Ato Blankson-Wood Joins Eddie Redmayne & Gayle Rankin For Broadway’s Upcoming ‘Cabaret’

Greg Evans
·2 min read
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EXCLUSIVE: Tony Award nominee Ato Blankson-Wood (Slave Play) has been cast as “Cliff” in the buzzy, upcoming Broadway production of Cabaret starring Eddie Redmayne as “The Emcee” and Gayle Rankin as “Sally Bowles.”

Directed by Rebecca Frecknall and designed by Tom Scutt, the revival – officially titled Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club – begins previews at the August Wilson Theatre on Monday, April 1, 2024, with an official press opening on Sunday, April 21 (an “opening night gala celebration” is scheduled for Saturday, April 20).

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Additional casting will be announced in the coming weeks.

Blankson-Wood most recently played the title role in Hamlet at Shakespeare in the Park, where he has also appeared in productions of Twelfth Night, As You Like It, and Hair. He originated the role of “Gary” in Slave Play Off Broadway in 2018, earning a Tony nomination when the play transferred to Broadway.

“I am beyond excited to return to Broadway in Rebecca Frecknall’s brilliant production of Cabaret,” Blankson-Wood said in a statement. “I recognize the weight and responsibility of telling this particular story at this particular moment and am emboldened by the fact that I’ll get to do it alongside Eddie Redmayne and Gayle Rankin, two actors whom I admire so deeply. Cliff, like me, is an artist attempting to create and make sense of the world against a backdrop of escalating violence and hatred. I look forward to learning what he has to teach me.”

The casting was announced today by producers Ambassador Theatre Group Productions, Underbelly, Gavin Kalin Productions, Hunter Arnold, Smith & Brant Theatricals, and Wessex Grove.

As previously reported, the production will see the transformation of the August Wilson Theatre into the Kit Kat Club with an in-the-round auditorium and “sinfully dreamlike spaces” which guests will be invited to explore featuring pre-show entertainment. Ticket-buyers will receive a “club entry time” to allow them to experience the club before the show starts.

Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club began performances on London’s West End in November 2021, going on to win a record-breaking seven Olivier Awards, the most for any musical revival in Olivier history. Redmayne originated the Emcee role for the production, with Jessie Buckley as “Sally” and Omari Douglas as “Cliff.” Now entering its third year, the West End production stars Jake Shears as “The Emcee” and Rebecca Lucy Taylor as “Sally.”

One of the most popular musicals of all time, Cabaret, with 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) includes such songs as the iconic title number, “Wilkommen,” “Don’t Tell Mama,” “Mein Herr,” “Maybe This Time,” and “Money.”

Blankson-Wood is represented by Independent Artist Group and D2 Management.

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