Final Bow: Cabaret Kit Kat Girl Kristin Olness Looks Back on Two Runs With Alan Cumming

"We've been playing this club since the last century," Alan Cumming ad-libs at the beginning of Cabaret when he, as the Emcee, introduces dancer Kristin Olness (as Kit Kat Klub girl Helda) to the audience during "Willkommen." For in-the-know audience members, this little joke is a nod to the fact that Olness, like Cumming, is reprising a role she originated in 1998, when Sam Mendes and Rob Marshall's acclaimed revival of the Kander and Ebb musical originally opened on Broadway. As Roundabout Theatre Company's remounting of this revival at Studio 54 comes to a close, we turned to Olness, also an aerialist and choreographer, to look back at her time in the decadent and steamy Kit Kat Klub, then and now.

1. What is your favorite line that you delivered?
As a Kit Kat girl, I particularly enjoy singing and performing in "Willkommen," "Don't Tell Mama!," and "Mein Herr."

2. Everyone loves inside jokes. What is the best one from your show? What is the punch line of an unprintable inside joke?
In the 1998 production at Easter time, cast members were stuffing plastic eggs in each other's costumes. During the show, a fluorescent egg fell out onstage and remained in plain sight throughout the scene. Talk about laying an egg.

3. Every show experiences technical difficulties. What was the worst technical difficulty experienced during your show and how was it handled?
In the 1998 production, in the "Two Ladies" song and dance number, the latch to the trunk got locked, preventing it from opening. Thankfully, Alan was able to lift the entire trunk to let Bobby and Lulu out of the box.

4. What was the most "interesting" present someone gave you at the stage door?
I once received a teddy bear from a Cabaret fan.

5. Who is the coolest person who came to see your show? (You can't say family!)
Meryl Streep, Julianne Moore, Colin Firth, James Franco, and Woody Harrelson. We often see famous people in the audience, and backstage as well.

6. What brought you back to Cabaret? Did you have to re-audition?
Yes, I had to re-audition just like everyone else…It's such a great show to do! We get to play in the orchestra, sing, dance, and talk and have fun with the audience every night!

7. Why do you think this revival of Cabaret has had such longevity?
It's such a great production and cast. Actually, it's sad to see this production closing so soon when it's still going really strong and people love it so much.

8. In your own words, describe what happened on the infamous night that Shia LaBeouf saw Cabaret?
Obviously, Shia had had a really, really rough night, but it gave us and the news folks plenty to talk about for days after. Also of note, our house staff handled the situation very effectively and professionally.

8. What's the funniest ad-lib Alan Cumming has inserted into the show?
Each show is sort of an adventure with Alan, and there are too many funny lines to recall. He excels at addressing each different situation or person. He enjoys joking about how "family friendly" a show Cabaret is.

9. How many Emcees and Sallys have you performed with? Which ones surprised you the most?
I performed with all the Emcees and all of the Sallys except Katie Finneran. Each was unique and great. Of course, Alan was my favorite Emcee, since we worked together so long. And I will always miss Natasha. These two reinvented the first production so that it ran for six years and inspired a generation of theatergoers. In this current production, Michelle Williams, Emma Stone, and Sienna Miller were all so surprising and wonderful in very different ways!

10. What memory will you remember most about your time working on Cabaret?
The cast and crew are like family; very supportive, generous, and fun. Also, I enjoyed talking and joking with the audience members during the pre-show warmups. It was a great honor and experience to work with Natasha Richardson and Alan Cumming in the first production (1998). It was a tragedy that Natasha passed away so early in her career. Of course, working again with Alan is always special and exciting.