Jake Shears and Rebecca Lucy Taylor to Lead West End Cabaret

Beginning Monday, September 25, the roles of the Emcee and Sally Bowles in the West End revival of Cabaret will be played by Jake Shears (lead singer of the Scissor Sisters and lyricist for the hit musical Tammy Faye) and Rebecca Lucy Taylor, also known as Self Esteem.

The show, first seen in late 2021, is currently booking until next summer at the specially adapted venue next to the Thames. Shears and Taylor are set to appear until January 20, 2024.

Further casting changes have also been confirmed: Emily Benjamin will continue as the production’s alternate Sally Bowles until October 18, with Nic Myers taking over (scheduled to perform once a week) from October 19.

Also joining the company on September 25 are Wilf Scolding as Ernst Ludwig, Jessica Kirton as Fraulein Kost/Fritzie, Liv Alexander as Texas, Natalie Chua as Frenchie, Taite-Elliot Drew as Hans, Damon Gould as Victor, El Haq Lateif as Helga, and Travis Ross as Bobby, joining Laura Delany as Rosie, Grant Neal as Herman/Max and Hicaro Nicolai as Lulu.

The cast is completed by Rebecca Lisewski, Ela Lisondra, Myers, Andy Rees, Toby Turpin and Patrick Wilden.

Based on the play I Am a Camera by John Van Druten and the Berlin Stories of Christopher Isherwood, Cabaret features music by John Kander, lyrics by Fred Ebb, and a book by Joe Masteroff. It tells the story of American writer Clifford Bradshaw and English chanteuse Sally Bowles, roommates and occasional lovers living in Berlin in the 1930s.

Cabaret is directed by Rebecca Frecknall, set and costume design is by Tom Scutt with choreography by Julia Cheng. Musical supervision is by Jennifer Whyte. Musical direction is by Ben Ferguson. Lighting design is by Isabella Byrd and sound design by Nick Lidster. The casting director is Stuart Burt and the associate director is Jordan Fein.

From October 16, the prologue company, entertaining audiences before the show begins, will be Rachel Benson, Ami Benton, Onyemachi Ejimofor, Joseph Hardy, Liz Kamille, Andrew Linnie, Aine McLoughlin, Jack Parry, Jazmyn Raikes, Oliver Stockley, and Ena Yamaguchi.

A Broadway production is headed for the August Wilson Theatre next spring.