Broadway fans will soon have to bid “auf wiedersehen” to Eddie Redmayne and Gayle Rankin when they depart from the Tony Award-winning musical Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club. But soon after, they’ll be saying “willkommen, bienvenue, welcome” to a new set of Broadway stars.
On Wednesday (July 24), the production announced that pop singer Adam Lambert and Moana star Auli’i Cravalho will join the cast of Cabaret starting on Sept. 16. The “Whataya Want From Me” singer will take on the role of the enigmatic Emcee (currently played by Redmayne), while Cravalho will join as wannabe nightlife starlet Sally Bowles (currently portrayed by Rankin).
“Growing up on the musical theater stage, it was always a childhood dream to perform on Broadway. With this production of Cabaret, it finally felt like the right time to accept an invitation to make my debut,” Lambert said in a statement released with the news. “The themes of this show have always resonated with me and given the current sociopolitical climate the world is in, feel eerily timely … I’m looking forward to working with Auli’i to create our own magic.”
Cravalho agreed, adding, “I’m thrilled to join the long line of talented women who have taken on the iconic ‘Sally Bowles,’ most recently, the woman I watched with notebook and pen in hand, the dynamite Gayle Rankin. To join a show with so much history – and such a stellar cast and crew – means it’s quite literally an honor to get my butt kicked each week.”
This won’t be Lambert’s first time taking on a theatrical role. Before gaining widespread acclaim from his run on season eight of American Idol, the singer performed in the touring ensemble of Wicked in 2005, and eventually went on to play as the understudy to the romantic lead Fiyero in February 2007 Los Angeles production of the show.
Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club has already proven to be a hit on Broadway. Along with a string of sold-out performances, the show was nominated for a whopping nine Tony Awards in 2024, including best revival of a musical and best performance by an actor/actress in a leading role in a musical for both Redmayne and Rankin. The show ultimately nabbed one award at the ceremony on June 16 for best scenic design of a musical.
Fans looking to score tickets to Lambert and Cravalho’s debut show can check performance schedules on the production’s official website.