Jake Shears, Rebecca Lucy Taylor (AKA Self Esteem) Again Extend Runs in West End Cabaret

Jake Shears and Rebecca Lucy Taylor (AKA Self Esteem), who stepped into the roles of The Emcee and Sally Bowles, respectively, in September in the Olivier-winning revival of Cabaret, have again extended their run at the West End's Playhouse Theatre (which has been physically transformed into the Kit Kat Klub).

The actors, who previously extended their limited engagements through January 27, 2024, will now stay with the Broadway-bound hit revival through March 9.

READ: Natascia Diaz and Henry Gottfried Board Upcoming Broadway Cabaret

In celebration of the actors' extensions, BBC Radio 2 broadcasts Jo Whiley Presents Cabaret at BBC’s Maida Vale Studios, hosted by Whiley, December 6 at 8 PM London time. The evening will feature Shears, Taylor, and the cast and orchestra of Cabaret, who will perform some of their favorite songs from the musical.

The London company also features Nathan Ives-Moiba as Clifford Bradshaw, Beverley Klein as Fraulein Schneider, Teddy Kempner as Herr Schultz, Jessica Kirton as Fraulein Kost/Fritzie, and Wilf Scolding as Ernst Ludwig. Nic Myers is the alternate Sally Bowles, playing the role once a week.

The cast is completed by Liv Alexander as Texas, Natalie Chua as Frenchie, Laura Delany as Rosie, Taite-Elliot Drew as Hans, Damon Gould as Victor, El Haq Latief as Helga, Grant Neal as Herman/Max, Hicaro Nicolai as Lulu, and Travis Ross as Bobby, alongside Rebecca Lisewski, Ela Lisondra, Nic Myers, Andy Rees, Toby Turpin, and Patrick Wilden.

The prologue company is Rachel Benson, Ami Benton, Onyemachi Ejimofor, Joseph Hardy, Liz Kamille, Andrew Linnie, Aine McLoughlin, Jack William Parry, Jazmyn Raikes, Oliver Stockley, and Ena Yamaguchi.

Shears said in an earlier statement, “It is my privilege and honor 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.”

Taylor added, “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!”

This production of Cabaret opened in December 2021, subsequently winning a record-breaking seven Olivier Awards.

Based on the play by John Van Druten and stories by Christopher Isherwood, Cabaret has music by John Kander, lyrics by Fred Ebb, and a book by Joe Masteroff.

This production is directed by Rebecca Frecknall with set and costume design by Tom Scutt, choreography by Julia Cheng, musical supervision by Jennifer Whyte, musical direction by Ben Ferguson, lighting design by Isabella Byrd, and sound design by Nick Lidster. The casting director is Stuart Burt, and the associate director is Jordan Fein.

Cabaret is produced by Ambassador Theatre Group Productions and Underbelly.