My 5th trip to see Cabaret was an interesting one. It was the first time I'd seen the show WITHOUT Alan Cumming, so I was a bit nervous. Michael Hall seems to be the anti-Alan to me, so I wasn't sure how I would fare seeing the show without my favorite actor in it. My friends were going on a bus trip to see Cabaret and The Lion King. They had an extra ticket to see Cabaret, and knowing what a fan I am, they offered it to me. I couldn't resist the temptation, so I prepared my nails (green, of course) and joined them on the trip. We sat closer to the stage than I have ever sat before. My, those Kit Kat Girls have no shame, do they. Anyway, my friend Wayne and I sat a table with a couple who were on our same trip, but I did not know them. So, Wayne proceeded to spread lies about me ("Beth has seen Cabaret 20 times, she stalks Alan Cumming, and he was forced to put a restraining order against her"). For the record, I have seen Cabaret 5 times, I do NOT stalk Alan Cumming, and he has no need to put a restraining order against me, unless being a fan is a crime. So the warm-ups began as usual, and I tried my best to see if I recognized any of the KK Girls and Boys. Much to my delight the original Bobby and Victor are still there (as well as Hans and Herman) and the original Lulu is back as a swing! However, most of the leads were out, but that made me VERY, VERY happy. So, I did not have to witness the anti-Alan, but rather Alan's very own understudy, Vance Avery. Oh, happy day! He looks the part to me, so I did not have to go to the extreme that I thought I would have to to enjoy the show. The understudy for H. Schultz was also filling in, but yet again, I was more than happy to see him. For Scott Robertson was the first person I ever saw play the part, so it felt like I was seeing an old friend. I think he's every bit as good as the other Schultz's I've seen. But thank goodness for Susan Egan. Bless her, for she did not take the day off (I don't think I particularly want to see Linda Romoff in the role of Sally again) and I enjoyed her performance thorougly. My only complaint is that she's too polished. Much too good a singer to be Sally. But her acting is untouchable. But back to the show....I was very nervous as the drum roll began. I felt very sad, for I knew that Alan would not be appearing at the door, and nor would he saunter out onto stage. But I sucked it up and told myself I would enjoy the show without him. Vance came out and did a very good job with Willkommen, though his timing is very different from Alan. Also, he didn't emphasize the "Ladies.....and gentlemen" as much as I would have liked, and some of his jokes fell flat. It's very hard for someone to come close to Alan's performance, but I thought Vance did a very good job. I noticed little things that they've changed with the show. For example, during the scene where Cliff comes into Sally's dressing room, right before Mein Herr, there's music playing in the background now that I perceived to be a speaker from the club. During intermission, I bought some new souveniers. I must say, they have greatly expanded their souveneirs since the first time I saw the show. Back then, I felt lucky to find a coffee mug that said "Cabaret." Now, you can find almost anything. So, I picked up a tote bag and the new poster that says Studio 54 on it. That will look lovely along with the autographed Cabaret-door poster that I already have. Audience participation went well. The male did not protest so much and all had a lovely time. Act 2 was moving and dark as always. It's always just so sad to see the demise of all these characters whom you have come to know. After the show, I was supposed to meet up with some friends. As we were waiting for them, Wayne's cell phone rings and they inform he that they're on 83rd street. So, we make plans to meet up (which involves me waiting at Studio 54 by myself for about half an hour, so if Jeff and Katie and Jim are reading this....you guys stink!. As I was waiting, 4 girls approached and asked me to take their picture underneath the marquee, which I did happily. They noticed my green nail polish ("I think it's pretty") and we struck up a conversation about the show and the actors (of course I brought up Alan Cumming, and they all said "He's great! We love him" which made them my new best friends.) and I told them how to meet the actors after the evening performance. So, there you have it. I topped the day off by seing "Titus" (WOW!). I'm glad to see Cabaret is still in good form and hope it continues on Broadway for a long time.