Cabaret: why Cara Delevingne is the perfect Sally Bowles

The supermodel is set to make her West End debut in the iconic musical next month


TOPSHOT - British model Cara Delevingne arrives for the 2022 Met Gala at the Metropolitan Museum of Art on May 2, 2022, in New York. - The Gala raises money for the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Institute. The Gala's 2022 theme is "In America: An Anthology of Fashion". (Photo by ANGELA WEISS / AFP) (Photo by ANGELA WEISS/AFP via Getty Images)
5 February 2024

Today it was announced that Cara Delevingne is making her West End debut as protagonist Sally Bowles in the iconic musical, Cabaret.

The multihyphenate model has made an impression in the acting world on-screen, starring in the likes of Only Murders in the Building and Paper Towns. Now she's adding to her list of accolades and embarking on a new chapter on-stage at the Kit Kat Club at the Playhouse Theatre - the home of the show that has won a whopping seven Olivier Awards.

In the promo video, Cara wore a 1920s flapper-approved statement fluffy jacket paired with her signature slicked-back textured hairstyle, giving it a contemporary and exciting edge. Her OTT purple eyeshadow, dramatic lashes and long, wispy eye liner look added to the theatrical drama.

© John Shearer

Cara's sophisticated yet daring style agenda makes her utterly perfect for the role f Sally

There is perhaps no show more suited for the 31-year-old to make her first live-action appearance - the fashion in the musical (and other cabaret-style shows) is equally as celebrated as the entertainment. Sally Bowles' ensembles are glamorous yet sultry,  feminine but edgy: an inch-perfect description of the fashion muses coveted style agenda.

© Allied Artists

Liza Minnelli as Sally Bowles, in a scene from the musical in 1972.

What is Cabaret about?

The play is set in Berlin between 1929-1930, during the post-World War I economic depression and edging towards the beginnings of Hitler’s totalitarian regime and the rise of the Nazi Party. At the time, Clifford Bradshaw - a struggling American writer - is looking for inspiration for his next novel. On his first night in Berlin, he finds the Kit Kat Klub (is the theatre name making sense now?) -  a rather seedy nightclub. At the club, he meets Sally Bowles, a vivacious and talented cabaret performer. The story portrays the two navigating romance, relationships, and motherhood during a time of change, and uncertainty in Germany.  

Though the show has a permanent home in the West End, Cara will only star in the musical for 12 weeks, from March 11 to June 1.

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