Producers Ambassador Theatre Group Productions, Underbelly, Gavin Kalin Productions, Hunter Arnold, Smith & Brant Theatricals, and Wessex Grove announced that GRAMMY Award® nominee Adam Lambert and fast-rising star Auli’i Cravalho will make their respective Broadway debuts as ‘Emcee’ and ‘Sally Bowles’ this Autumn in the Tony Award®-winning Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club at the August Wilson Theatre (245 West 52nd Street).
Directed by Olivier Award® winner Rebecca Frecknall and designed by 2024 Tony Award winner Tom Scutt, Lambert and Cravalho will begin performances Monday, September 16 and play a limited engagement through Sunday, March 30, 2025.
As previously announced, Eddie Redmayne and Gayle Rankin, both of whom received widespread critical acclaim and earned Tony Award nominations for Cabaret, will play their final performances as ‘Emcee’ and ‘Sally Bowles’ on Saturday evening, September 14.
Casting for the roles of ‘Emcee’ and ‘Sally Bowles’ after March 30 will be announced in the new year.
Lambert previously appeared in the North American touring production of Wicked and shortly after, rocketed to stardom in the eighth season of “American Idol.” In addition to being a platinum-selling singer/songwriter, he appeared in the five-time Academy Award®-winning film Bohemian Rhapsody and starred in the Sofia Coppola-produced feature film Fairyland. In addition to fronting legendary rock band Queen, playing to sold-out stadiums across the globe, last week Lambert released his latest solo EP, the hedonistic, dance-driven AFTERS.
Cravalho first gained attention as the voice of the title character of Disney’s Moana and performed the anthem “How Far I’ll Go” with the film’s songwriter Lin-Manuel Miranda at the 2017 Academy Awards®. She went on to star in “The Power” on Amazon, Hulu’s Crush, the NBC drama “Rise,” and Netflix’s All Together Now, Last spring, she starred as ‘Janis’ in the film adaptation of Tina Fey’s Broadway hit Mean Girls: The Musical. This fall, she will return to the role of ‘Moana’ in the eagerly anticipated sequel to the global phenomenon.
Lambert commented, "Growing up on the musical theater stage, it was always a childhood dream to perform on Broadway. With this production of Cabaret, it finally felt like the right time to accept an invitation to make my debut. The themes of this show have always resonated with me and given the current sociopolitical climate the world is in, feel eerily timely. Eddie and Gayle have been a dream pairing and I’m looking forward to working with Auli’i to create our own magic. It is thrilling to be able to sink my teeth into this important story and collaborate with the rest of the talented artists in the cast and crew."
Cravalho said, “I’m thrilled to join the long line of talented women who have taken on the iconic ‘Sally Bowles;’ most recently, the woman I watched with notebook and pen in hand, the dynamite Gayle Rankin. To join a show with so much history – and such a stellar cast and crew – means it’s quite literally an honor to get my butt kicked each week. Mahalo palena ?ole family, I wouldn’t be making this debut without you.”
In a statement, director Frecknall said, “I’m so thrilled that Adam and Auli’i will be joining our Cabaret company this fall. Both actors bring such talent, tenacity, and intelligence to their work and I know they will bring new and exciting offerings to the Kit Kat Club. Having started out in the world of musical theater, Adam has a real passion for this work and such a wealth of artistic experience to bring to the role of ‘Emcee.’ I can’t wait to see his interpretation of the role and see him host the audience at the August Wilson Theatre, it’s going to be electric! And I'm so excited to be working with Auli’i on the role of ‘Sally Bowles.’ I know her humor, musicality, vulnerability, and ferocity will combine to make an unmissable performance. It’s a real privilege to have both of these incredible artists making their Broadway debuts in our production.”
During their runs in Cabaret, Lambert and Cravalho will normally perform seven shows per week. Please check www.kitkat.club for the latest performance schedule.
Lambert will not perform on the following matinees: October 23, November 6, 24 and 27, December 4 and 18, January 15 and 29, February 12 and 19, March 5 and 19. Adam Lambert will not perform on the following evenings: October 14 and 28, November 12, December 10 and 23, January 7 and 21, February 4 and 24, March 10 and 24.
