Drag Race's Marcia talks Cabaret, Eddie Redmayne & viral Tonys performance (exclusive)

Cabaret, which first opened on Broadway in 1966, is a musical set between 1929 and 1930 in Berlin — a period marked by the rise of the Nazi Party, led by Adolf Hitler, in Germany. The story takes place in the sleazy Kit Kat Club, where the Master of Ceremonies (a.k.a. the Emcee) narrates the events while undergoing a complex character arc of his own.

Exciting as it is to play the Emcee as an understudy, Lauter explains that Redmayne has been very present for this production. "I think because this is the Broadway, New York City premiere of this version of Cabaret, he has so much passion and dedication for this project," Lauter says. "He's truly there all the time and never left the theater for more than a day. It's so impressive, frankly, because this role is very difficult."

They continue, "There are so many drastic makeup changes, and the show is three hours long. You're singing a lot, you're yelling a lot, you're talking a lot… it's just a lot of energy. Because of the nature of the show, you're constantly engaging with people. It requires you to be very present and very energetic. I don't think he's actually ever really called out once, which is unbelievable to me, because doing the Emcee is very, very hard."

YouTube essayist Kayla Says explains in a video about Cabaret that "as you're following the relationships and the journeys of these characters, you're slowly seeing aspects of the Nazi government creeping into the plot." For a while, the Kit Kat Club's patrons are able to "turn a blind eye" to the evil doings happening outside the venue. But as the show unfolds, the Emcee's outfits and overall disposition lead to a nuanced understanding of how the story progresses.

This year alone, Lauter has had two high-profile award show appearances to add to their resume. First and foremost, they attended the 75th Primetime Emmy Awards in full Marcia Marcia Marcia drag to represent the 15th season of RuPaul's Drag Race, which won another trophy for Outstanding Reality Competition Program.

Oh, and you better not forget how Lauter and their Drag Race costars made headlines by standing alongside Princess Poppy's legendary green goblin look. Though Poppy had quit drag altogether, she un-retired to attend the Emmys and wore a gorgeously grotesque look that went viral in all kinds of mainstream news outlets.

"I got to do the little slow-mo cam thing while wearing a dress that I made, and I was very proud of that," Lauter recalls of the Emmys. "It was very exciting. I got to talk to Ayo Edebiri, and I was so excited to meet her because she's one of my favorite people. We also talked to a lot of the cast of Abbott Elementary, which was very cool. And I got to talk to Ariana DeBose, who is a fellow Broadway-to-television transplant… which we're hoping for! Fingers crossed!"

When daydreaming about their future on television, Lauter is interested in a wide range of opportunities. "Getting my little taste of it with Drag Race, I've done some little movies here and there, but I really love TV and film. I'd love to do a sitcom or something…. I don't know, there's a million things that I want to do."

Lauter was also present at the 77th Tony Awards, which aired live on CBS on June 16. The ceremony featured a special performance of "Willkommen," the opening number of Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club, with Lauter playing Victor in the ensemble.

"Luckily, the version of the number that we did at the Tony Awards was very close to what we do on stage every night, so I wasn't super nervous about messing anything up. That was good," Lauter explains. "But the rehearsal process for the Tonys can be quite strenuous. You're still doing all eight shows in the week leading up to the ceremony, and you're also getting to [the David H. Koch Theater] at 8 a.m. for camera-blocking rehearsal. You're also going to a recording studio to record the ensemble vocals, and you go back for another dress rehearsal."

"The day of the Tonys is very exhausting," the actor recalls. "Broadway shows usually do a matinee that Sunday, but we didn't, so we were lucky. We just had to get up, do our dress rehearsal, go home, and come back that night. The night of your performance, the way it works, you literally get on a bus, get off the bus, do the number, leave the building immediately, and get back on the bus."

Wait, so the ensemble of a Tony-nominated hit musical can't stay for the ceremony?! "We're all in our costumes and wigs and everything, which is all incredibly expensive, and we have to keep in theater," Lauter says. "We have to get dressed and get undressed in the theater. All the nominees get to sit and watch, of course. But yeah, it's kind of an unknown thing about the Tony Awards. Unless you've purchased a ticket or you're nominated, you're not in the building except for your number. But it's also kind of nice, because you get to celebrate right when you're done."

Unfortunately, some viewers expressed their confusion and discomfort after watching this Cabaret performance at the 2024 Tony Awards. Most of the reactions seemed to come from people who weren't very familiar with the show, but videos of that performance still went viral across social media.

"That number, 'Willkommen,' is supposed to be the show itself," Lauter explains when asked about that performance going viral. "It can be fun at the beginning, but it has this underbelly that you can kind of sense that something isn't quite right. I mean, I think it's unfair to judge anything without seeing it in its entirety, especially in a musical, which has a narrative. You wouldn't watch the first two minutes of a movie and say, 'This is bad' or, 'This is not what it should be.'"

Lauter continues, "The point of a revival is to show you something different and highlight different elements of a piece of work so you can view it from a different perspective. I think our production absolutely does that. So yeah, if people have issues with it, come see the show! Don't just watch a three-minute number. You can't really make that call unless you see the whole thing."

It's actually remarkable to see Lauter landing such a massive opportunity this "early" in their career. Though it's true that more drag artists and Drag Race stars are being embraced by Broadway as of late, it isn't a given that a queen from such a recent season would be cast as Victor in a major theater production of Cabaret while also being the understudy for an A-list actor playing the Emcee.

