Will Orville Peck, the gay country singer, don one of his iconic face masks during his Broadway debut this spring? That’s the question fans are buzzing about after it was announced that he will step in for Adam Lambert as the Emcee in Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club, starting in March.
“Leave your troubles outside,” Peck teased on his Instagram, @orvillepeck. “Catch my Broadway debut as the Emcee in Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club beginning March 31!”
Peck will take the stage for a 16-week run at New York’s August Wilson Theatre from March 31 to July 30, following Lambert’s final performance on March 29.
Joining him will be two-time Tony Award nominee Eva Noblezada, who will replace queer actress Auli’i Cravalho in the role of Sally Bowles. Lambert and Cravalho had previously taken over from Eddie Redmayne and Gayle Rankin, who launched the musical on Broadway last April.
This marks Peck’s first Broadway appearance, though he’s known for his sultry, bass-baritone voice and theatrical performances, including music videos and annual ‘rodeos’ with other queer artists.
His upcoming 2024 album, Stampede, features collaborations with stars like Elton John, Kylie Minogue, Beck, Shania Twain, and Willie Nelson, with whom he performed “Cowboys Are Frequently Secretly Fond Of Each Other.” His discography also includes Pony (2019), Bronco (2022), and the EP Show Pony (2020). Peck is recognized for always performing in a face mask—sometimes fringed—keeping his face hidden from the public eye. He explained that he started wearing the mask so audiences would focus on his music rather than his appearance.
“The Emcee has been my dream role since I was a teenager,” he shared. “The nature of the character allows for complete freedom of individual expression. It can be portrayed through such a vast range of emotions, perspectives, and performance styles. That kind of freedom is every actor’s dream.”
Deadline.com was the first to report the casting change. Peck, 37, expressed his long-standing desire to perform in Cabaret.
Producers Adam Speers, Underbelly, Gavin Kalin Productions, Hunter Arnold, Smith & Brant Theatrical, and Wessex Grove announced the casting changes. Information about casting for roles after July 20 will be revealed this summer.
While this will be Peck’s Broadway debut, he has theatrical experience. Originally from South Africa, he trained as an actor at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art and appeared in Peter Pan Goes Wrong at the Apollo Theatre in London’s West End in 2016. He currently resides in Los Angeles with his partner and received the Vito Russo Award at the GLAAD Media Awards last year, recognizing an LGBTQ+ media professional who has significantly advanced LGBTQ+ acceptance.
“I truly cannot believe I’m getting to make my Broadway debut in one of my favorite shows and in probably my favorite role in all of musical theater,” Peck stated. “I grew up in the theater. I was a working actor and a dancer for many years before I started making music. I did the hustle and the struggle for a long time, trying to make things happen for myself. But it taught me so much of who I am as a performer and a person, so it feels very full circle to be making a return to it at this point in my career.”
“After such a brilliant collaboration with Adam Lambert, I’m thrilled to bring yet another incredible contemporary musician into the role of the Emcee,” said Cabaret director Rebecca Frecknall. “Orville brings such theatricality to his own musical performance and has one of the most crystalline voices in music… It’s going to be exciting to see him become a part of our production and hear him sing John Kander and Fred Ebb’s score.”
Based on Christopher Isherwood’s Goodbye to Berlin and John Van Druten’s adaptation, I Am a Camera, Cabaret is set in Weimar-era Berlin, where American writer Clifford Bradshaw arrives to work on his novel and enjoy the nightlife. He meets English cabaret performer Sally Bowles, leading to a complex relationship as the Nazis rise to power and World War II looms.
The original Cabaret from Kander and Ebb debuted on Broadway in 1966. Its 1972 film adaptation won eight Academy Awards, including Best Actress for Liza Minnelli, Best Supporting Actor for Joel Grey, and Best Director for Bob Fosse. It holds the record for the most Academy Awards won by a film that didn’t win Best Picture.
For the current production, the August Wilson Theatre has been transformed into an in-the-round Kit Kat Club. Ticket holders receive a “club entry time” before their show date, allowing everyone to enjoy a pre-show experience, which can include a full dinner at certain ticket levels. The prologue company, consisting of 12 dancers and musicians, welcomes theatergoers with a pre-show performance starting about 75 minutes before curtain time.
Cabaret also features two-time Tony winner Bebe Neuwirth as Fraulein Schneider; Calvin Leon Smith as Clifford Bradshaw; Steven Skybell as Herr Schultz; Henry Gottfried as Ernest Ludwig; and Michelle Aravena as Fritzie/Kost. Tickets are available on the production’s website.
Fans of Orville Peck are thrilled and getting into the spirit of the show.
“Willkommen, Bienvenue, yeehaw,” one fan exclaimed on Instagram. “Fremde, etranger, cowboy,” another added. “Are we finally getting the mask reveal?” asked a third.
Neither Peck nor the producers have confirmed whether he will perform with his signature mask. As Peck told Variety’s Marc Malkin: “People will have to buy a ticket to find out.”
