Will the London Revival of Cabaret transfer to Broadway?

[Dylan Smith4]

Posted: 1/4/22 at 8:54am

I have heard nothing but rave reviews of the London revival of Cabaret and was wondering if it will transfer to Broadway in the future. If it were to transfer, what Broadway theatre would be able to accommodate it?

[east side story]

Posted: 1/4/22 at 4:33pm

Considering this production revamped the Playhouse Theatre to create a fully immersive theatrical experience, finding a venue in NY might prove to be difficult. 
 

I have tickets to the Kit Kat Club later this winter, before the leads head out. I haven’t been this excited to see a show in years. Simply cannot wait! 

[Dylan Smith4]

Posted: 1/4/22 at 4:53pm

east side story said: "Considering this production revamped the Playhouse Theatre to create a fully immersive theatrical experience, finding a venue in NY might prove to be difficult.

I have tickets to the Kit Kat Club later this winter, before the leads head out. I haven’t been this excited to see a show in years. Simply cannot wait!"

Hey, if they can do something similar to the Imperial Theatre for Great Comet, then anything is possible. Maybe Circle in the Square? I hope they film this show for future release before the leads leave, as well as put a cast album out. Hope you enjoy it as I can't get to London. It always seems they put on really good shows and I can't get across the pond to see it. 

[WldKingdomHM]

Posted: 1/4/22 at 4:53pm

Would this work at St Ann’s ? 

[RippedMan]

Posted: 1/4/22 at 4:58pm

Love to see the Armory do a limited run of this. Didn't they build an entire theater in that space for some Shakespeare production? That would be really cool. But I'd imagine they'd want do a normal Broadway run. I mean all they did was take an existing space and expand the seating, no? So technically it could really work in most Broadway houses. 

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 1/4/22 at 5:00pm

A limited run of this particular production would never happen. It’s built on being an “immersive” experience so any theater would need to be totally transformed for it. I can’t imagine them spending the money to completely renovate a space right now. Even when things return to normal (whenever that’ll be) it would be a huge undertaking. 

[Call_me_jorge]

Posted: 1/4/22 at 5:05pm

I can only see this happening with a non-profit house and the only non-profit producer I can see this going with already has a cabaret that they can bring back if they wanted to. So, I’d say this would be very unlikely. Maybe if they could guarantee the stars for a full year contract…

Updated On: 1/4/22 at 05:05 PM

[FANtomFollies]

Posted: 1/4/22 at 5:09pm

Call_me_jorge said: "I can only see this happening with a non-profit house and the only non-profit producer already has a cabaret that they can bring back if they wanted to. So, I’d say this would be very unlikely. Maybe if they could guarantee the stars for a full year contract…"

I've only seen pictures of the space in London - but would this not be a great fit for Circle in the Square?

[RippedMan]

Posted: 1/4/22 at 5:14pm

I think it would depend on if Circle would be a PROFITABLE fit. I'm sure they could make that space work, but would they make their money back? 

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 1/4/22 at 5:40pm

Would it LOOK good in Circle In The Square? Absolutely. But again, this particular production being discussed here is in a house totally redesigned with limited seating so they’d need to actually cut down seats in this tiny theater and the show would never make any money. 

[Dylan Smith4]

Posted: 1/4/22 at 8:13pm

Jordan Catalano said: "Would it LOOK good in Circle In The Square? Absolutely. But again, this particular production being discussed here is in a house totally redesigned with limited seating so they’d need to actually cut down seats in this tiny theater and the show would never make any money."

Granted, if they can transform the Imperial Theatre for Great Comet, anything is possible. I don't know which proscenium theatre could pull this off, but if the demand is high, then it could be possible. 

[BroadwayNYC2]

Posted: 1/4/22 at 8:53pm

I could only seeing this working at the Beaumont. Theatre renovations would be different, wouldn’t be the same immersive experience when you enter but it could work. 

[Dylan Smith4]

Posted: 1/4/22 at 9:05pm

BroadwayNYC2 said: "I could only seeing this working at the Beaumont. Theatre renovations would be different, wouldn’t be the same immersive experience when you enter but it could work."

Yes, but that would be too big. As you said, it wouldn't have the same experience. The theatre Cabaret is currently in right now is owned by the Ambassador Theatre Group, which owns the Hudson Theatre in New York. Could that be possible?

[RippedMan]

Posted: 1/4/22 at 9:13pm

I'd say that's probably a safe bet as I'm sure this would be a major hit. And it's a good size house for a smaller scale musical. Wasn't the theater in London more of a "playhouse" ?

[Dylan Smith4]

Posted: 1/4/22 at 9:15pm

RippedMan said: "I'd say that's probably a safe bet as I'm sure this would be a major hit. And it's a good size house for a smaller scale musical. Wasn't the theater in London more of a "playhouse" ?"

The theatre in London is the Playhouse Theatre, but it's been renamed the Kit Kat Club while Cabaret is there. 

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 1/4/22 at 9:38pm

Is the staging itself immersive? Or simply the seating?

[RippedMan]

Posted: 1/4/22 at 9:38pm

How immersive? Like, concessions and stuff feels "Kit kat klub" too? Was it like that on Broadway with the Mendes version?

[CATSNYrevival]

Posted: 1/4/22 at 10:48pm

You can see pictures of the theatre on seat plan.

https://seatplan.com/london/cabaret/

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 1/4/22 at 10:58pm

Those pics don’t show everything else in the theatre. From the second you walk in down the stairs in the back you’re taken into hallways and corridors with performers and bars. It’s much more than just what’s in those photos. 

[east side story]

Posted: 1/4/22 at 11:25pm

If you scroll through Instagram, you can find plenty of tagged photos.

KitKatClubLDN

 

[binau]

Posted: 1/5/22 at 6:32am

It’s really hard for me to imagine the production at Circle in the Square, which despite the number of seats has always felt like a surprisingly large ‘theatre’ to me than an intimate club. Plus the show has already had multiple acclaimed runs in New York, so I don’t think it’ll sell without A-list stars that are hard to come by. And it’s a pandemic. I can’t see it transferring any time soon.

[Midnight Radio]

Posted: 1/5/22 at 8:34am

Unless they resurfaced everything from the lobby onward at Circle, I don't see it. This production utilizes every inch of the theatre in London, including lobbies and even backstage areas. A good portion of the audience enters through the stage door and navigates narrow passages and themed bars during the pre-show, none of which are in the actual auditorium. It benefits from a pre-existing sense of history and age of the theatre, even though it has been altered. Also, that super modern facade now equipped with giant screen marquees at Circle/ Gershwin would really fight the mood.

I think this would work nicely in something like the Belasco, while still retaining a decent amount of the intimacy.

[Dollypop]

Posted: 1/5/22 at 9:33am

I sw the original production of CABARET as well as revivals, summer stock and community theater productions. I think I'm CABARET-ed out. It's a great show but I've reached my fill.

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 1/5/22 at 9:34am

The Belasco has a TINY lobby that could never work for the pre-show, before the house opens up. The only theater I can think of that could work for something like they have set up there (and is not occupied by a long running show) is The Broadway Theater. 

[BroadwayNYC2]

Posted: 1/5/22 at 10:54am

Agreed, the Broadway is probably the most logical fit. I still think they can do some interesting things with the Beaumont as well, but I doubt Lincoln Center is in a rush to do that