Billy Porter has left his Cabaret engagement early due to a “serious” case of sepsis.
Since July, the Pose star has portrayed the Emcee in the beloved Broadway revival, taking over for country music star Orville Peck.
While Porter was set to headline the show through its final performance on 19 October, producers announced that the Emmy winner was forced to depart the production early to recover.
“Due to a serious case of sepsis, Billy Porter must also withdraw from the production. His doctors are confident he will make a full recovery, but have advised him to maintain a restful schedule,” they announced in a statement on 7 September.
Marty Lauter and David Merino are expected to take over the role of Emcee for the show’s remaining performances.
In addition to Porter’s exit, it has been announced that Cabaret will be ending sooner than expected, with its doors set to close on 21 September.
Adam Speers, one of the show’s producers, confirmed the news in a separate statement.
“It is with a heavy heart that we have made the painful decision to end our Broadway run on September 21,” he said.
“On behalf of all the producers, we’re so honoured to have been able to bring this version of John Kander, Fred Ebb, and Joe Masteroff’s important masterpiece, Cabaret, to New York and to have opened the doors to our own Kit Kat Club for the year and a half we have been here.”
Speers also praised Porter for delivering an “extraordinary” performance as the Emcee, which he said was full of the latter’s “signature passion and remarkable talent.”
“We wish Billy a speedy recovery, and I look forward to working with him again in the very near future,” he continued.
“I personally invite audiences to return to the Kit Kat Club one last time to see the incandescent Marisha Wallace as ‘Sally Bowles,’ alongside the remarkably talented Marty and David, two actors who have been giving soul-stirring performances as Emcee since we first opened last April.”
Since its return to Broadway in 2024, Cabaret has featured an array of big-name talents starring in the production, including Eddie Redmayne, Adam Lambert, Orville Peck, Auli’i Cravalho and Eva Noblezada.
The show will conclude its run with 18 preview performances and 592 regular performances.
For more information about the final performances of Cabaret, click here.
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