Orville Peck, soon to take over as the Emcee in Broadway's Cabaret revival, will perform unmasked. The news, which settles a question that's been in the air since the masked country music star was announced to be joining the production in January, was first reported by The New York Times and confirmed by production representatives to Playbill.
Peck is set to join the production at the Kit Kat Club (née August Wilson theatre) beginning March 31 alongside Eva Noblezada as Sally Bowles, both playing a 16-week run through July 20. They will succeed current stars Adam Lambert and Auli‘i Cravalho, who finish their run March 29. In addition, two-time Tony winner Bebe Neuwirth will play her final Tony-nominated performance as Fraulein Schneider March 29; she will be succeeded by Ellen Harvey, who will begin performing in the role March 31.
Said Peck in a previous statement, "The Emcee has been my dream role since I was a teenager. The nature of the character allows for complete freedom of individual expression. It can be portrayed through such a vast range of emotions, perspectives, and performance styles. That kind of freedom is every actor's dream. I truly cannot believe I’m getting to make my Broadway debut in one of my favorite shows and in probably my favorite role in all of musical theatre. I grew up in the theatre. I was a working actor and a dancer for many years before I started making music. I did the hustle, and the struggle, for a long time, trying to make things happen for myself. But it taught me so much of who I am as a performer and a person, so it feels very full circle to be making a return to it at this point in my career."
Noblezada added, “While studying musical theatre in school, Cabaret always stood out. I was, and am, amazed by the lineage of theatre royalty who have been in the show. And Sally Bowles to me is simply… fascinating. She is like a totally conscious child who is also completely unhinged. Almost clownish. But real and raw and in your face. And that character amidst and against that backdrop of such an evil reality is painfully surreal. I am totally psyched to start learning more. And I am ready to be as submissive as possible to the iconic world that is Cabaret.”
Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club also stars Calvin Leon Smith as Clifford Bradshaw, Steven Skybell as Herr Schultz, Henry Gottfried as Ernst Ludwig, and Michelle Aravena as Fritzie/Kost.
As in the production's West End run, the theatre has been transformed into an in-the-round Kit Kat Club. Ticket holders receive a "club entry time" before their show date so that everyone's able to take in the pre-show, which can even include a full dinner at some ticket levels. The prologue company, a group of 12 dancers and musicians, welcome theatregoers with a pre-show performance beginning approximately 75 minutes prior to curtain time.
Based on Christopher Isherwood's Goodbye to Berlin and John Van Druten's dramatization of it, I Am a Camera, John Kander and Fred Ebb's Cabaret is set in Weimar-era Berlin as American writer Clifford Bradshaw arrives to work on his novel and soak up the debaucherous nightlife. He meets English cabaret performer Sally Bowles and a complex relationship develops, all as the Nazis ascend to power and the spectre of World War II and all its horrors loom on the horizon.
The creative team also includes choreographer Julia Cheng; club, set, and costume designer Tom Scutt; lighting designer Isabella Byrd; sound designer Nick Lidster (for Autograph); and music supervisor and director Jennifer Whyte. Hair and wig design are by Sam Cox, and Guy Common is handling makeup design. Prologue composition and music direction are by Angus MacRae, with Jordan Fein serving as prologue director. Casting is by Bernard Telsey and Kristian Charbonier, and Thomas Recktenwald serves as production stage manager.
READ: In Cabaret, Set and Costume Designer Tom Scutt Wanted to Celebrate Queer Individuality
Visit KitKat.club. See the current Cabaret cast below.
