When Metro meets Matt Willis at London’s iconic Kit Kat Club, it’s clear he’s stepped into his most bold position but. But he’s completed it seamlessly.
The musician and actor has taken over the West End, starring because the hypnotising Emcee in John Kander’s Cabaret. And he’s in good firm alongside the likes of Alan Cumming, Eddie Redmayne, and Billy Porter, who’ve all taken on the seductive character. No stress in any respect, absolutely.
‘It was intimidating. It was scary,’ Matt, 42, tells us, admitting his legs are ‘jelly’ throughout his eight performances per week.
While he’s develop into a family identify due to greater than twenty years with chart-toppers Busted, Matt isn’t any stranger to theatre, having attended the acclaimed Sylvia Young Theatre School and later occurring to look in Flashdance, Footloose, and Waitress.
‘I trained to be in theatre, that’s what I at all times needed to do,’ he says. ‘But I love being in a band, so I’m very fortunate to have the ability to do each.
‘Lots of people say “isn’t it quite similar? They’re both on stage”, however I believe it’s form of like swimming and rowing. They’re each within the water, however they’re very completely different disciplines.’
Matt was clearly eager to prove himself in the role, after watching Oscar winner Eddie Redmayne’s spellbinding performance within the Olivier award-winning present in 2021 and being ‘blown away’.
‘I audition for everything. I’m not ready in my performing profession the place I don’t should. I always should show myself and I believe that’s important. You get only a few possibilities to behave.
‘You’re always unemployed on the lookout for jobs, so deal with an audition as an opportunity to play and an opportunity to behave, and that’s what I attempt to do.’
For this position particularly, Matt needed to morph into writhing, gender-fluid Emcee with none inkling of his actual life pop-punk persona.
‘I wanted no one to recognise me,’ he says. ‘I wanted it to be a complete transformation and that’s what I maintain onto. I’ve an entire routine that will get me into a distinct world, and I try to keep in that world for all the efficiency, after which neglect it on my means house.’
And unrecognisable he’s, with a number of head-turning outfit modifications and a full face of make-up each evening, which he admits is ‘making his skin fall off’, Matt says his brilliantly twisted and flamboyant interpretation of Emcee couldn’t be extra important in 2026.
‘I think this show puts a middle finger up to toxic masculinity,’ he says.
‘Cabaret’s been round for a very long time and it nonetheless resonates as we speak. It’s not misplaced on me. My son has come to look at this, and I believe that’s actually important. There’s an entire world of individuals embracing variations and all completely different components of tradition and humanity. That’s what the Kit Kat Club does.’
And whereas Matt admits that he doesn’t need his theatre run to finish out of sheer dedication to his position, he’s eager for evenings together with his wife of 18 years, Emma Willis, and their three youngsters, daughters Isabelle and Trixie, and son Ace.
‘I’m always blown away that my children wish to hang around with me. They simply wanna be with me, and that’s essentially the most wonderful factor. It’s what I miss essentially the most after I’m in theatre. We sit down each evening, watch telly, drink tea, and chat. That’s an enormous a part of our lives,’ he says.
It’s a humble routine which has been instilled in his household life for the reason that early days of his relationship with Emma.
‘I vividly remember when we first started dating, we would stay over at her parents’ home and after we wakened the subsequent day, all they needed to do was sit round and hang around. Just sit on the couch and discuss. I’d by no means actually skilled that. It was fairly uncomfortable for me,’ he laughs.
As nicely as individually, the pair are a pressure collectively. After assembly when she interviewed him and his Busted bandmates again in 2004, they now repeatedly work alongside one another on shows like Netflix’s Love Is Blind: UK.
‘She’s the individual I wanna do life with on a regular basis. The first individual I needed to inform I obtained the Cabaret job was Emma. She’s first individual I’ll name when one thing cool occurs or one thing dangerous occurs,’ he tells us.
‘We’re loopy about one another. Work can get loopy, household life might be actually full on at instances, however on the on the finish of it we’re very adamant on being current as a pair. I discuss to her 10 instances a day.
‘She doesn’t depart me alone, which is sweet as a result of I wouldn’t wanna be left alone. We’re very a lot on this life collectively.’
Matt Willis stars as Emcee on the Kit Kat Club at London’s Playhouse till 23 May 2026.
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