Broadway‘s Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club will close on Sunday, October 19, producers announced today, ending a 14-week run that was spotty at the box office and will almost certainly leave investors short from recouping the revival’s estimated $23 million+ costs.
Also today, producers announced that Billy Porter and Marisha Wallace will be the show’s final Emcee and Sally Bowles, with the two actors taking over the roles on Tuesday, July 22.
“I can think of no better way to celebrate this production’s incredible run on Broadway than by welcoming Billy and Marisha into the company for our final thirteen weeks,” said director Rebecca Frecknall. “They brought down the house every night on the West End, and I cannot wait for Broadway audiences to experience the electricity they generate together.”
“Having the chance to present this masterwork to audiences at this moment in history has been the honor of a lifetime. We are so proud of what Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club has achieved on Broadway – artistically, culturally, and with audiences,” said Adam Speers on behalf of the producers. “We’ve been unbelievably lucky to have had such an incredible string of cast members lend their talents to this run, and Billy and Marisha are the ideal stars to lead us into this final stretch.”
The Broadway production of Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club began previews on Monday, April 1, 2024, becoming a buzzed-about hot ticket. Well received by most critics, the elaborate, immersive production went on to become the most nominated revival of the 2023-2024 season, receiving 9 Tony Award nominations, winning for Best Scenic Design/Musical.
The London production, now in its fourth year, won a record-breaking seven Olivier Awards and is now tied for the most for any musical revival in Olivier history.
In New York, though, the revival was received by critics with mixed reviews, and while the production – originally starring Eddie Redmayne and Gayle Rankin – did strong business initially, more recent months have seen attendance dropping, with audiences sometimes filling just 75% to 85% of seats at the expensively renovated August Wilson Theatre. For the week ending June 15, the revival was at 86% of capacity, with a gross of $762,715, far less than the estimated $1 million-plus needed each week to meet costs.
The show’s current cast features Orville Peck as ‘Emcee’ and Eva Noblezada as ‘Sally Bowles’; they’ll play their final performances on Sunday, July 20, two days before Porter and Wallace take over.
With music by John Kander and lyrics by Fred Ebb – and a book by Joe Masteroff based on the play by John Van Druten and stories by Christopher Isherwood – Cabaret features such beloved songs as “Willkommen,” “Mein Herr,” “Maybe This Time,” “Money,” and the title number. The musical has been staged on Broadway five times, beginning with the original 1966 production and followed by revivals in 1988, 2004, 2015 and 2024. (The musical was adapted for film in 1972, with Bob Fosse directing and Liza Minnelli in a career-making performance.)