Janet Jackson and Oscar winner Eddie Redmayne rub shoulders with British TV icons Denise Welch and Claire Sweeney as they celebrate Cabaret's 1500th performance

Daily Mail​

07-07-2025

The 1500th performance of the iconic musical Cabaret boasted one of the most unlikely guest lists in recent years, with Hollywood heavyweights mingling with British TV icons at the famous Kit Kat Club.
Among the A-Listers in attendance were Janet Jackson and Eddie Redmayne, with the music star opting for a stylish white trouser suit and a matching shirt.
Joined by R&B star Maxwell, Janet, 59, looked effortlessly chic as she arrived for the gala performance of the legendary show.
Eddie, who has previously starred as the Emcee in the Cabaret's London revival in 2021, enjoyed a date night with his wife Hannah Bagshawe at the show.
The Oscar winner, 43, was dressed in a sharp navy blue suit and an ascot scarf, while Hannah opted for a chic black frilled dress.
Parts of the A-List guest list were in a surprise contrast to some stars, that are likely to be known by a UK fanbase.
Denise Welch was seen arriving for the glitzy event, dressed in a stylish all-black look, while Claire Sweeney opted for a plunging dress adorned with a floral print.
Sophie Ellis-Bextor enjoyed a date night with her husband Richard Jones, and the singer showed off her quirky sense of style in a purple and red printed dress.
EastEnders star Shona McGarty displayed her sartorial prowess in black corset top layered under a white shirt, and matching flares.
Cabaret was revived for a run in London's West End back in 2021, and since then notable stars who have played the Emcee and Sally Bowles have been Aimee Lou Wood and John McCrea, Luke Treadaway and Cara Delevingne, and Billy Porter and Marisha Wallace.
Janet has previously revealed she felt 'unattractive' and hated her body image growing up.
Jackson said her anguish was made worse after she was taunted about her weight by her brothers, including Michael Jackson who called her derogatory names, such as 'pig', 'cow' and 'slaughter-hog'.
'I would literally bang my head up against the wall because I didn't feel attractive,' she said.
'There was a lot of pain in my life. But I did. I felt very unattractive.'
The hitmaker wrote about her weight issues in her autobiography called True You: A Journey to Finding and Loving Yourself in 2011.
Janet said her weight problems began when she was 10 years old and asked to lose weight for a TV role.
'I was asked to lose weight. I wasn't a heavy kid on the show but I was 10 years old and developing very quickly so they would put gauze around my chest to make me smaller, and I think that has an effect on you as a child as if who you are isn't good enough,' she said.
Earlier this year, Janet opened up on how she copes with the loss of her brother Michael Jackson 15 years after his June 2009 death.
The singer-actress chatted with the BBC about their 1995 collaboration Scream, which was Michael's first major release in the wake of the 1993 child sexual abuse allegations that had a significant impact on his life and career.
The Grammy-winning artist, who was on her Together Again tour, performed the song in concert opposite video footage of her late brother, noting that it's an emotional feeling 'listening to him every night, seeing him, remembering us.'
The Gary, Indiana-born entertainer looked back on creating the track with her late sibling, saying, 'Mike and I wrote that song in New York, in his apartment.'
Janet said that she relives 'that whole journey, listening to him sing it' and recalling 'what he was going through at that time' as he sought to rebuild his reputation and career amid the damaging accusations.
'And just me being his little sister, always by his side, and being that support system,' Janet said. 'That's always been my role.'
In the track, Michael addressed his frustrations with the fallout of the allegations and the media coverage of the issue. Lyrics included: 'I'm tired of injustice, I'm tired of the schemes/ Your lies are disgusting/ So, what does it mean, damn it?'
In her self-titled 2022 Lifetime docuseries, Janet said of her late sibling, 'Mike was going through a lot, and I think it was taking its toll on him.'
The song hit the fifth spot on the Billboard Hot 100 amid a 17-week stint on the chart, garnering the Best Music Video award at the 1996 Grammys.
The black and white music video featured the famed siblings performing with one another, which Janet said in the docuseries was a complicated process as music industry executives involved looked to keep them apart.
'It was tough - Michael shot nights; I shot days,' Janet said in 2022. 'His record company, they would block off his whole set so that I couldn't see what was going on. They didn't want me on set.'
'I felt like they were trying to make it very competitive between the two of us. That really hurt me, because I felt I was there fighting the fight with him. Not to battle him.'
Janet said that her sense of nostalgia in the collaboration with her sibling had fallen short during production of the clip.