Starring in Cabaret as the Emcee, Tony winner Billy Porter gets to break the fourth wall a lot. And apparently that means you need to come correct if you are catching the show at the Kit Kat Club (née August Wilson Theatre). On a recent visit to Late Night With Seth Meyers, the Kinky Boots and Pose star shared that he is not shy about getting audience members talking or looking at their phones during the show to knock it off. Find out how Billy LuPorter handles things in the interview above.
Porter is reprising his performance from the Rebecca Frecknall-directed revival's West End bow, along with his co-star Marisha Wallace. Both began performances on Broadway July 22, and will continue through the production's final performance October 19. Opening night was April 21, 2024.
The revival also stars Calvin Leon Smith as Clifford Bradshaw, Steven Skybell as Herr Schultz, Ellen Harvey as Fraulein Schneider, Henry Gottfried as Ernst Ludwig, and Michelle Aravena as Fritzie/Kost.
READ: In Cabaret, Set and Costume Designer Tom Scutt Wanted to Celebrate Queer Individuality
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.
Visit KitKat.club.
Marisha Wallace in Cabaret
Billy Porter in Cabaret
Billy Porter in Cabaret
Marisha Wallace in Cabaret
