Sarah Hyland and Skylar Astin to make West End debuts in CABARET
Sarah Hyland and Skylar Astin are heading to London’s Kit Kat Club, with the American stage and screen stars announced as the next Sally Bowles and Emcee in the acclaimed West End production of CABARET.
The pair will begin performances at the Playhouse Theatre on 21 September 2026, marking the West End debut of both performers. Astin will remain with the production until 12 December 2026, while Hyland will continue as Sally Bowles until 23 January 2027.
They will follow the current headline stars Jamie Muscato and Joy Woods. Muscato will give his final performance as the Emcee on 19 September, while Woods will conclude her engagement on 5 September. Marina Tavolieri will play Sally Bowles from 7 to 19 September before Hyland joins the company.
Best known internationally for playing Haley Dunphy across 11 seasons of the television comedy Modern Family, Hyland arrives in London with considerable theatrical experience. Her stage credits include playing Connie Francis in JUST IN TIME, Daisy Buchanan in THE GREAT GATSBY and Jacqueline Bouvier in GREY GARDENS on Broadway.
She has also appeared as Audrey in the off Broadway revival of LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS and as Chrissy in HAIR at the Hollywood Bowl. Her wider screen career includes Pitch Perfect: Bumper in Berlin, connecting her indirectly with the musical comedy franchise that helped make her new CABARET co-star a familiar name.
Astin became widely recognised as Jesse Swanson in Pitch Perfect and its sequel, before starring as Max Richman in the musical television series Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist. His recent screen credits have also included So Help Me Todd, in which he appeared opposite Marcia Gay Harden.
Like Hyland, he brings an established musical theatre background to his first West End engagement. Astin originated the role of Georg Zirschnitz in SPRING AWAKENING on Broadway and later played Mark Cohen in RENT and the Baker in INTO THE WOODS at the Hollywood Bowl. He has also portrayed Seymour Krelborn in the off Broadway revival of LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS and Tony in WEST SIDE STORY at Carnegie Hall.
A broader company change will accompany the arrival of the new leads. Ronan Burns will join the production as Ernst Ludwig, with Lindsay Atherton taking over as Fraulein Kost and Fritzie. Also joining the cast are Lily Frances, Peter Houston, Samuel How, Bailey Johnson, Ellie Mitchell, Kirsty Anne Shaw, Natasha Wilde and Nicky Wong Rush.
Continuing in their principal roles will be Baker Mukasa as Clifford Bradshaw, Ruthie Henshall as Fraulein Schneider and Robert Hands as Herr Schultz. Returning company members also include Joe Atkinson, Xavion Campbell-Brown, Olivia-Rose Deer, Anya Ferdinand, Danny Fogarty, Adrian Grove and Eva-Rose Tanaka.
Directed by Rebecca Frecknall, the current production of CABARET opened in London in 2021 and transformed the Playhouse Theatre into the intimate Kit Kat Club. Audiences enter through reimagined spaces featuring entertainment, music, drinks and dining before taking their seats in an auditorium configured in the round.
The revival collected seven Olivier Awards in 2022, including Best Musical Revival, Best Director for Frecknall, Best Actor in a Musical for original Emcee Eddie Redmayne and Best Actress in a Musical for original Sally Bowles Jessie Buckley.
The production has now passed its 1,900th performance, making it the longest running staging of CABARET in West End history. The latest casting also arrives during a milestone year for the musical, with November 2026 marking 60 years since the original Broadway production opened in 1966 and five years since the current London revival began.
Featuring music by John Kander, lyrics by Fred Ebb and a book by Joe Masteroff, CABARET follows American writer Clifford Bradshaw as he arrives in Berlin and becomes involved with Kit Kat Club performer Sally Bowles. Their relationship unfolds as the freedoms of Weimar era Berlin are steadily overtaken by the rise of Nazism.
The score includes musical theatre standards such as Willkommen, Don’t Tell Mama, Mein Herr, Maybe This Time, Moneyand the title song. The production features set and costume design by Tom Scutt, choreography by Julia Cheng, lighting by Isabella Byrd and sound design by Nick Lidster.
CABARET is currently booking at the Kit Kat Club through 18 September 2027, with tickets available through the production’s official box office and authorised West End ticket sellers.
Photo Credit: DepositPhotos.com
