Interview: Lincoln Clauss, the Emcee of CABARET at The Old Globe Bids You Willkommen, Bienvenue, and Welcome

If you are waiting for a personal invite to go see  CABARET, playing at The Old Globe through October 15th then consider an interview with Lincoln Clauss, who plays the entertaining and enigmatic Emcee of the Kit Kat Club your formal invitation.   Clauss talks about what it’s like working on this show, and coming back to San Diego, and why he is excited  to bid you a “Willkommen, bienvenue, welcome!”

Lincoln Clauss is no stranger to San Diego stages, he was performing in FLY at the La Jolla Playhouse which had only just opened when it was shut down due to the COVID pandemic.  He stayed in town for a while after that and loved his experience here (Pandemic and all) so he was excited to come back to San Diego to perform at The Old Globe.

“It's amazing being back!  San Diego's beautiful and, I remember at the time a couple of friends went to Balboa Park and went to the zoo all while checking the news about Covid.  So it's trippy to be back here now in this post-pandemic world.  I'm having a blast; the amazing audiences have been so special so far and I’m just grateful to be doing it, and doing it here.”

Clauss has come back to this CABARET helmed by Josh Rhodes, to play the Emcee, which is a role he played previously with most of this cast at the Asolo Repertory Theatre.  When the opportunity to come back and revisit this character, and experience he jumped at the cast.

“Well, for one thing, I adore Josh Rhodes and I will take any opportunity I can to work with him.  So when he called me there was an opportunity to do this for a new audience. I was like I'm on board, I'll do it wherever you want me to do it. 

Also, the Emcee relies on an audience and every audience is different, so every show feels different. It never gets old and I am always excited to explore things and just dissect the character a little more. It’s not so often that you get a second chance to revisit something and have that chance to implement those new ideas.”

This CABARET approaches the classic musical from a different angle - and not the kind of production that audiences may be used to seeing. Lincoln says that this allowed him to think of the Emcee in a new way than it may have been performed in the past as more of an immersive narrator-type character.

“I approach this like the Emcee is the artistic director of this club, an active character and an actual person who isn’t a puppet master.  He has actual stakes in the show and the circumstances surrounding the play.”

Another fun twist on this production is the multitude of gorgeous costumes the Emcee gets to wear.  Prepare to be dazzled as Clauss returns to the stage in constantly fantastic outfits.  

“Aren’t they stunning?  They’re just so good.   I think there are like 10 looks total because there are a few looks that might combine a couple of elements that you've already seen. But I have more costume changes than any show I've ever done.  Pretty much any time on stage I'm changing into a costume and all of them are gorgeous.”

Clauss assured though, for new or old fans of CABARET, this show is something that will leave an impression on them all.

“This production is really different in an exciting way and that’s what I want audiences to know.   If there are people who have seen the show or are familiar with this might be a take that they are not familiar with, which is all the reason for them to come.”

How To Get Tickets

See Lincoln Clauss and the cast of CABARET at The Old Globe through October 15th.  For ticket and show time information go to www.theoldglobe.org 

Lincoln Clauss as Emcee in CABARET.  Photo by Jim Cox.