Ato Blankson-Wood to Star as 'Cliff' in CABARET AT THE KIT KAT CLUB on Broadway

Tony Award nominee Ato Blankson-Wood will play ‘Cliff’ opposite Academy Award® and Tony Award winner Eddie Redmayne as ‘The Emcee’ and Gayle Rankin as the toast of Mayfair ‘Sally Bowles,’ in the visionary new production of Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club at the August Wilson Theatre (245 West 52nd Street), directed by Olivier Award® winner Rebecca Frecknall and designed by Tony Award nominee and Evening Standard Award® winner Tom Scutt. 

Blankson-Wood most recently portrayed ‘Hamlet’ this summer at Shakespeare in the Park where he has also appeared in productions of Twelfth Night, As You Like It, and Hair. In 2018, he was part of the acclaimed ensemble in Slave Play which originated at NYTW and then transferred to Broadway the following year. For his performance as ‘Gary,’ he received a Tony, Drama League, Antonyo, and Lortel nominations.

Ato Blankson-Wood said, “I am beyond excited to return to Broadway in Rebecca Frecknall's brilliant production of Cabaret. I recognize the weight and responsibility of telling this particular story at this particular moment and am emboldened by the fact that I'll get to do it alongside Eddie Redmayne and Gayle Rankin, two actors whom I admire so deeply. Cliff, like me, is an artist attempting to create and make sense of the world against a backdrop of escalating violence and hatred, I look forward to learning what he has to teach me.”

Previews for Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club will begin Monday, April 1, 2024 and will have decadent twin opening night gala celebrations starting Saturday, April 20 continuing into the following night, with the official press opening on Sunday, April 21. 

Tickets are currently on sale exclusively to American Express® Card Members, the official Card sponsor of Cabaret, through Wednesday, November 1 at 9:59 AM ET at www.kitkat.club or via Seat Geek HERE (terms apply).

Members of the Cabaret Priority List will have presale tickets available exclusively via Seat Geek starting Wednesday, November 1 at 10 AM ET through Thursday, November 2 at 9:59 AM ET. To sign up to be on the Priority List and to get additional news about Cabaret, please visit www.kitkat.club.

After the Cabaret Priority List presale, tickets for ATG and Seat Geek mailing list subscribers will be available exclusively via Seat Geek Wednesday, November 1 at 1PM ET through Thursday, November 2 at 9:59 AM ET.

Tickets will then go on sale to the general public starting Thursday, November 2 at 10 AM ET.
Additionally, Cabaret will partner with Lucky Seat for the show’s lottery. With the Lucky Seat lottery, a limited number of tickets will be available for every performance starting with the first preview on Monday, April 1, 2024 for $25 each.

For this thrilling production of Cabaret, the creative team will transform the August Wilson Theatre into the Kit Kat Club with an in-the-round auditorium and sinfully dreamlike spaces which guests will be invited to explore featuring pre-show entertainment. After purchasing tickets, guests will receive a “club entry time” to allow them to take in the world of the club before the show starts.

Patrons can upgrade their experience at the Kit Kat Club with exclusive dining or drinks packages that allow them to soak up the pre-show atmosphere. These various upgrades offer unparalleled service and unique experiences in the heart of the Kit Kat Club. Drinks can be enjoyed before and during the show, while food will be cleared shortly before the performance begins, ensuring uninterrupted and unmissable views of Cabaret. For a complete menu and more information on the upgrade packages, please visit www.kitkat.club/upgrade.  

Cabaret, one of the most revered and successful musicals of all time, has music by John Kander, lyrics by Fred Ebb, and a book by Joe Masteroff based on the play byJohn Van Druten and stories by Christopher Isherwood. The show features the songs “Wilkommen,” “Don’t Tell Mama,” “Mein Herr,” “Maybe This Time,” “Money,” and the iconic title number.

Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club on Broadway is directed by Olivier Award winner Rebecca Frecknall with club, scenic, and costume design by Evening Standard Award winner, Tony Award nominee, and Olivier Award nominee Tom Scutt, and choreography by Olivier Award nominee Julia Cheng. 

The creative team for Broadway includes Jennifer Whyte (Music Supervision & Music Direction), Obie Award winner and Olivier Award nominee Isabella Byrd (Lighting Design), Olivier Award winner Nick Lidster for Autograph (Sound Design), Sam Cox (Hair & Wig Design), Guy Common (Makeup Design), Jordan Fein (UK Associate Director & Prologue Director), Danny Sharron (US Associate Director), Kayla Lomas-Kirton (UK Associate Choreographer), Jessica Castro (US Associate Choreographer), Angus MacRae (Prologue Composer & Prologue Music Director), The Telsey Office (Casting Director), and Thomas Recktenwald (Production Stage Manager). 101 Productions, LTD serves as the US General Manager for Cabaret.

When Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club first began performances in November 2021, it electrified London’s West End with critics calling it “a kill-for-a-ticket theatrical triumph” (The Telegraph). The production went on to win a record-breaking seven Olivier Awards, the most for any musical revival in Olivier history. Now entering its third smash year, the West End production of Cabaret recently welcomed stars Jake Shears as ‘The Emcee’ and Rebecca Lucy TAYLOR as ‘Sally Bowles.’ 

Additional casting and other news about Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club on Broadway will be announced in the coming weeks.

The 2021 Original London Cast Recording of Cabaret featuring Eddie Redmayne and recorded during a live performance is available on Decca Records as a CD and to stream on all major platforms. To order the album or stream it, please visit https://cabaret.lnk.to/ListenNow

Ato Blankson-Wood 

(Cliff, he/him) is best known for his starring role in Jeremy O. Harris' critically acclaimed Slave Play, for which he was nominated for a 2021 Tony Award. He has also earned nominations for the Drama League Awards and the inaugural Antonyo Awards for playing ‘Gary,’ a role he originated for the New York Theatre Workshop production, where his performance earned him a Lortel Nomination. This past summer, Ato played the titular role of Hamlet in Shakespeare in the Park's production directed by Kenny Leon. Prior to this, Ato starred opposite Bill Camp and Elizabeth Marvel in Long Day’s Journey Into Night for Audible, which reunited him with Slave Play director Robert O’Hara. Ato had his breakout performance in The Public Theatre musical The Total Bent (Drama League and Lucille Lortel Award nomination) which explored the life of a black musical prodigy in a nation on the verge of social upheaval. Ato has also been seen on Broadway in Hair and Lysistrata Jones, as well as in The Rolling Stone for Lincoln Center (Drama League Award nomination for Distinguished Performance). Films include Kathryn Bigelow’s Detroit, Spike Lee’s BlacKKKlansman, Worth, opposite Michael Keaton, and Peter Hedge’s The Same Storm. Television includes “The Good Fight,” “She’s Gotta Have It,” and Ava DuVernay’s “When They See Us.” Ato is represented by Independent Artist Group and D2 Management. 

Photo credit: JJ Geiger

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