The Broadway revival of “Cabaret” will shutter nearly a month ahead of schedule after its star, Billy Porter, was forced to step away due to health issues.
Producers announced that the show will now conclude its run at the August Wilson Theatre on Sept. 21, four weeks earlier than the previously set closing date of Oct. 19, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Porter, who joined the production in July as the Emcee alongside Marisha Wallace as Sally Bowles, is recovering from what producers described as “a serious case of sepsis.” According to the statement, doctors expect Porter to “make a full recovery” but have advised him to rest.
The decision comes amid financial struggles for the high-cost musical, which has seen box office receipts decline in recent weeks. Attendance has dipped below 70% capacity, with grosses hovering around $500,000 — well short of what is typically needed to sustain a major Broadway production.
Producer Adam Speers acknowledged both the disappointment and the pride surrounding the early closure in a statement.
“It is with a heavy heart that we have made the painful decision to end our Broadway run on Sept. 21,” he said. “On behalf of all the producers, we’re so honored to have been able to bring this version of John Kander, Fred Ebb, and Joe Masteroff’s important masterpiece, ‘Cabaret,’ to New York and to have opened the doors to our own Kit Kat Club for the year and a half we have been here.”
Speers praised Porter’s contribution and urged audiences to attend the final weeks.
“Billy was an extraordinary ‘Emcee,’ bringing his signature passion and remarkable talent,” he said. “We wish Billy a speedy recovery, and I look forward to working with him again in the very near future. I personally invite audiences to return to the Kit Kat Club one last time to see the incandescent Marisha Wallace as ‘Sally Bowles,’ alongside the remarkably talented Marty [Lauter] and David [Merino], two actors who have been giving soul-stirring performances as ‘Emcee’ since we first opened last April.”
Lauter and Merino, longtime alternates for the Emcee role, will now share leading duties through the show’s final performance.
“Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club” opened in April 2024 with Eddie Redmayne and Gayle Rankin in the lead roles, following the production’s acclaimed London staging.
Porter’s iteration of the Emcee, as he previously explained, drew from his own identity as a Black man.
“For my character, he flees the Jim Crow South to go to Europe, thinking he’s going to be safe, only to find there’s no safety there or anywhere,” Billy told Broadway Direct last month. “That’s my journey.”
Although his Broadway run was cut short, the actor reflected warmly on his time in the role.
“Making my West End debut was magical,” he recalled. “I’m so grateful that I’m getting to do something that’s so important right now. It was a magical experience. I love London.”
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