Billy Porter has withdrawn from the Broadway production of Cabaret after being diagnosed with “a serious case of sepsis,” producers said, and the immersive revival will end its run a month earlier than planned with a final performance on September 21.
Porters’s doctors are “confident that he will make a full recovery,” the producers said in a statement, but advised him to maintain a restful schedule. The show’s social media channels announced the early closure with the post: "Come hear the music play. Final performance September 21." Marty Lauter and David Merino will share the Emcee role at New York’s August Wilson Theatre until closing night.
Porter, 55, had been playing the Emcee since July. He is a Tony Award winner for Kinky Boots and an Emmy winner for the television drama Pose. The producers did not provide further details about his condition or a timeline for his return to work.
Sepsis occurs when the body’s immune response to infection injures its own tissues and organs. Symptoms can resemble severe flu — including high fever and breathlessness — and, if not treated, sepsis can lead to organ failure and death. Treatment typically involves antibiotics and supportive care; early medical intervention improves outcomes, medical sources say.
The Broadway run of the immersive Cabaret adaptation opened in April 2024 after a highly praised West End staging. The London production, which transformed the theatre into the Kit Kat Club and placed the audience within the action, launched in 2021 starring Eddie Redmayne as the Emcee and Jessie Buckley as Sally Bowles and won seven Olivier Awards. The Broadway transfer again featured Redmayne at the top of the playbill, but U.S. critics offered a more mixed reception, with some reviewers calling the staging a “misguided attempt” while acknowledging its buzz.
Since Redmayne’s departure, a rotating string of performers played the Emcee, including Adam Lambert, Orville Peck and Porter. The New York Times reported that box office receipts have declined since the star-led early months: weekly takings peaked at about $2 million in May 2024 but had fallen to roughly $505,000 in the last week of August 2025. The newspaper described sales as "unsustainably low" in recent months. Remaining tickets for the production were listed in a range from $55 to $450.
Producers did not attribute the early closing solely to Porter's illness. Low ticket sales and the departure of marquee names from the cast had put financial pressure on the production, which relies on sustained audience demand for an extended Broadway run. With the decision to end performances on September 21, the production will conclude its New York engagement after nearly a year on Broadway.
Porter’s withdrawal marks the latest high-profile health-related absence on Broadway this season and underscores the vulnerability of large-scale theatrical productions to sudden cast changes. The show’s creative team and producers did not indicate plans for future productions or touring engagements.
Statements from the production confirmed the immediate cast adjustments and reiterated well wishes for Porter’s recovery. As the theatre community awaits further updates on his condition, Cabaret will continue performances through the announced final date with Lauter and Merino alternating as the Emcee.
The production’s early closure comes as Broadway confronts the challenge of sustaining long commercial runs in a competitive entertainment market, where critical reception, star power and ticket pricing all play a role in a show’s longevity.