Billy Porter and Marisha Wallace Take Over Cabaret

 

Billy Porter and Marisha Wallace Take Over Cabaret for a Limited Broadway Run: 'A Miracle, a Blessing, and Exciting'

 Emmy, Grammy, and Tony-winning Bill Porter Photo Marc Brenner.

Broadway is welcoming two powerhouse performers to the stage—Billy Porter and Marisha Wallace are officially joining the hit revival of Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club, and they’re bringing the house down.

In a dazzling press event 1,100 feet above New York City at The Edge in Hudson Yards, the Emmy, Grammy, and Tony-winning Porter and Olivier-nominated Wallace were introduced as the newest stars of the acclaimed production. Their highly anticipated run kicks off tonight at the August Wilson Theatre and continues for just 13 weeks, through October 19.

Olivier-nominated Marisha Wallace Photo Marc Brenner.

“I left Broadway to perform in London, so to come back has been a miracle, a blessing—and also exciting,” Wallace told People. “To return with this show, with Billy, in this moment—it means everything.”

Porter echoed that sentiment with his signature warmth. “I haven’t been on Broadway in about eight years,” he said. “Like Marisha said, it is home. And I love experiencing it through her eyes. She has wonder and gratitude, and joy.”

The two aren’t just performing—they’re making history. For the first time ever, the roles of the Emcee and Sally Bowles will be performed full-time on Broadway by African American actors. The timing couldn’t feel more urgent.

“We are dealing with the rise of fascism in real life, and we’re also experiencing that onstage,” Wallace shared in an interview with freelance reporter Magrira. “But the joy that we’ve found in presenting these roles with these new lenses... It’s been really eye-opening.”

Porter added that many audiences walk in unaware of the show’s powerful legacy. “Most of the audience coming to see this show do not know what they are coming to see,” he said, laughing. “I’m a musical theater queen! It never occurred to me that [people] don’t know what Cabaret is!”

Originally created by John Kander, Fred Ebb, and Joe Masteroff—and based on stories by Christopher Isherwood—Cabaret has long been a reflection of history’s darkest turns. The current production, directed by Olivier Award winner Rebecca Frecknall, has earned rave reviews and more than 20 major award nominations, including nine Tony nods. Critics have called it “jaw-dropping,” “ravishing,” and “timely.”

“Billy and Marisha brought down the house every night on the West End,” Frecknall said. “I cannot wait for Broadway audiences to experience the electricity they generate together.”

The duo replaces Orville Peck and Eva Noblezada, who ended their run on July 20. Also starring in the current cast are Calvin Leon Smith, Steven Skybell, Ellen Harvey, Henry Gottfried, and Michelle Aravena. The production's creative team includes Tom Scutt (design), Julia Cheng (choreography), Isabella Byrd (lighting), Nick Lidster (sound), and Jennifer Whyte (music supervision).

Set in a transformed August Wilson Theatre, the Kit Kat Club immerses audiences in 1930s Berlin, where performers, misfits, and outsiders rule the night. The result? A decadent, immersive experience that’s part theater, part revelation.

Tickets for the final run starring Billy Porter and Marisha Wallace are available now at www.kitkat.club.

So don’t wait. Willkommen, indeed.