15 July 2023
When Maude Apatow logs onto Zoom, wearing an insouciantly slouchy sweatshirt and not a scrap of make-up, she looks exactly like Lexi Howard, the gentle and soft-spoken high schooler and playwright she embodies in Sam Levinson’s HBO juggernaut Euphoria. Except that is, for her bright emerald green nails, which glitter as she gestures at the camera – the only visual clue to the project that’s currently keeping her in London: an exuberant revival of Cabaret that has taken the West End by storm, in which she plays the flighty and tempestuous flapper Sally Bowles. (Fans of Bob Fosse’s 1972 big-screen adaptation of the original musical will recall Liza Minnelli in the same part, flashing her own jade-coloured manicure at her love interest while purring, “Divine decadence, darling.”)
“Ever since I’ve been doing the show, my voice has been completely broken, and my brain, too,” jokes Apatow. It’s been worth it, though – the epic production, which transformed the Playhouse Theatre into the debauched Kit Kat Club in December 2021 has been dazzling audiences ever since with a slew of starry new leads (Jessie Buckley and Eddie Redmayne, who were succeeded by the likes of Amy Lennox and Fra Fee, Madeline Brewer and Callum Scott Howells, and Aimee Lou Wood and John McCrea), and has won a record-breaking seven Olivier Awards, the most for any musical revival. When Apatow inherited the role from her predecessors back in May – alongside her virtuosic co-star, The Sandman’s Mason Alexander Park who plays the latest iteration of the mischievous Emcee – she knew it provided a unique opportunity: to belt out goosebump-inducing hits like “Mein Herr” and “Maybe This Time”, but also dance through the aisles and jump onto tables, immersing attendees completely in the raucous world of Jazz Age Berlin.
Seeing Apatow command the stage as the rebellious cabaret singer navigating romance and politics as the Nazis slowly rise to power, it’s difficult to believe that this is only the actor’s second professional on-stage part, following a turn as the sugary sweet Audrey in an off-Broadway production of Little Shop of Horrors in New York earlier this year. Then again, the 25-year-old LA native has been acting almost since birth – she made her screen debut aged just nine in Knocked Up, alongside her mother, Leslie Mann, and under the direction of her father, Judd Apatow. Roles in Girls, Assassination Nation, Hollywood and The King of Staten Island followed, though it was Euphoria that sent Apatow stratospheric.
As her run in Cabaret continues, and excitement builds for the forthcoming third season of the revolutionary high school drama, Apatow opens up about dealing with stage fright, performing for hen parties, her post-show ritual of binge-watching reality TV, and what Euphoria’s long-rumoured time jump could mean for Lexi.
I heard that you first did Cabaret in high school?
I did it in my senior year of high school. It was actually my last musical before I left! Maybe like a year before that, I’d seen Emma Stone do Cabaret in New York and it was the greatest thing ever. I was like, “One day, I hope I can do that.” I saw what make-up she’d used in the production and I bought all of the same things for my high school production [laughs]. It’s always been one of my favourite musicals so doing this now – it’s truly a dream. I’ve even seen this production a few times before I started doing it.
It’s had such incredible casts across its run. Who did you get to see perform?
I saw Fra Fee and Amy Lennox, then Callum Scott Howells and Madeline Brewer’s version, and then Aimee Lou Wood and John McCrea, right before I went on. They were all so great and it’s so cool because I felt like each cast brought something totally different to the production. It keeps it fresh and exciting.
So, have you known for a while that you’d be doing it?
So, there was an audition process which involved recording different songs and performing some scenes, but then it was a timing thing with work, because this obviously requires a big chunk of time. I didn’t know if I was going to be able to do it. There was a chance I was going to do it in December, and then that ended up not working out but then, it finally lined up perfectly. Mason [Alexander Park, who plays the Emcee in the current production] and I actually went to the same show – when I saw Amy Lennox do Cabaret, Mason was sitting in front of me. We just didn’t know each other at the time. We think it’s fate [laughs].
Did seeing all these other brilliant actors play Sally before you add to the pressure, though?
