Adam Lambert Confronts Audience Laughter at Antisemitic Joke in Broadway’s “Cabaret” Revival
Adam Lambert, the Jewish singer who rose to fame as the runner-up on American Idol and now stars in the new Broadway revival of Cabaret, has found himself repeatedly stopping performances to address audience members laughing at a disturbing antisemitic joke in the show.
Cabaret is set in a 1920s Berlin cabaret during the rise of Nazism, with a dark, powerful message about creeping hatred. One key moment features The Emcee singing “If You Could Only See Her,” a song revealing a love for a gorilla who “wouldn’t even look Jewish at all” — a shockingly antisemitic punchline meant to expose bigotry, not invite laughter.
Historically, this line shocked audiences; in earlier productions, actors softened the lyric to lessen the impact. But in this revival, some audience members laugh genuinely at the line, prompting Lambert—who was raised Jewish—to break character and urge the crowd to “pay attention,” emphasizing the gravity behind the words.
A theatergoer praised Lambert’s brave interruptions, calling them a crucial reminder not to normalize hate disguised as humor. Lambert himself has said the show aims to foster empathy and awareness of how marginalized groups are scapegoated, hoping to “change some minds.”
The situation raises uncomfortable questions: Are these laughs signs of complicity, ignorance, or a retreat into irony? Joel Grey, the original Emcee, reflected that such laughter might be “audible white flags of surrender” to growing intolerance.
This revival marks the first time in decades that a queer Jewish actor plays The Emcee—making the message even more urgent amid rising antisemitism and threats to LGBTQ+ rights.
Lambert has long spoken out about antisemitism and the importance of education and visibility. Now, on stage, he’s actively confronting it, standing as a powerful voice against hate in a world increasingly at risk of forgetting the lessons of history.
