Today, Adam Speers for ATG Productions, Underbelly, Gavin Kalin Productions, Hunter Arnold, Smith & Brant Theatricals, and Wessex Grove announced that trailblazing country music star Orville Peck and two-time Tony Award® nominee and GRAMMY Award® winner Eva Noblezada will star as ‘Emcee’ and ‘Sally Bowles’ in the Tony Award-winning Cabaret at the KitKat Club at the August Wilson Theatre (245 West 52nd Street).
Peck and Noblezada will play a limited 16-week engagement in Cabaret starting Monday, March 31 through Sunday, July 20. Tickets for their run in the acclaimed musical, which in November was called by EW “a potent and timely revival that is even more of a must-see,” are available now at www.kitkat.club.
As previously announced Adam Lambert and Auli‘i Cravalho will play their final performances in the production on Saturday evening, March 29. Casting for the roles of ‘Emcee’ and ‘Sally Bowles’ after Sunday, July 20 will be announced this summer.
Peck and his signature mask have been redefining country music and introducing it to a new audience since the release of his 2018 debut album Pony. He followed that with Bronco in 2022 and last year’s duets album, Stampede. His boldly theatrical live performances have made him a sought-after collaborator, working with music vanguards such as Willie Nelson, Elton John, Shania Twain, Kylie Minogue, and Beck. Peck trained as an actor at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art and appeared in an Olivier Award-nominated play on London’s West End. Cabaret will mark his Broadway debut.
Noblezada will be finishing her run as ‘Daisy Buchanan’ in the hit Broadway musical The Great Gatsby as of January 30. She’ll then join the West End production of Hadestown for a limited engagement reprising her Tony Award nominated performance as ‘Eurydice.’ She made her Broadway debut in the 2017 revival of Miss Saigon, for which she received a Theatre World Award as well as a Tony Award nomination. On film, she has starred in the acclaimed indie film Yellow Rose and comedy Easter Sunday.
Peck said, "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 theater. I grew up in the theater. 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 commented, “While studying musical theater in school, Cabaret always stood out. I was, and am, amazed by the lineage of theater 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.”
Olivier Award winning director Rebecca Frecknall said, “After such a brilliant collaboration with Adam Lambert, I’m thrilled to be able to bring yet another incredible contemporary musician into the role of the Emcee. Orville brings such theatricality to his own musical performance and has one of the most crystalline voices in music right now. It’s going to be exciting to see him become a part of our production and hear him sing John Kander and Fred Ebb’s score.
I’ve followed Eva’s work for years and it’s a privilege to have her join the company as our next Sally Bowles on Broadway following Auli‘i’s magnificent run. She brings such truth and emotional vulnerability to her work and has a voice that always thrills. She is truly one of theater’s great leading ladies, so it only seems fitting for us to get to see her take on this great canonical role.”
Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club also stars two-time Tony Award winner and 2024 Tony Award nominee Bebe Neuwirth, Calvin Leon Smith as ‘Clifford Bradshaw,’ 2024 Tony Award nominee Steven Skybell as ‘Herr Schultz;’ Henry Gottfried as ‘Ernst Ludwig,’ and Michelle Aravena as ‘Fritzie/Kost.’
The cast of Cabaret also includes Gabi Campo as ‘Frenchie,’ Ayla Ciccone-Burton as ‘Helga,’ Colin Cunliffe as ‘Hans,’ Kayla Jenerson as ‘Rosie,’ Marty Lauter as ‘Victor,’ Loren Lester as ‘Herman/Max,’ David Merino as ‘Lulu,’ Julian Ramos as ‘Bobby,’ MiMi Scardulla as ‘Texas,’ and Paige Smallwood. Swings include Maya Bowles, 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 IRON BRYAN, Will Ervin Jr., Sun Kim, Deja McNair-Kyles and swing Ida Saki. The musicians of the Prologue are Brian Russell Carey (piano & bass), Francesca Dawis (violin), Keiji Ishiguri (dedicated substitute), Déa Thatcher (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); Meghann Zervoulis Bate (Music Direction); 2024 Tony Award nominee, Drama Desk Award winner, OBIE Award winner, and 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 and Jena VanElslander (US Associate Choreographers); 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 Adam Gillen as ‘Emcee’ and Katherine Langford as ‘Sally Bowles.’ Starting January 28, Tony Award and Emmy Award®winner Billy Porter and double Olivier Award® nominee Marisha Wallace will join the cast as ‘Emcee’ and ‘Sally Bowles’ at the Kit Kat Club at the Playhouse.