Rachel Zegler Knows Which Musical She Wants to Star in Next

Even though Rachel Zegler has only been working in Hollywood since 2021, she’s already racked up quite the resume. From her first screen role as Maria in Steven Spielberg’s take on West Side Story to her recent turn as folk singer Lucy Gray Baird in the Hunger Games prequel The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, Zegler has more than proven her capabilities as an actor and singer. But even with her iteration of Snow White still yet to be released, the captivating performer already has her sights on another classic musical character.

While promoting her new A24 disaster comedy, Y2K, at SXSW, Zegler revealed to Den of Geek, “I want to be Sally Bowles in Cabaret so bad.” Zegler also praises Liza Minnelli and Natasha while talking about how much she loves both the stage and screen versions of the musical.

Cabaret first opened on Broadway in 1966 as an adaptation of the 1951 play I Am a Camera by John Van Druten, which was itself an adaptation of the 1939 novel Goodbye to Berlin by Christopher Isherwood. Set in 1929 Berlin during the rise of the Nazi Party, Cabaret tells the story of a group of performers at the illustrious Kit Kat Club trying to hold onto their freedom and desires while they still can. There’s drama and romance like most musicals, but this show also deals with heavier issues like queerness, abortion, and the rise of fascism.

When asked whether she’d prefer to play Sally on the stage or screen, Zegler says, “I mean either thing. I don’t know if anyone would ever want to touch Bob Fosse’s Cabaret. It’s a wonderful film.”

There have been a number of stage revivals, with the most current heading to Broadway from London’s West End in April of this year, but there’s been only one film adaptation of Cabaret in the show’s entire history. Released in 1972, this version of Cabaret featured Liza Minnelli in the starring role of Sally Bowles, the Kit Kat Club’s headlining performer. On top of being the director, Fosse was a legendary choreographer, which is a tough act to follow for any director.

Even though Cabaret’s premise and themes are as relevant as ever, it still may be a while before anyone else is willing to bring Cabaret back to the screen. Fosse was known for his perfectionism, often running through musical numbers until every step and line was executed to his liking, which is part of why the film continues to hold up over 50 years later. Whoever eventually decides to take on a new film adaptation will have to be just as good as if not better than Bob Fosse.

But even if she doesn’t get to make the movie on the big screen, Zegler says, “A community theater could reach out to me and say ‘Do you want to be Sally?’ And I’d say yes.”

Y2K, which is directed by Kyle Mooney and also stars Jaden Martell, Julian Dennison, and even features Fred Durst, had its premiere at SXSW 2024 on March 9. You can read our review of the film here.