It helped that I’d seen a few different people in this production, so it didn’t feel like there was this one version of the character that I had to do. I was trying not to put too much pressure on myself [laughs]. Just before I joined the show, I’d seen Amy, and she’s such a brilliant comedic actress. She brought so much to the part, and there were so many lines that I wouldn’t have even thought of as funny, but the way she delivered them was genius. So, I did have moments like, “Gosh, I wish I could have done it like that.” But, in the end, you just have to bring a bit of yourself to the character. What I love about this take on the show is that I think Sally seems very human, in a way that I haven’t seen in other productions. It feels very grounded and raw and impactful.
Did you have long to rehearse before the show opened?
I actually finished Little Shop of Horrors in New York on a Sunday night, went to the Met Gala, and then flew out the night after to start rehearsals. I was nervous about not having time off between shows, but it was good in a way because I was in such a rhythm and it got my stamina up. I’d never done professional theatre before Little Shop and I’ve never done a run this long, so that really helped prepare me. The rehearsal period was very intense but that meant there was no time to overthink things or let the neuroses creep in. It was stressful, but also so fun.
Apart from that, what were the biggest challenges that came up? I know you’ve spoken about dealing with stage fright before, for instance.
I think I’m still working on it. At first, I was really nervous about being so close to the audience – walking through the aisles and singing into people’s faces. I’d never done anything like that before, so I was really intimidated during the first couple of performances. As the show’s gone on, though, I’ve found my power in doing that and it’s become quite entertaining. When you go right up to the tables and point at people, it’s fun to watch their reactions. Some people seem really excited and others are really pissed off [laughs].
Does that ever put you off?
People usually smile or laugh, but the other night, I went right up to this woman and she just looked disgusted [laughs]. It did throw me a little bit, but I just kept going. Ultimately, the show is edgy and I think a lot of people come into it without realising what it’s going to be like. They maybe don’t know the subject matter and think it’s going to be just this light-hearted, fun cabaret, and then they’re very surprised.
It’s funny that you say that because I was surprised by the number of people I spoke to about the show who hadn’t seen the film and assumed it was just about having a jolly time at the cabaret.
There was a hen party in the
other night and you could tell they’d been drinking all day [laughs]. We saw them in line and thought, “Oh no, this is terrible. They’re going to have the worst night.” They were all woo-ing at first and then we saw them like come down as the show went on. I felt so bad, but, in the end, I think they liked it?
That’s so funny. I also need to ask you about your cut-glass British accent. Was that difficult to nail?
We have a great accent coach who I’ve been working with, but honestly, the accent is probably the number one thing that’s stressful, especially because I’m doing an English accent to audiences in the West End! I try not to think about it too much, prepare as much as I possibly can, and just pray that people don’t hate it.
Are there any pre- or post-show rituals that you’ve developed over the past few weeks?
I’m still figuring that out – I’m always asking other actors on the show what they do, because you get such an adrenaline rush and then you have to go home and sleep. I feel so wide awake, so I try to have some tea, and I know you’re probably not supposed to watch TV, but I definitely watch reality TV to decompress. And pre-show, someone told me that I shouldn’t be thinking about the show all day and running it in my head. There’s no point and then your time off doesn’t even feel like time off. I’ve found that really helpful.
I’d also love to hear about the make-up and costumes in the show, because they’re amazing.
Tom Scutt is our costume and set designer and he’s unbelievable. The costumes are one of my favourite things about the show – the colours, the textures, the glitter, and they still manage to make them look kind of grungy at the same time. They’re so intricate too – I notice new details in them every day. My absolute favourite is this dress that I wear at the end of Act One which is pink and sparkly, almost metallic, but I wear my big furry coat over it, so you can’t really see it. It never really gets its moment, but it’s so beautiful! And in terms of make-up, we do our own make-up for the show. We got a couple of lessons before and I’ve definitely gotten better at doing it, but some of the other cast members are amazing. If you look too closely at mine, I’m sure it’s not impressive, but from far away, it looks great.
And how has it felt to be in London for this extended period of time? Where do you hang out when you’re not working?
I love London. I’m mostly resting during the day and I stay close to the theatre, but every morning, you’ll find me at my coffee shop, The Espresso Room in Covent Garden. It’s so good. And I also love Selfridges – we don’t have anything quite on that level in the US.