See Adam Lambert and Auli'i Cravalho Prepare for Broadway'sCabaretin First-Look Rehearsal Photos (Exclusive)

Mar. 15, 2025

Adam Lambert and Auli’i Cravalho rehearsing for ‘Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club’.Photo:Julieta Cervantes

Julieta Cervantes

Adam LambertandAuli’i Cravalhoare inching that much closer to making their Broadway bows.

The two actors will say “Willkommen” to the Great White Way this month inCabaret at the Kit Kat Club, the Tony Award-winning revival of the beloved Kander and Ebb musical now open at the August Wilson Theatre in New York City.

PEOPLE has a First Look at the pair in action, in photos snapped as they rehearse to join the production.

Lambert, 42, and Cravalho, 23, will star in the roles of Emcee and Sally Bowles, respectively. They’ll replaceEddie RedmayneandGayle Rankin, both of whom received Tony nominations for originating the roles in the Rebecca Frecknall-directed production, which transferred after debuting in London’s West End in 2021.

Calvin Leon Smith, a standout in 2023’sFat Ham, is also joining the production. He’ll play Clifford Bradshaw, replacingAto Blankson-Wood.

Adam Lambert and the cast of ‘Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club’.Julieta Cervantes

Speaking with PEOPLE, Lambert says theCabaretrehearsals have been “such a collaborative and creative process.”

“The team has been very encouraging, allowing me to find my own interpretation of the Emcee and discover how he blends into this thrilling production,” the Grammy nominee says. “I’m in awe of the killer instincts that both Auli’i and Calvin are bringing to the story as well.”

“It’s been a very inspiring experience so far, and we haven’t even shared it with an audience yet!” he adds.

Adam Lambert strikes a pose while rehearsing for ‘Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club’.Julieta Cervantes

Redmayne, 42, Rankin, 34, and Blankson-Wood, 40, will play their final performance inCabareton Saturday, Sept. 14. Lambert, Cravalho and Smith will begin in the show on Sept. 16.

Cabaret at the Kit Kat Clubalso starsBebe Neuwirthas Fraulein Schneider, Steven Skybell as Herr Schultz, Henry Gottfried as Ernst Ludwig and Natascia Diaz as Fritzie/Kost.

Lambert and Cravalho are currently scheduled to play a limited engagement through Sunday, March 30, 2025. Casting for their replacements after March 30 will be announced in the new year.

Auli’i Cravalho rehearses for ‘Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club’.Julieta Cervantes

“Growing up on the musical theater stage, it was always a childhood dream to perform on Broadway,” said Lambert — who, prior to gaining national attention as the runner-up on season 8 ofAmerican Idol, was an ensemble member and Fiyero understudy in the North American touring production ofWicked. “With this production ofCabaret, it finally felt like the right time to accept an invitation to make my debut.”

“The themes of this show have always resonated with me and given the current sociopolitical climate the world is in, feel eerily timely,” he continued. “Eddie and Gayle have been a dream pairing and I’m looking forward to working with Auli’i to create our own magic. It is thrilling to be able to sink my teeth into this important story and collaborate with the rest of the talented artists in the cast and crew.”

Calvin Leon Smith as Clifford Bradshaw in rehearsals for ‘Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club’.Julieta Cervantes

Cravalho — who rose to fame as the voice of the title character of Disney’sMoana, a role she’ll return to later this year in the highly anticipated sequel — framed her role as one in a long legacy of actresses who have played the part before.

“I’m thrilled to join the long line of talented women who have taken on the iconic Sally Bowles, most recently, the woman I watched with notebook and pen in hand, the dynamite Gayle Rankin,” the actress said in a statement. “To join a show with so much history — and such a stellar cast and crew — means it’s quite literally an honor to get my butt kicked each week.”

“Mahalo palena ʻole family,” she added. “I wouldn’t be making this debut without you.”

Auli’i Cravalho rehearsing for ‘Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club’.Julieta Cervantes

It follows fictional American writer Clifford Bradshaw as he moves to Berlin amid the rise of the Nazi party. His observations about the eccentric characters that populate the Kit Kat Club, like the mysterious Emcee and the British singer Sally Bowles, provide the groundwork for both the musical and his future novel.

The musical has long been a success both on the stage and screen, first hitting Broadway in 1966 before being turned into the 1972 film of the same name starring Oscar-winnerLiza Minnellias Sally. It was revived on Broadway in 1998 and in 2014, both withAlan Cummingas the Emcee.

Adam Lambert in rehearsal for ‘Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club’.Julieta Cervantes

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The current production was nominated for nine 2024 Tonys including best revival. Tom Scutt took home the trophy for best scenic design of a musical.

Tickets forCabaret at the Kit Kat Clubare on sale now.

source: people.com