Photos: Jake Shears and Rebecca Lucy Taylor Extend Run in CABARET at the KIT KAT CLUB; Plus All New Photos Released!

The producers of CABARET at the KIT KAT CLUB have announced the final extension of Jake Shears and Rebecca Lucy TAYLOR AKA Self Esteem in the multi award-winning, critically acclaimed production. Jake and Rebecca will now play the roles of ‘The Emcee’ and ‘Sally Bowles’ until 9 March 2024.

Plus, check out all new production photos below!

CABARET at the KIT KAT CLUB is currently booking until 28 September 2024.

In celebration of this announcement, BBC Radio 2 will broadcast ‘Jo Whiley presents Cabaret at BBC’s Maida Vale Studios’ hosted by Jo Whiley at 8.00pm, tonight, Wednesday 6 December where Jo is joined by Jake Shears, Rebecca Lucy TAYLOR and the cast and orchestra of Cabaret who will perform some of their favourite numbers from the musical in an hour-long special.   

Jake and Rebecca continue to star alongside Nathan Ives-Moiba as Clifford Bradshaw, Beverley Klein as Fraulein Schneider and Teddy Kempner as Herr Schultz. Nic Myers plays the role of Sally Bowles once a week.

The cast also features Wilf Scolding as Ernst Ludwig, Jessica Kirton as Fraulein Kost/Fritzie, Liv Alexander as Texas, Natalie Chua as Frenchie, Taite-Elliot Drew as Hans, Damon Gould as Victor, El Haq Latief as Helga, and Travis Ross as Bobby, joining Laura Delany as Rosie, Grant Neal as Herman/Max and Hicaro Nicolai as Lulu. The cast is completed by 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.

Singer, songwriter, actor and writer Jake Shears is best known as the lead singer of the multiplatinum-selling, Grammy-nominated, Brit award-winning glam rock band SCISSOR SISTERS.  The band’s hits include ‘Comfortably Numb’, ‘Take Your Mama’, ‘Let’s Have A Kiki’ and the UK #1 hit ‘I Don’t Feel Like Dancing’.  Born in Arizona, Jake grew up in the Seattle area before moving to New York City, where he studied fiction writing at The New School. He wrote the music for Tales of the City, a 2011 stage musical based on Armistead Maupin's best-selling book series of the same name before starring in Bent at the Taper Forum in 2015. In 2018 he released his debut book, the memoir Boys Keep Swinging and joined the cast of Kinky Boots on Broadway in the lead role as Charlie Price - a role he reprised in 2022 at LA’s Hollywood Bowl. In August 2018 Jake Shears released his eponymous debut solo album to critical acclaim, followed by tours in the UK and US, and in Australia with Kylie Minogue.  2023 saw the release of Jake’s second studio album ‘Last Man Dancing’ which featured the BBC Radio 2 A-List singles ‘Too Much Music’, ‘I Used To Be In Love’ and the title track.   Around album release, Jake continued to tour including as special guest to Duran Duran on their UK arena tour as well acclaimed sets at 2023’s Glastonbury and Mighty Hoopla Festivals.  Jake has recently co-written the music for the new musical ‘Tammy Faye’ alongside Elton John which has just sold out its initial run at London’s Almeida Theatre and won 2 Olivier Awards.  When not on the road, Jake divides his time between London and New Orleans.

As Self Esteem, Rebecca Lucy TAYLOR has become the unapologetic pop star she always wanted to be. With her 2019 statement debut Compliments Please, Taylor gave voice to the feelings of insecurity and misogyny-induced frustration that many of us face every day, emboldening a whole new audience with powerful, truth-telling lyricism. Her second album Prioritise Pleasure arrived to universal critical acclaim, crowned both The Guardian and Sunday Times Culture’s Album of the Year, with the empowering ‘I Do This All The Time’ also named The Guardian’s #1 song of 2021. Praised for its fearless ability to tackle important issues around female autonomy, comparison culture and self-love, its intimate, confessional and witty lyricism and anthemic maximalist pop rhythms, the album was a catalyst for an unprecedented few years for Taylor. Prioritise Pleasure received a slew of award nominations including the esteemed Mercury Prize, a BRIT Award for Best New Artist, Sky Arts and NME awards nominations, while also winning BBC Introducing’s 2022 Artist Of The Year award and Attitude Magazine’s 2021 Music Award. Summer 2022 saw Taylor play a mammoth 30 festivals, teeing up her biggest run of shows to date: the 2023 I Tour This All The Time tour included a huge three nights at London’s Eventim Apollo, three nights at Manchester’s Albert Hall, and two nights at her hometown’s O2 Academy Sheffield.  Self Esteem also supported Blur at their huge Wembley Stadium show and performed with the Royal Northern Sinfonia at the 2023 BBC Proms.  Gathering a passionate and vast legion of fans, Taylor is one of a handful of artists to have been playlisted across BBC Radio 1, 2 and 6 Music simultaneously. She has appeared on numerous iconic television series including The Graham Norton Show and Jools Holland (including the NYE Hootenanny) and has graced the covers of magazines from Grazia to NME to The Times Magazine and Sunday Times Style.  Taylor composed the soundtrack for PRIMA FACIE, the arresting one woman play starring Jodie Comer which sold out a 9-week run in London’s West End and in the US on Broadway. As an actor, Taylor played a cameo role in I HATE SUZIE TOO, and will soon be seen starring in a regular role in Sky’s upcoming series SMOTHERED as well as making her feature film debut in LAYLA.

This unique production of CABARET opened in December 2021 to critical and audience acclaim, widely praised as the ultimate theatrical experience. In April 2022 the production won a record-breaking seven Olivier Awards, the most for any musical revival in Olivier history. The production has also won three prestigious Critics Circle Awards as well as the Evening Standard Theatre Award for Best Design for designer Tom Scutt. 

One of the most successful musicals of all time CABARET features the songs Wilkommen, Don’t Tell Mama, Mein Herr, Maybe This Time, Money and the title number. It has music by John Kander, lyrics by Fred Ebb, book by Joe Masteroff. Based on the play by John Van Druten and stories by Christopher Isherwood.

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

CABARET at the KIT KAT CLUB is produced by Ambassador Theatre Group Productions and Underbelly.