Bad news for those planning a trip to see Cabaret in NYC. The revival of the much-loved musical is closing early – and for good reason. One of its stars, Billy Porter, has come down with an illness, forcing the show to close one month before it was originally scheduled to.
Cabaret production is forced to close as Billy Porter withdraws with sepsis
Fans of musical theater only have a couple of weeks left to see Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club in New York City. The hit show is set to leave Broadway earlier than planned as Billy Porter is unable to continue his role as the Emcee.
The Tony-Award winning actor has come down with a “a serious case” of sepsis. In a post on the show’s Instagram page, it was noted that the actor’s doctors are “confident that he will make a full recovery”, but he has followed their orders to “maintain a restful schedule.”
Producers made the announcement on September 7th, noting it was a “painful decision”. The show will have its final performance on September 21st. It began its run in April last year and was supposed to continue until October 19th.
The Emcee role will be played in rotation by understudies Marty Lauter and David Merino until the show closes. Many fans voiced their disappointment that the show was cut short instead of letting the understudies finish the run.
Billy previously told People how much the show meant to him: “I feel really great to be doing this. This show in particular, at this time in American history, it’s really important for me. Art has the power to heal, art has the power to transform. My art is my calling, my purpose, my ministry, my resistance, my activism, my hope, my joy, my love. It’s everything to me.”
The Pose star is set to star in the much-anticipated Hunger Games movie next year alongside Dakota Fanning, Jesse Plemons and Kieran Culkin.
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