The latest casting announcement for Cabaret has sparked quite the frenzied reaction online.
Since its West End revival in 2021, which puts a new spin on the classic musical, Cabaret has welcomed many famous names to its cast, including Eddie Redmayne, Jessie Buckley, It’s A Sin’s Omari Douglas and Callum Howells, Euphoria’s Maude Apatow and Sex Education star Aimee Lou Wood.
And now, two more big names are set to take over as the Emcee and Sally Bowles, with the announcement that Jake Shears and Self Esteem are joining the cast.
Jake is best known as one half of the pop group Scissor Sisters, whose hits include I Don’t Feel Like Dancing and Take Your Mama.
He says in a statement: “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.”
Self Esteem – billed under her real name Rebecca Lucy Taylor – is an award-winning singer-songwriter known for tracks like I Do This All The Time and Fucking Wizardry.
She says: “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!”
On social media, the news was met with a lot of excitement:
Jake and Self Esteem will take to the stage from 25 September, with Emily Benjamin continuing as the production’s alternate Sally Bowles until 18 October, and Nic Myers taking over (scheduled to perform once a week) from 19 October.
They join Nathan Ives-Moiba as Clifford Bradshaw, Beverley Klein as Fraulein Schneider and Teddy Kempner as Herr Schultz.
Cabaret tickets – How can I get them for Jake Shears and Self Esteem?
Tickets are already available for Jake Shears and Self Esteem’s stint in Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club, which begins from Monday 25 September.
They can be purchased from the official Kit Kat Club website, with ticket prices starting from £30.
However, we’d suggest getting in there quick, as there is already medium availability for the last week of September and the majority of October.