Amy Lennox and Fra Fee at the Kit Kat Club. Picture: Jason Hetherington
Fra Fee and Amy Lennox will take on the starring roles in the critically-acclaimed new London production of Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club (Playhouse Theatre) from 21 March until 25 June 2022.
Fee (The Ferryman, Royal Court/Gielgud Theatre, London/Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre, New York, Candide, Menier Chocolate Factory) will take on the role of The Emcee following the departure of original star Eddie Redmayne with Lennox (Kinky Boots, Adelphi Theatre, Legally Blonde, Savoy Theatre) taking over from Jessie Buckley as Sally Bowles. Fee and Lennox previously starred together in a critically-acclaimed production of The Last Five Years in Belfast.
Announcing the new leads, producers Adam Speers, Ed Bartlam and Charlie Wood said: “We are thrilled to be welcoming the perfectly marvellous Fra Fee and Amy Lennox to our production of Cabaret.
“We wanted to recast these career defining roles with exceptional actors and so we’re just delighted that the stars have aligned with both Fra and Amy’s schedules. We couldn’t have asked for a more exciting and thrilling duo to follow Eddie and Jessie.”
The production’s director Rebecca Frecknall added: “It’s always exciting to be able to keep a production live and evolving across its run, to be able to continue digging into the piece and making new discoveries.
“The fact that we will have new actors taking on the roles of Sally and the Emcee as Cabaret continues to run in the West End is thrilling, the original cast passing the baton to different actors who will bring their own perspectives to the work.
“I’m thrilled that Fra Fee and Amy Lennox will be the first new pair joining the production this spring, two of our most exciting stage and screen actors. I know they will bring new creative energy to the production and will show me and our audiences new facets of the show.”
From 21 March, the production will also welcome Omar Baroud (As You Like It, Watermill Theatre, You Bury Me, Paines Plough) as Cliff Bradshaw and Vivien Parry (Top Hat, Aldwych Theatre, Les Misérables, Queen’s Theatre) as Fraulein Schneider.
Remaining in their roles will be: Elliot Levey (Nine Lessons, Almeida Theatre, Mary Stuart, Duke of York’s Theatre) as Herr Schultz, Stewart Clarke (Be More Chill, The Other Palace, Loserville, Garrick Theatre) as Ernst Ludwig and Anna-Jane Casey (Girl From The North Country, Gielgud Theatre, Billy Elliot, Victoria Palace) as Fraulein Kost.
The cast is completed by Josh Andrews, Emily Benjamin, Sally Frith, Matthew Gent, Emma Louise Jones, Ela Lisondra, Theo Maddix, Chris O’Mara, Daniel Perry, Andre Refig, Christopher Tendai, Bethany Terry, Lillie-Pearl Wildman and Sophie Maria Wojna.
Presented by Ambassador Theatre Group and Underbelly, the unique new version of the classic musical began performances at the in-the-round 550-capacity venue in December last year.
Frecknall heads a creative team that includes set and costume designer Tom Scutt and choreographer Julia Cheng. Musical supervision and direction are by Jennifer Whyte, with lighting design by Isabella Byrd and sound design by Nick Lidster. The casting director is Stuart Burt and the associate director is Jordan Fein.
Based on Christopher Isherwood’s 1939 semi-autobiographical book Goodbye to Berlin and the stage adaptation I Am a Camera by playwright and director John Van Druten, Cabaret features music by John Kander and lyrics by Fred Ebb.
The show’s Broadway debut in 1966 starring Joel Grey and Jill Haworth was followed by its first appearance in London’s West End two years later with Judi Dench taking on the role of Sally Bowles alongside Barry Dennen as The Emcee.
Grey re-created his Tony Award-winning performance for the Bob Fosse film version in 1972 which collected eight Oscars including the Best Supporting Actor award for Grey and the Best Actress award for Liza Minnelli’s iconic and career-making performance as Sally Bowles
Angela Thomas
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