Cabaret West End announces Jake Shears and Self Esteem will join cast

Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club has announced new lead casting with Jake Shears joining the production as Emcee and Self Esteem as Sally Bowles.

Jake Shears and Self Esteem. Photo: Danny Kasiyre

The producers of the multi-award-winning, critically acclaimed production of Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club are delighted to announce that from 25 September 2023, the roles of The Emcee and Sally Bowles will be played by music icons Jake Shears and Rebecca Lucy Taylor AKA Self Esteem. They join Nathan Ives-Moiba as Clifford Bradshaw, Beverley Klein as Fraulein Schneider and Teddy Kempner as Herr Schultz.

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Jake Shears said today “It is my privilege and honour 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.”

Rebecca Lucy Taylor said today “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!”

Emily Benjamin will continue as the production’s alternate Sally Bowles until 18 October, with Nic Myers taking over (scheduled to perform once a week) from 19 October. Also joining the company on 25 September 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 Latief 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, Nic Myers, Andy Rees, Toby Turpin and Patrick Wilden.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1B1PuZawwnE

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

One of the most successful musicals of all time Cabaret features the songs Wilkommen, Don’t Tell Mama, Mein Herr, Maybe This Time, Money and the title number. It has music by John Kander, lyrics by Fred Ebb, book by Joe Masteroff. Based on the play by John Van Druten and stories by Christopher Isherwood.

Cabaret the musical opened in December 2021 at the Playhouse Theatre which has been brilliantly transformed into Cabaret's infamous Kit Kat Club.