Interview: Anna-Jane Casey Chats CABARET at the Kit Kat Club

Anna-Jane Casey is known for her roles in shows such as Chicago, Forbidden Broadway, and Annie Get Your Gun. She is currently playing Fräulein Kost in the recent revival of Cabaret at the Playhouse Theatre. We spoke with Casey about being in the show.

Who inspired you most growing up?

That's a good question, and it's really hard for me to figure out. I love sports. I always have, always will. I was obsessed with the Olympics when I was a kid. I'm inspired by people who excel at what they do - whether it's an Olympian or another brilliant person reaching the pinnacle of their career.

I'm thinking of Daley Thompson and Nadia Comăneci, Olympians from the late '70s/early '80s. I think they were a major influence on me. I wanted to be as good as they were at what they did. In fact, I was initially going to be a gymnast, and then that turned into dancing.

I've tried to explain that to my kids. I've told them, "I don't care what you do. Just try and be the best."

How does it feel to be back on stage in this highly anticipated revival of Cabaret?

It feels quite remarkable. It was announced at the very start of this year, and the vision was that it wouldn't be the carbon copy of Cabaret people know with Liza Manelli; the team wanted to be very different.

The bulk of my work is usually just jazz hands and jumping into splits while doing a big face. So when I heard the lovely Stuart Burt was casting the show, I badgered him about it. He's a friend of mine, and I just said, "You have to get me in." He kept telling me they weren't doing a "normal" version, and I said, "I don't care. I'll do whatever I need to do to be in it."

The creative team said they wanted to do something with different actors - commercial dancers, crazy shapes, sizes, colours, all ages. They didn't want eight skinny girls who could kick their legs off.

I'm pretty much in the minority as one of the skinny white girls in the cast. We've got loads of people who are just fantastic. We have they/thems, girls who want to be boys, boys who want to be girls, big girls, small girls, older guys... it's a real mix, and it's a thrill to be a part of that gang.

Being back on stage doing something so radical is just brilliant - and I'm not just saying that to sell the show. There has never been a version of Cabaret like this.

For a start, they have re-created Berlin's Kit Kat Club. If you've ever been there - I was a long time ago - you're pretty much getting a like-for-like show.

We are in amongst the audience, and the audience is involved in it too. So it's not just sitting in your seats and watching people on stage miles away; you're right in the middle of the action, and that is very exciting.

Just being able to do what we all do after having, pretty much, two years of not being able to perform is brilliant. I love watching the audience's reaction because I think people are thrilled to see live entertainment again.

Let's face it, we all finished Netflix. It's brilliant to be back on stage. I can't believe my luck every day. I keep thinking, "I'm going to work!" and it's just great.

Going by the responses on social media, I take it the run is going well so far, then?

People are losing their minds. I don't want to say anything specific about the show, but the minute Mr Redmayne appears as the Emcee in the middle of the stage, it's like a rock concert. People are screaming and throwing their knickers on the stage!

We are in with the audience as well. A little spoiler for you: if you sit in the front, you better keep an eye on your drinks when I'm around! I don't want to say interactive, but genuinely, you are right in the heart of the action, which has been thrilling the audiences so far. They're so excited; they're in their seats watching something, transported miles away, right in it. It's really cool.

And how does the proximity work with the COVID-19 restrictions in place?

The whole cast, crew and everyone who works in the theatre has to test every day. The audience has to show a clear lateral flow test from within the last 24 hours, plus there's the use of masks as well. We had a matinee this afternoon, and I'd say around 90% of the audience were wearing one. We've always been really careful. You couldn't be safer in a theatre at the moment.

Note this conversation took place just before SOLT mandated the wearing of face coverings in its member theatres.

What is your favourite thing about playing Fräulein Kost?

Kost is great. Kost isn't just on her own for the first time in this production. She's not one of the key club girls, but in this production, they wanted to find someone who could do all the dancing and still do the singing scenes, and I said, "Well, I'm here, I'll do it!"

I get to sing some brilliant little songs: "Tomorrow Belongs to Me", and a song called "Married" which I have to sing in German - so, fingers crossed, any German speakers aren't going to throw things at me, I'm doing the best I can!

But then, because of this production, I'm also in the big numbers like "Money" and "Mein Herr", so I get to satisfy the dancer in me. Even though I'm nearly 50, she still wants to get out, kicking her legs up!

We've turned Kost, this chief Nazi hooker, into a filthy old romancer. I'm the oldest one in the club, one of these girls that comes and goes out of the club. The Holocaust has been going on there a long time, and she is hanging on by her fingernails.

Kost is a great part to play because while she's trying to be sexy, she's desperate; this woman will do anything. She'd sell her granny to stay alive. So that's a great thing for me to play because that's really not like me at all.

So why do you think the right time is now for us to have this revival of Cabaret?

When we had our first day as a team, we were all standing around with our brilliant producers. One of them, Colin, said, "People might think that this is a dated piece. If we look at it on paper, it's a musical from the 1960s, about Germany in the 1930s, written by an American - what relevance does that have?"

As we've all seen over the last few years, right-wing politics is on the rise: take a look at Trump's America and the other political swings in Europe. I know I'm showing my political colours here. But honestly, I think in this country we're leaning towards fascism at the moment; we're swinging really far to the right. So in that sense, the show is still really relevant, and the audience can feel that.

