Oscar-winning actor Eddie Redmayne returns as an emcee in a new musical

Eddie Redmayne, the Oscar-winning actor, returns to London’s West End in a new version of the musical Cabaret, which premiered on Sunday.

In the show directed by Rebecca Frecknall, Redmayne plays emcee alongside stage and movie sensation Jessie Buckley.

Redmayne is “the most hardworking, diligent performer I have ever worked with,” said Frecknall. “His work ethic is fantastic, and he genuinely cares about the part, the production, and the team, so he’s been a real anchor for the piece,” he added.

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The Tony Award-winning musical premiered on Broadway in 1966, and it includes songs like Willkommen.

The musical is based on Christopher Isherwood’s 1939 novel Goodbye to Berlin, which depicts the sleazy cabaret nightlife of Berlin during the Weimar Republic’s closing years.

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“It’s been trying, but it’s never stopped us,” Frecknall said about the Covid-19 pandemic’s impact on the show’s rehearsals and production. “It could have been so much worse with the wrong mindset, so everyone’s been amazing at making it come together.”

The revival will be played in London’s Kit Kat Club till May 2022.