In fact, Marcia Marcia Marcia's drag name and their Drag Race journey don't seem to have played any factor in the casting, which says a lot about Lauter's talent.

"If you look at our marketing, they don't even bring up Drag Race at all. It's humbling, in some ways. I wasn't just offered the job; I fully auditioned. I went to a dance call like I used to, and Drag Race never came up in my audition process at all. I honestly wasn't even sure if they knew," they laugh.

"But, yes, it's very cool. A lot of queens from Drag Race — and just people in reality TV in general — can get pigeonholed as being just a personality who's unable to work in other fields."

Lauter says, "I obviously love Marcia so much. She's very much a part of me. But there are also things that Marty wants to do, and all of those things should be able to happen at once. I don't think we should be limited to anything."

When asked to clarify how to call them in these different circumstances, the actor says: "If I'm in drag, call me Marcia. If I'm not in drag, call me Marty."

Despite the overall disconnect between Lauter's role in Cabaret and their journey on Drag Race, there are a few delightful connections between those two worlds. On the very first Monday show this July that Lauter got to play the Emcee, the actor recalls having friends and family members sitting in the audience — including her season 15 costar Loosey LaDuca.

During Lauter's most recent turn as the Emcee in a show from Monday, July 29, audience members included Drag Race alumni such as Luxx Noir London, Robin Fierce, Plasma, Olivia Lux, and Rosé, as well as Saturday Night Live star (and All Stars 8 guest judge!) Bowen Yang.

"Kinky Boots introduced me to how the big, professional theater world worked. It was really exciting. I was freshly 21 at the time," Lauter says. "I auditioned for Kinky Boots in August of 2018. I initially got a 'no' from them, but a couple of weeks later, my agent called me with an offer from Kinky Boots. They were looking for a vacation swing, and I was with that show until it closed."

They add, "The following fall, I went on the first national Broadway tour of Hello, Dolly!, which was very exciting. I got to do that with my fiancé, which was really wonderful. And then [the 2020 lockdown] happened… and the whole world shut down."

Lauter started diving into drag and taking the art form "more seriously" during lockdown — a period of time when the actor moved back in with their parents and watched season 12 of Drag Race. "Jan Sport is a very good friend of mine, so I was very excited about it," they explain, adding that "watching Gigi Goode on that season really inspired me to take the leap and do it. I was like, 'If I were a drag queen, that's the kind of drag queen I would be.'"

Between learning how to sew, work on wigs, and do their makeup, Lauter auditioned for Drag Race and landed a spot in season 15. Initially, Lauter was concerned that doing the show could hurt their Broadway career. "But, obviously, that fear was unwarranted," they remark.

A week after filming Drag Race, Lauter started rehearsals for an off-Broadway production of Kinky Boots. This was a very "fulfilling" experience, Lauter says, while acknowledging that the airing of Drag Race season 15 brought "a bunch of craziness" into their world.

Lauter went on to audition for Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club in August 2023 — about four months after their Drag Race season finished airing on MTV — which led to the craziest week they've ever experienced. "I had four different drag gigs during the week that I was in callbacks: one in Montreal, one in Michigan, one in Minneapolis," the actor recalls. "I was flying across state lines to get back to these auditions. It was the most exhausting week of my life. Luckily, it was worth it."

When it comes to working with Redmayne, Lauter confesses to feeling some initial trepidation. "It's a very daunting thing to understudy him. You're kind of like, 'Oh, people wanted to see Eddie Redmayne, and now it's me,'" they explain. "But he's truly so generous and welcoming. After my first show, I knocked on his door because I had left my water bottle in his room. He was like, 'Oh my god, how did it go? How are you feeling? Tell me everything!'"

Lauter adds, "He's so invested in all of us. The people that understudy him are myself and another actor, David Merino, who plays Lulu usually in the show. Whenever the three of us are together, he always refers to it as 'our part,' which is very sweet and very selfless of him. He's been unbelievably kind, and he wrote me the sweetest debut letter. He makes these cards and paints them. He's just the best. Eddie is so sweet."

The themes and characters of Cabaret do resemble certain themes and characters that have been making headlines in the real world over the past few years.

"I'm trying to not give anything away, but our Cabaret is told from the perspective of people who are othered or marginalized. Our cast has a wide range of people with different ages, genders, races, body types, and sexualities. We kind of run the gamut of the human experience," Lauter says. "There's a song at the end of the show that Bebe Neuwirth sings, 'What Would You Do?' that is really the heart of it. When things get really bad and really scary, what are you going to do?"

The actor adds, "Our production hits on a very nuanced topic. Sometimes, even marginalized people will marginalize other people for survival. When I play Victor, for example, I'm white in real life as well. In the show, I'm also very blonde and have a beautiful bowl cut. So, amongst the cast, Victor will probably have the easiest time assimilating into [those circumstances]. The journey of the show is very different for all of us."

"This show is so evocative of what's happening in the world right now," Lauter notes. "It's like a reminder to be extra conscious in your life, aware of what the people around you need, and understand that you may not be in the most dangerous position at this particular moment. But you should raise your voice and stand for the people who need help."

For tickets and more information about Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club, visit the musical's official website.