Billy Porter has pulled out of Broadway musical Cabaret because of “a serious case of sepsis”, according to the show’s producers.
Doctors are confident that the US actor, who has been playing the Emcee in the show since July, will make “a full recovery”, a statement said.
Porter, 55, has previously won a Tony Award on Broadway for Kinky Boots and an Emmy for TV drama Pose.
As well as Porter’s withdrawal, Cabaret’s producers have announced that the show will close on 21 September, about a month earlier than planned.
“Come hear the music play. Final performance September 21,” a post said on social media.
“Due to a serious case of sepsis, Billy Porter must also withdraw from the production. His doctors are confident that he will make a full recovery but have advised him to maintain a restful schedule.”
This immersive production of the classic musical, which transforms the theatre into the Kit Kat Club in 1930s Berlin, launched in London’s West End in 2021 with Eddie Redmayne as the Emcee and Jessie Buckley as Sally Bowles.
It won rave reviews from critics and seven Olivier Awards in the UK.
The show transferred to Broadway in April 2024, again with Redmayne leading the cast. But it was met with a more muted reception from US critics, with the New York Times calling it “a misguided attempt to resuscitate the show”.
A string of actors have since taken the role of the Emcee, including Adam Lambert, Orville Peck and Porter.
But ticket sales have struggled since Redmayne’s departure and have been “unsustainably low” in recent months, the New York Times reported.
The show’s weekly takings peaked at $2m (£1.5m) in May 2024, but were $505,000 (£375,000) for the last week of August 2025, the paper reported.
Ticket prices for the remainder of the run range from $55 (£40) to $450 (£333).
Marty Lauter and David Merino will share the Emcee role at New York’s August Wilson Theatre until closing night.
Sepsis develops when the body’s immune system overreacts to an infection and starts attacking its own tissues and organs. Symptoms can be similar to those of flu and include severe breathlessness and a high fever.
Ultimately it causes organ failure and can be fatal in the most serious cases if not treated.
‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’
‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source nz.news.yahoo.com ’