Cravalho will not perform the week of November 19 - 24. Additionally, Cravalho will not perform on the following matinees: October 30; November 13 and 29; December 11 and 24; January 8 and 22; February 5, 20, and 26; and March 12 and 26. Cravalho will not perform on the following evening performances: September 30; October 1; November 4; December 3 and 17; January 14 and 28; February 11; and March 3 and 17.
Cabaret also stars two-time Tony Award winner and 2024 Tony Award nominee and Drama Desk Award winner Bebe Neuwirth as ‘Fraulein Schneider,’ Tony Award nominee Ato Blankson-Wood as ‘Clifford Bradshaw,’ 2024 Tony Award nominee Steven Skybell as ‘Herr Schultz,’ Henry Gottfried as ‘Ernst Ludwig,’ and three-time Helen Hayes Award winner Natascia Diaz as ‘Fritzie/Kost.’
The cast of Cabaret also includes Gabi Campo as ‘Frenchie,’ Ayla Ciccone-Burton as ‘Helga,’ Colin Cunliffe as ‘Hans,’ Marty Lauter as ‘Victor,’ Loren Lester as ‘Herman/Max,’ David Merino as ‘Lulu,’ Julian Ramos as ‘Bobby,’ MiMi Scardulla as ‘Texas,’ and Paige Smallwood as ‘Rosie.’ Swings include Hannah Florence, Pedro Garza, Christian Kidd, Corinne Munsch, Chloé Nadon-Enriquez, and Karl Skyler Urban.
The Prologue Company, the dancers and musicians that welcome audiences to the club, feature dancers Alaïa, IRON BRYAN, Will Ervin Jr., Sun Kim, Deja McNair and swings Ida Saki and Spencer James Weidie. The musicians of the Prologue are Brian Russell Carey (piano & bass), Francesca Dawis (violin), Keiji Ishiguri (dedicated substitute), Maeve Stier (accordion), and Michael Winograd (clarinet).
Experience this groundbreaking musical like never before. The denizens of the Kit Kat Club have created a decadent sanctuary inside Broadway’s August Wilson Theatre, where artists and performers, misfits and outsiders rule the night. Step inside their world. This is Berlin. Relax. Loosen up. Be yourself.
Cabaret, one of the most revered and successful musicals of all time, has music by John Kander, lyrics by Fred Ebb, and a book by Joe Masteroff based on the play by John Van Druten and stories by Christopher Isherwood. The show features the songs “Willkommen,” “Don’t Tell Mama,” “Mein Herr,” “Maybe This Time,” “Money,” and the iconic title number.
Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club on Broadway is directed by Olivier Award winner and 2024 Drama Desk Award nominee Rebecca Frecknall with club, scenic, and costume design by Tony Award winner, Evening Standard Award winner, and Olivier Award nominee Tom Scutt, and choreography by 2024 Chita Rivera Award nominee and Olivier Award nominee Julia Cheng.
The creative team for Broadway includes Jennifer Whyte (Music Supervision & Music Direction), 2024 Tony Award nominee, Drama Desk Award winner, OBIE Award winner, Olivier Award nominee Isabella Byrd (Lighting Design), 2024 Tony Award nominee, Drama Desk Award winner, and Olivier Award winner Nick Lidster (Sound Design), Sam Cox (Hair & Wig Design), Guy Common (Makeup Design), Jordan Fein (Associate Director & Prologue Director), Danny Sharron (US Associate Director), Kayla Lomas-Kirton (UK Associate Choreographer), Ilia Jessica Castro (US Associate Choreographer), Angus MacRae (Prologue Composer & Prologue Music Director), Bernard Telsey, CSA & Kristian Charbonier, CSA (Casting Directors), and Thomas Recktenwald (Production Stage Manager). 101 Productions, Ltd. serves as the US General Manager for Cabaret.
The Broadway production of Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club began previews on Monday, April 1, 2024 and quickly became Broadway’s “hottest ticket” (Washington Post), and “the Broadway show everyone needs to have an opinion on” (Town & Country). Critics called the production “an unforgettable and jaw-dropping experience” (Entertainment Weekly), and “a ravishing, gut-punching, timely revival” (Variety). It was the most nominated revival of the 2023-2024 season receiving nine Tony Award nominations and honored with Best Revival nominations by the Outer Critics Circle Awards, Drama Desk Awards, and Drama League Awards.
