The Brightest Light On Broadway: Gayle Rankin

A decade ago, the Juilliard-trained Scottish actress Gayle Rankin starred in the 2014 revival of Cabaret as Fräulein Kost, with Alan Cumming as the Emcee. This spring, she returns to the show in a new production as the show’s star, Sally Bowles, opposite Eddie Redmayne. Eagerly awaited from London and directed by Rebecca Frecknall, this Cabaret is as creepy as it is transfixing. “It’s devastating how relevant Cabaret is now,” says Rankin. How does she feel about returning to the New York boards in the same show? “It’s a big challenge,” she explains. “And I live for that challenge.”