Katie Finneran in CABARET?

[somethingwicked]

Did anyone happen to see Katie Finneran as Sally in the revival of CABARET? She was only in the show for around two months toward the earlier part of the run, but I hear she was quite good. She hasn't really played a part like Sally (or done a role with so much full out singing) since, so I'd be curious to hear how she fared from others who saw her.

Thanks in advance!

[BrodyFosse123]

Aside from Liza Minnelli in Bob Fosse's acclaimed 1972 film adaptation of CABARET, the role of Sally Bowles has never been cast with a strong and vocally competent singer in mind. The character is a third-rate singer singing in a Berlin dump of a nite-club and this bit of casting has always been the focus, hence why countless non-singing actresses played the role in the 1998 Roundabout revival of CABARET.

Susan Egan has stated that she deliberately sang off-key to suit the character and hoped people were aware that she COULD sing the role if needed.

Here is Katie Finneran as Sally Bowles:

[somethingwicked]

Thanks for the photo, Brody.

I'm well aware that Sally shouldn't be a strong singer. I'm just saying that Finneran hasn't played a role since that has so much singing. That's all.

[pitfever]

Is this musical coming back in 2012?

[ljay889]

I, too, am curious to hear how she was as Sally.

[michellek45]

I didn't get to see her as Sally, but I always thought she would make a great Emcee.

[AC126748]

I saw her as Sally. I wish I could say she was brilliant or offered an extremely memorable interpretation, but she wasn't and she didn't. She was merely good--certainly nothing wrong with her performance, but disappointing when compared to the other really distinctive work she's done throughout her career. Of the Sallys I saw (probably around 10, including understudies) I'd place her squarely in the middle.

Not sure how true this is, but I remember a long-lasting rumor that Sam Mendes was blown away by her performance as Cora in the Howard Davies revival of THE ICEMAN COMETH and personally offered the role of Sally to her. Mendes must have been impressed, though, as he later cast her in the London premiere of FUDDY MEERS.

[somethingwicked]

AC126748, I'm not sure of the exact circumstances surrounding Finneran's casting in CABARET, but it wasn't based on her performance in THE ICEMAN COMETH- she says in her Downstage Center podcast that she auditioned for the first time to replace Natasha Richardson right away, which pre-dated ICE MAN COMETH.

[chrisampm2]

Her casting could still be based on a performance seen after her first audition. She didn't say she got the role before Iceman Cometh.

[AC126748]

Whatever the circumstances of her getting the role, she gave a solid replacement performance. Like I said, nothing wrong, but nothing distinctly memorable. The Sallys who stand out in my mind (such as Richardson, Mary McCormack, and Lea Thompson, who is my favorite interpreter of the role that I saw besides Richardson) all brought certain unique qualities to the role that make them stand out in my memory.

I don't remember why Finneran was only with the production for a short period of time, or if it was planned from the beginning that she would only do two months. She was replaced by Gina Gershon, another Sally whom I thought gave a decent if unmemorable performance.

[somethingwicked]

chrisampm2, she actually did. If you listen to the full interview, she says they wanted her to come into the show earlier when she was already doing ICE MAN COMETH, but because she was unavailable at the time, she ended up doing it the following year, which is why there was such a big gap between when she first auditioned and when she actually played the role.

AC, I think two months was pretty normal for the non-star Sallys (of which there were few.)