When the London production of Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club began performances in November 2021, it electrified the West End with critics calling it “a kill-for-a-ticket theatrical triumph” (The Telegraph). The production went on to win a record-breaking seven Olivier Awards and is now tied for the most for any musical revival in Olivier history. Now in its third smash year, the West End production of Cabaret currently features Rhea Norwood as ‘Sally Bowles’ and Layton Williams as ‘Emcee.’
The 2021 Original London Cast Recording of Cabaret featuring Eddie Redmayne and recorded during a live performance is available on Decca Records as a CD and to stream on all major platforms. To order the album or stream it, please visit https://cabaret.lnk.to/ListenNow
BIOGRAPHIES
Adam Lambert (Emcee) is a GRAMMY-nominated music artist, actor, producer, philanthropist, and LGBTQ+ trailblazer. The first openly gay male artist to reach No. 1 on the Billboard 200, Lambert has released five studio albums to date, selling more than three million albums worldwide. After blowing everyone away on the eighth season of “American Idol,” Lambert went on to become GRAMMY-nominated for his platinum-certified single “Whataya Want From Me” from his debut album For Your Entertainment and has amassed an impressive catalog featuring five Top 10s on Billboard’s Top Album Sales Chart and hit songs such as “If I Had You” (For Your Entertainment), “Never Close Our Eyes” (Trespassing), “Ghost Town” (The Original High), “Superpower” (VELVET), “and “Holding Out for a Hero” (High Drama). Most recently, Lambert released his most liberated body of work to-date with the hedonistic dance EP AFTERS.
Lambert’s career extends well into television and film as he hosts and co-produced the ITV documentary “Adam Lambert: Out, Loud and Proud,” appeared in the five-time Academy Award-winning film Bohemian Rhapsody, and starred in the Sofia Coppola-produced feature film Fairyland, which premiered at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival.
In addition to a successful solo career, Lambert is no stranger to impressing crowds with his carefully curated transformation of other artist’s songs – from selling out stadiums worldwide as the frontman of iconic band Queen, to the Kennedy Center Honors where he reduced Cher to tears with his delicate ballad rendition of “Believe,” and now as the coveted role of ‘Emcee’ in the Broadway production of Cabaret, marking his official Broadway debut.
Auli’i Cravalho (Sally Bowles) was born in Kohala, Hawai?i, and is boldly building her body of work as both actor and producer. Most recently, she can be seen starring as ‘Janis’ in Paramount Pictures’ box office hit, Mean Girls: The Musical, an adaptation of the Tony Award nominated stage musical of the 2004 cult-classic Mean Girls, written by Tina Fey. Cravalho can also be seen in the Amazon series “The Power” opposite Toni Collette and John Leguizamo, and Brett Haley’s Netflix film All Together Now leading Fred Armisen and Carol Burnett. Other notable credits include her starring roles in the Jason Katims musical series “Rise” for NBC, and the supernatural comedy Darby and the Dead and queer rom-com Crush, both films for Hulu.
Cravalho has transitioned seamlessly to stage work and made her West End debut as ‘Eva Peron’ in Evita at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane in 2023. Additional theatre credits include Sunset Boulevard at the Kennedy Center and Children of Eden at Lincoln Center. She has continued to dominate in voice-over as well, lending her voice to projects for Amazon, Apple, Audible, Disney, National Geographic, and Paramount as well as video game studios Gameloft and Studio Wildcard.
Perhaps best known for her performance as the title character of Disney Animation’s Moana, Auli’i sang the Oscar-nominated song “How Far I‘ll Go” live at the Academy Awards in 2017 and won the Annie Award for Outstanding Achievement in Voice Acting in an Animated Feature the same year. She will be reprising the role of ‘Moana’ in Moana 2, set to be released in theaters November 2024. Cravalho is also an Executive Producer of Disney’s eagerly anticipated live-action adaptation of Moana, due 2026. Auli’i Cravalho will make her Broadway debut as ‘Sally Bowles’ in Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club later this Summer.