You know it’s a good show when in the first few minutes you are considering a total revamp to your underwear drawer and a move to London to join an electric crew of nightclub hosts. Except I wasn’t in the UK, I was transported to Berlin.

If you haven’t guessed by now, I went to see Cabaret last night at the New Theatre. The show was wonderful: captivating, but also uncomfortable – which is exactly what Cabaret should be. This was possibly the best-staged version of Cabaret I have seen.

For those that don’t know, Cabaret is set in 1930s Berlin, a time when Germany is struggling with the economic Depression following World War I, and Hitler’s Nazi Party is starting to rise. The musical plays around Clifford Bradshaw, a poor American writer who moves to Berlin looking for inspiration for his next novel. On his first night, he goes to the Kit Kat Klub, a seedy nightclub where he meets Sally Bowles, a cheerful, chatty and talented cabaret performer. The story unfolds from here, their relationship developing alongside a changing Berlin. The musical takes you through a range of emotions – the allure and giddiness of feeling part of a sexy nightlife scene, alongside a deep worry, fear and anxiety of watching people fear for lives and trying to live whilst struggling to protect themselves.

The Kit Kat Klub was dirty, glitzy, sleazy and fabulous. The choreography was really wonderful - the song 'Mein Herr' in particular was captivatingly perfect. There was a beauty and glamour in it, whilst also being jolty and blunt. It is a nightlife that is glitzy but arguably not glamorous, sexy whilst also being seedy. You want to be part of it, whilst also being a little nervous of it.

A stand out scene for me was a solo by Sally, played by Kara Lily-Hayworth. She was utterly wonderful and drew us in during her performance of ‘Maybe this time’. It was dazzling, and her vulnerability made her instantly the more likeable.

On the other end of the spectrum, there is also a very large serving of slapstick during the song 'Two Ladies' - just as it should be, it played for - and got - laughs it well deserved.

The juxtapositions in the second half are brilliantly directed and executed. Some sublime performances from so many, a proper ensemble effort. The second half is harder to watch and the story gets more serious and difficult as you try to comprehend the strain of living in such a time.

I would thoroughly recommend this production of Cabaret. The costume and makeup stands on its own merit and enhance the performance. It is a beautiful and jolty musical, with unapologetic grit. Silly at times as well as pleasing and dare I say teasing. But there is an undercurrent of discomfort that cannot be ignored. I was grateful to John Partridge, wonderfully cast as Emcee, who at the end of the standing ovation gave a cheeky bum flash to the audience – allowing us to exhale and reminding us of the joy and silliness of earlier scenes in the Kit Kat Klub. The play is powerful and makes you feel elated and emotional in equal measure – this is a very strong production.

I am thrilled about the revival of this production. I saw the previous one four times in the space of about a month - it was that good. All the production choices are the ones I would have made in my alternative life as a tremendously talented and famous director of musicals. I don't know how John Partridge will match up to the velvet-voiced Will Young as the new EmCee (apparently Partridge has won Celebrity MasterChef, which is very nice but seems an odd selling for the pre-show publicity to highlight). But I have high hopes and my ticket is booked.

The production I saw in 2013, of which this is a revival, is as polished as a mirror, and brings the staging up-to-date for a sophisticated audience (e.g. the story of the hero's stay in Berlin is moved forward wordlessly via a dreamlike dance sequence; the somewhat clunky song "Don't Tell Mother" is played only as a backdrop to dialogue).

You are enticed into a web of catchy tunes and sexy comedy among the bright young hedonists of 1930s Berlin, but a political thread is suddenly drawn tense, and gradually tightens as the show develops into tragedy. Even while you're high on the bouncy glitter of the show, you become unforgettably engaged and involved in the terrifying drama of the times. You enjoy a charming comic song. You applaud the song even though it turns out to have an antisemitic punchline (which is cleverly presented so that you are unsure if it could even be a protest against antisemitism). Through a clever juxtaposition of action, you end up applauding a savage beating by Nazi thugs. You barely have time to register how disconcerted, uneasy and breathless you are before you are on to the next hilarious scene.

The obvious comparison is with Chicago, which has book and lyrics by the same team. But whereas the film of Chicago is very faithful to the stage show, merely using cinematic techniques to tell the same story better, the stage show of Cabaret has very much more to give you than the Liza Minelli classic, and I fully recommend taking it in.