In its most recent revival the producers of “Cabaret” decided to turn the theatre into a night club – the Kit Kat Club. Over the course of the show there have been a number of actors taking on the roles of the starring roles including Adam Lambert and most recently Billy Porter; but Porter’s performances have been cut short due to illness.
But the loss of a star performer is just the beginning of what has become a number of issues for the show that has resulted in “Cabaret” closing early.
The show is now set to close on September 21; a month sooner than the planned October 19 closing. When the show closes, it will have had 18 previews and 592 regular performances.
Surprisingly, the show has had some difficulty in filling the house at the August Wilson Theatre and has not been able to recoup its original investments.
Producer Adam Speers issued a statement saying, “it is with a heavy heart that we have made the painful decision to end our Broadway run on September 21. On behalf of all the producers, we’re so honored to have been able to bring this version of John Kander, Fred Ebb, and Joe Masteroff’s important masterpiece, ‘Cabaret’, to New York and to have opened the doors to our own Kit Kat Club for the year and a half we have been here.”
He continued, “Billy was an extraordinary Emcee, bringing his signature passion and remarkable talent. We wish Billy a speedy recovery and I look forward to working with him again in the very near future. I personally invite audiences to return to the Kit Kat Club one last time to see the incandescent Marisha Wallace as Sally Bowles, alongside the remarkably talented Marty and David, two actors who have been giving soul-stirring performances as Emcee since we first opened last April.”
More than just a musical, the current revival of “Cabaret” includes a dinner for some ticket holders and pre-show.
The emcee in the musical tells the audience that “money makes the world go round.”
It is also needed to pay the bills…
In the final blow, entertainment attorney and Broadway producer James L. Walker Jr has filed a lawsuit against the musical for non-payment to the investors. Walker invested $50,000 to the musical; but the show has been unable to recoup their investments.
Walker also claims that the show has not given a full financial accounting of the show’s finances.
In his lawsuit Walker is seeking full financial records, disbursement of profits to investors, compensatory damages, punitive damages, and attorney fees in a jury trial.
“Cabaret” producers responded to the suit saying, “while we are incredibly proud of the artistic success of ‘Cabaret’ at The Kit Kat Club on Broadway and deeply saddened by the fact it has had to close early, the production has not been in a position fiscally to make any distribution to investors. We’ve offered to engage in a constructive dialogue with Mr. Walker regarding his financial expectations and to give him access to our accounts, but unfortunately, he has instead decided to file a lawsuit that lacks any merit.”
Walker, who has invested in numerous productions around the world including “MJ The Musical”, “Hell’s Kitchen” and “Dead Outlaw” noted, “I have produced and invested in over 15 Broadway shows and currently have about 10 running worldwide, and I have never seen a show make nearly $100 million (approximately) and our team not receive any profits at all or any transparent disclosure of who is being paid what out of the revenue. We will turn over every check, payment, and document to find out where the near-$100 million went the past year and a-half.”
Walker claims that it is about transparency, not the money.