Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club issues casting update with Matt Willis returning

The West End production of Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club has announced the return of a previous Emcee.

Skylar Astin and Sarah Hyland are currently making their West End debuts in the production as the Emcee and Sally Bowles, respectively.

Astin’s final performance is set for 12 December 2026. After that, Matt Willis will reprise the role from 14 December 2026 until 23 January 2027, when he will take his final bow alongside Hyland. He previously appeared in the show earlier this year.

Willis said: “To get to step into what felt like a once-in-a-lifetime role for a second time is beyond exciting. I love this show so much and feel honoured to be asked back.”

They are joined on stage by Baker Mukasa as Clifford Bradshaw, Ruthie Henshall as Fraulein Schneider, Robert Hands as Herr Schultz, Ronan Burns as Ernst Ludwig, Lindsay Atherton as Fraulein Kost/Fritzie, as well as Joe Atkinson, Xavion Campbell-Brown, Olivia-Rose Deer, Anya Ferdinand, Danny Fogarty, Lily Frances, Adrian Grove, Peter Houston, Samuel How, Bailey Johnson, Ellie Mitchell, Kirsty Anne Shaw, Eva-Rose Tanaka, Natasha Wilde and Nicky Wong Rush.

The prologue company comprises Isobel Bates, Rachel Benson, Ami Benton, Jonathan Charles, Shanelle Clemenson, Andrew Linnie, Zara Liu, Dak Mashava, Brian James O’Sullivan, Jack William Parry and Shiho Yokoyama.

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The production previously surpassed 1,900 performances, becoming the longest-running production of Cabaret in West End history. This year also marks the 60th anniversary of the musical, which premiered on Broadway in November 1966, and the fifth anniversary of Rebecca Frecknall’s West End production, which opened in November 2021. A celebratory performance will take place on 20 November, with a limited allocation of specially priced tickets available.

Featuring music by John Kander, lyrics by Fred Ebb and a book by Joe Masteroff, Cabaret is based on the play by John Van Druten and stories by Christopher Isherwood. The score includes “Willkommen”, “Don’t Tell Mama”, “Mein Herr”, “Maybe This Time”, “Money” and the title song.

The production is directed by Frecknall, with set and costume design by Tom Scutt, choreography by Julia Cheng, musical supervision by Jennifer Whyte, musical direction by Ben van Tienen, lighting design by Isabella Byrd, sound design by Nick Lidster, wigs and hair design by Sam Cox, make-up design by Guy Common, casting by Stuart Burt, original associate direction and prologue direction by Jordan Fein, and prologue composition by Angus MacRae.