Known for her work as a performance artist, musician and half of the Brechtian duo The Dresden Dolls, Palmer was previously announced to star in the A.R.T. production that will be presented in an environmental staging under the direction of Steven Bogart. Cabaret will run Aug. 31-Oct. 29 at Oberon.
Joel Grey earned a Tony Award for his androgynous turn as the Emcee in the original 1966 Broadway production of the musical. In 2010, Palmer will toughen up the mysterious nightclub host when she gives it her own spin.
In addition to Palmer, the cast will feature A.R.T. veterans Aly Trasher as entertainer Sally Bowles, Matt Wood as writer Cliff Bradshaw, Remo Airaldi as Herr Schultz, David Costa as Ernst Ludwig, Claire Davies as Fraulein Kost, Thomas Derrah as Fraulein Schneider, and Jeremy Geidt as Max.
The ensemble will include Renee-Marie Brewster, Lucille Duncan, Tamara Hickey, Eric Johnson, Jordy Lievers, Gaetano Pugliese, Annika Franklin, Chris Thomas and Edward Walsh.
Lance Horne (The $trip) will serve as musical director, with Steven Mitchell Wright as movement director, David Israel Reynoso as set and costume designer, Nicholas D. Vargelis as lighting designer and Clive Goodwin as sound designer.
Cabaret features a book by Joe Masteroff, based on the John Van Druten play "I Am a Camera" and the original stories by Christopher Isherwood. John Kander and Fred Ebb penned the Tony-Award winning score to the musical that features such hits as "Willkommen," "So What," "Don't Tell Mama" and the title song.
Visit AmericanRepertoryTheater. A.R.T. is located at 64 Brattle Street in Cambridge, MA.