You know that you're watching something set around 1929-1930 in Germany, but there are still echoes of the oppression of people. We see the same oppression of certain groups of people today, trans people, people railing against Black Lives Matter... it's still going on.

Look at Afghanistan: there is probably still a group of actors somewhere in Kabul trying to create art, and they're being oppressed. We have to think about that. That's not something from the past; it's still happening in 2021.

This is not a revival of a dated piece. These things are still very much on our minds with what's happening in the world. The people who worked in the Kit Kat Club were oppressed, but in the club, they were free. So it's still very relevant.

How has the dynamic been working with Eddie Redmayne and Jessie Buckley?

Eddie is one of the loveliest people on the planet. He's very generous; he's never missed a rehearsal. That boy was in half an hour early every morning to do stretches and warm-up. He's never had to use that kind of stamina and that skill, but he was in there every morning before we started rehearsals at 10 o'clock to work out.

He doesn't ever take a break. He doesn't sit on the side. He doesn't have an assistant patting down his brow.

And Jessie, well, she's a theatre animal. Although she's also a TV and film star now, she's used to doing eight shows a week; she knows what that involves. We've never heard a smidgen of complaints. She's one of the kindest people to work with.

Rebecca Frecknall, our director, read out a statement of intent on our first day, which we all had to agree to. If we had any problems, we could discuss them with her, but essentially it said this: "Everybody is equal. In this room, no matter your creed, your colour, your sexuality, your wealth, or your future purpose. We are equal, and we're going to work together to create a beautiful piece of art." It's really worked.

We have a great moment every day when we're in the warm-up, where we share what we love about being in this job. It creates a relaxed feel and so much positivity, which is what we need after we've had nearly two years of, well, grief essentially.

There's nothing lovelier than coming into work, getting a smile from Eddie and Jessie, remembering that we're all in this together. I've been telling the younger cast members that their next show likely won't be like this!

While theatres were closed, you appeared on TV talking about working as a delivery driver during the pandemic. Why was it important to you to share that experience?

Back to politics again, I'm not massively left-leaning. I just think the government we've got at the moment is dreadful. They're killing a lot of artistic souls and a lot of self-employed people as well.

I think some of the general public assume if you're an actor, you're at Eddie Redmayne's level of acting. We're not millionaires. I needed to show the general public that I don't get any handouts as a self-employed person.

I've got two children, and I didn't get full maternity pay as a self-employed person. I got around £60 a week when I was pregnant. That's not even your food, let alone your bills and anything else.

As a self-employed person, no matter what industry, it's so easy to look at this government and how they are not helping you. I needed to show people that we are all struggling because we don't earn a fortune. Lockdown was not a time for me to sit back and wait for the neck cheque because that doesn't happen. We very much live hand-to-mouth.

If you're playing a leading part in a West End show, say Elphaba in Wicked, you will probably be getting a nice weekly wage of £2,000-3,000 per week. But that contract is usually only for a year. So after that, you could end up working at an off-West End venue, where your weekly fee might only be £300.

The scale of wages for an actor really fluctuates. I cannot guarantee that my salary will be £20,000 or £100,000 per year. It can be either one of them or neither. That's the point. When we are off stage, we don't earn. I don't have masses of savings in the bank. I don't have a pension.

I couldn't be furloughed. Hardly anyone in our industry was furloughed because so many of us are self-employed. I just needed to let people know our situation, the people who could still be paid during this pandemic if they were working at home or on furlough, while we couldn't.

Who of the characters in Cabaret would you most and least like to spend Christmas Day with?

I probably wouldn't want to spend it with Sally Bowles as a character. She's like Barbie, she really is; she's so unbelievably self-centred. When I bring the turkey out, she'd probably say, "Well, I could have cut that better." She'd be a real pain.

Who would I like to spend it with? Probably the lovely Herr Schultz. Our Schultz is played by a phenomenal actor called Elliot Levey. Herr Schultz is the kindest, loveliest man. He runs a fruit shop, so he'd bring me lots of cranberry sauce and just sit there quietly.

Do you have any advice for aspiring performers, particularly at this time?

You have to be unbelievably thick-skinned. If somebody says to you, "You've got a spotty face, so we didn't employ you", don't just go home; go and embrace that spotty face because somebody will, someone who wants to find out what your special skills or special attributes are.

There's no point in trying to be someone - like I want to be the next Liza Minnelli. You have to find what's right for you.

There will be times where you will be turned down because you're a size 12 and not a size 6. You can't let those things get you down. You just have to shrug it off, get your head down and keep going because somewhere, someone will want you.

There's a place for everyone. Just know yourself; embrace it; hold true to it. Don't try and lose weight; just go with it. If you're a tall person, don't try and be a small person. Be tall. Stand up tall.

"Know thyself" is the best thing I think I can give as advice.

Why should people come to Cabaret?

Even though it's a piece written 50-60 years ago, it's still relevant today. Come to this production, and you will see a completely different version than you might have expected in your mind.

If you're wanting Liza Minelli and jazz hands, you're not going to get that. Instead, you're going to see a beautiful piece of theatre with phenomenal design, great songs, and you'll be right in the centre of the action. So get yourself to the Kit Kat Club on Northumberland Avenue.

Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club at the Playhouse Theatre until 14 May 2022

Photo credit: Marc Brenner

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