." CONTINUES NEXT