Jake Shears and Rebecca Lucy Taylor (AKA Self Esteem) stepped into the roles of The Emcee and Sally Bowles, respectively, September 25 in the Olivier-winning revival of Cabaret in London's West End at the Playhouse Theatre (which has been physically transformed into the Kit Kat Klub).
The cast also includes Nathan Ives-Moiba as Clifford Bradshaw, Beverley Klein as Fraulein Schneider, Teddy Kempner as Herr Schultz, Jessica Kirton as Fraulein Kost/Fritzie, and Wilf Scolding as Ernst Ludwig. Nic Myers is the alternate Sally Bowles, playing the role once a week.
The production has just extended its booking period until September 28, 2024, and released new production photos below:
Wilf Scolding in the West End's Cabaret
Company of the West End's Cabaret
Company of the West End's Cabaret
Rebecca Lucy Taylor in the West End's Cabaret
Natalie Chua in the West End's Cabaret
Liv Alexander in the West End's Cabaret
Jessica Kirton in the West End's Cabaret
Jake Shears and company of the West End's Cabaret
Jake Shears and company of the West End's Cabaret
Hicaro Nicolai in the West End's Cabaret
El Haq Latief in the West End's Cabaret
Damon Gould in the West End's Cabaret
Rebecca Lucy Taylor in Cabaret
Rebecca Lucy Taylor in Cabaret
Rebecca Lucy Taylor and Jake Shears in Cabaret
Rebecca Lucy Taylor and Jake Shears in Cabaret
Jake Shears in Cabaret
Jake Shears in Cabaret
READ: Olivier-Winning London Cabaret Revival is Officially Broadway Bound
The cast is completed by Liv Alexander as Texas, Natalie Chua as Frenchie, Laura Delany as Rosie, Taite-Elliot Drew as Hans, Damon Gould as Victor, El Haq Latief as Helga, Grant Neal as Herman/Max, Hicaro Nicolai as Lulu, and Travis Ross as Bobby, alongside Rebecca Lisewski, Ela Lisondra, Nic Myers, Andy Rees, Toby Turpin, and Patrick Wilden.
The prologue company is Rachel Benson, Ami Benton, Onyemachi Ejimofor, Joseph Hardy, Liz Kamille, Andrew Linnie, Aine McLoughlin, Jack William Parry, Jazmyn Raikes, Oliver Stockley, and Ena Yamaguchi.
Shears said in an earlier statement, “It is my privilege and honor to play the Emcee in this incredible show. I am especially excited to be sharing the stage with the force that is Self Esteem. This role has been a lifetime dream of mine, and I couldn’t imagine a better production of it to be a part of.”
Taylor added, “I’ve never made a secret of my love of theatre, and I honestly couldn’t be more excited about getting to make my stage debut as one of the greatest leads of all time. I’ve joked for years that there’s no need for a Self Esteem musical really because Sally’s story covers most of the points and here we are. I am both artistically and emotionally raring to take on this challenge. Pinch me!”
This production of Cabaret opened in December 2021, subsequently winning a record-breaking seven Olivier Awards.
Based on the play by John Van Druten and stories by Christopher Isherwood, Cabaret has music by John Kander, lyrics by Fred Ebb, and a book by Joe Masteroff.
This production is directed by Rebecca Frecknall with set and costume design by Tom Scutt, choreography by Julia Cheng, musical supervision by Jennifer Whyte, musical direction by Ben Ferguson, lighting design by Isabella Byrd, and sound design by Nick Lidster. The casting director is Stuart Burt, and the associate director is Jordan Fein.
Cabaret is produced by Ambassador Theatre Group Productions and Underbelly.
