Meet CABARET’s “Emcee” understudies, David Merino and Marty Lauter

As previously announced, Eddie Redmayne and Gayle Rankin normally perform seven times a week as “Emcee” and “Sally Bowles,” respectively. Who plays “Emcee” when Redmayne is absent? Meet the latest replacements for this iconic role, David Merino and Marty Lauter! Plus, check out the full schedule of alternate performances.

About David Merino: (he/they/she). Broadway: Moulin Rouge (Baby Doll). National Tour: Rent (Angel). Regional: Lempicka (La Jolla Playhouse); Rent, Into the Woods (Signature Theatre); In the Heights (Broadway at Music Circus). BFA from NYU Tisch School of the Arts. Couldn’t be here without family, Tan and Tortilla. Love, Savta. @davidlmerino.

About Marty Lauter: (they/they) are thrilled to be returning to Broadway after appearing on Season 15 of “RuPaul’s Drag Race” last year and touring the world as “Marcia Marcia Marcia!” Previous credits include Kinky Boots (Broadway, Off-Broadway), Hello, Dolly! (First National Tour). Big thanks to the entire Marcia/Marty team, Kyle and the Lauter family! Social: @marciax3nyc.

Directed by Olivier Award winner and Drama Desk Award nominee Rebecca Frecknall and designed by 2024 Tony Award winner Tom Scutt, Cabaret also stars two-time Tony Award winner and 2024 Tony Award nominee Bebe Neuwirth as “Fraulein Schneider,” Tony Award nominee Ato Blankson-Wood as “Clifford Bradshaw,” 2024 Tony Award nominee Steven Skybell as “Herr Schultz,” Henry Gottfried as “Ernst Ludwig,” and three-time Helen Hayes Award winner Natascia Diaz as “Fritzie/Kost.”

The Cabaret cast includes Gabi Campo as “Frenchie,” Ayla Ciccone-Burton as “Helga,” Colin Cunliffe as “Hans,” Marty Lauter as “Victor,” Loren Lester as “Herman/Max,” David Merino as “Lulu,” Julian Ramos as “Bobby,” MiMi Scardulla as “Texas,” and Paige Smallwood as “Rosie.” Swing stars Hannah Florence, Pedro Garza, Christian Kidd, Corinne Munsch, Chloé Nadon-Enriquez, and Karl Skyler Urban.

The Prologue Company, the dancers and musicians who welcome the audience to the club, includes dancers Alaïa, Iron Bryan, Will Ervin Jr., Sun Kim, Deja McNair and swingers Ida Saki and Spencer James Weidie. The Prologue musicians are Brian Russell Carey (piano and bass), Francesca Dawis (violin), Keiji Ishiguri (dedicated substitute), Maeve Stier (accordion) and Michael Winograd (clarinet).

Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club began previews at the Wilson Theatre on Monday, April 1, 2024, and opened on Sunday, April 21. The production was the most nominated revival of the 2023–24 season, receiving nine Tony Award nominations, six Drama Desk Award nominations, two Outer Critics Circle nominations, and four Drama League Award nominations.

For this thrilling production of Cabaret, the creative team has transformed the August Wilson Theatre into the Kit Kat Club with a round auditorium and bespoke spaces that guests will be invited to explore, with pre-show entertainment.

About Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club

Cabaret, one of the most revered and successful musicals of all time, features music by John Kander, lyrics by Fred Ebb, and a book by Joe Masteroff based on the play by John Van Druten and stories by Christopher Isherwood. The show features the songs “Willkommen,” “Don’t Tell Mama,” “Mein Herr,” “Maybe This Time,” “Money,” and the iconic title song.

Cabaret at Broadway’s Kit Kat Club is directed by Olivier Award winner Rebecca Frecknall, with club, set and costume design by Tony Award winner, Evening Standard Award winner and Olivier Award nominee Tom Scutt, and choreography by Olivier Award nominee Julia Cheng.

The Broadway creative team includes Jennifer Whyte (Music Supervision and Music Direction), Obie Award winner and Olivier Award nominee Isabella Byrd (Lighting Design), Olivier Award winner Nick Lidster (Sound Design), Sam Cox (Hair and Wig Design), Guy Common (Makeup Design), Jordan Fein (Associate Director and Prologue Director), Danny Sharron (Associate Director, U.S.), Kayla Lomas-Kirton (Associate Choreographer, U.K.), Ilia Jessica Castro (Associate Choreographer, U.S.), Angus MacRae (Prologue Composer and Prologue Music Director), Bernard Telsey, CSA and Kristian Charbonier, CSA (Casting Directors), and Thomas Recktenwald (Production Manager). 101 Productions, Ltd. is the U.S. Managing Director of Cabaret.

When Cabaret opened at the Kit Kat Club in November 2021, it electrified London’s West End, with critics hailing it as a “bargain-priced theatrical triumph” (The Telegraph). The production went on to win a record seven Olivier Awards, the most for a musical revival in the history of the Olivier Awards. Now in its third successful year, the West End production of Cabaret currently stars Rhea Norwood as “Sally Bowles” and Layton Williams as “The Master of Ceremonies”.

The original 2021 London cast recording of Cabaret starring Eddie Redmayne and recorded during a live performance is available on Decca Records on CD and streaming on all major platforms.