Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club on Broadway has announced an earlier closing date amidst casting and legal drama. Let’s talk about it.
It’s no secret that Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club has been a global sensation. From its Broadway debut in 1966 to the Olivier Award-winning revival in the West End in 2021, the reimagining of this production has changed the way this show will be interpreted for years to come. However, the star-studded staging has had quite the collection of faults- some more recent that may have caused the even more abrupt closing.
For some background, Cabaret opened in April of 2024 after being transferred to Broadway. The show’s first “leading two” were Eddie Redmayne and Gayle Rankin as the Emcee and Sally Bowles, respectively. They ravished in the reviews and even scored Tony nominations for their portrayals in these roles. Ever since their departure, Cabaret has struggled to make a profit, considering the major renovations that were completed in the August Wilson Theater that transformed it into the immersive Kit Kat Club.
This show is performed in the round, which is Broadway slang for a circular stage. This stage is in the middle of the theater, with seating surrounding the small stage. With the flexibility of the staging these roles are known to offer somewhat of an uncommon flexibility with developing the character to make it the actor’s own. This is where controversy at the Kit Kat Club was born.
The show’s latest and final casting includes Billy Porter and Marisha Wallace, both of who would be reprising their roles from the West End production of Cabaret. While many are pleased with Marisha Wallace’s casting choice, Billy Porter’s, however, has sparked quite the conversation of whether or not Porter’s take on the Emcee is misinterpreted.
Many theatre-goers have ripped Porter’s performance apart. They have criticized his performance both vocally and theatrically, specifically stating he may not fully understand the symbolicalness not only of the show’s content, but especially factoring in the times we are living in now. With over-exaggeration of certain lyrics or full changing lyrics of importance to appear comedic, Porter is not a fan favorite, and many were calling for him to leave the production. According to different sources, Porter changed a lyric in the song “If You Could See Her”, an arguably heavy song in the show, from “She wouldn’t look Jewish at all”, to “She wouldn’t be Jewish at all”. Whether a small flub or an intentional choice, this was just one of the many questionable choices of Billy Porter that sparked outrage.
It was announced that Billy Porter would be out from August 29th – September 7th due to illness. Not much more information was released until the 7th, when it was further announced that not only would Porter be withdrawing from the show due to a case of sepsis, but that Cabaret would end its run almost a month earlier than stated. Many have argued that they should let Marisha and the understudies for the Emcee finish out the run like intended, which is validated considering the entire company will be out of a job even earlier than expected. However, there may be some legal trouble that is also contributing to the show’s premature closing.
A Cabaret investor is pursuing legal action after claiming he and other investors have not received any money, and have not provided a full transparency of the finances to them as well. Cabaret producers claim they haven’t been in a place where they could return money to investors- and even offered to allow investors access to their accounts for proof. Cabaret had a steady amount of profit flowing in up until both Redmayne and Rankin left the show, making up to $2 million a week. Since then, there has been a dip in their weekly grosses, with the show averaging about $300,000 a week. Producers have clearly been struggling to make any sort of profit, let alone reimburse investors on what they are owed.
Although this production has had it’s fair share hiccups in its short revived run on Broadway, this production is simply striking and immersive as a whole, and quite frankly, something the theatre industry has yet to see. Personally, it changed my more negative opinion of immersive theatre as a whole, and the star quality of this show is unmatched. Seeing the show twice with Eva Noblezada and Orville Peck (His Broadway debut! Pleasantly surprised.), it made me so inclined to learn more about the background of this show and why it is so popular and relevant in today’s time.
You have until September 21st to see Marisha Wallace and the beautiful understudies Marty Lauter and David Merino live in action, telling a story that is so important in today’s time. Go hear the music play one last time at the Kit Kat Club.