Orville Peck Confirms He Will Perform Unmasked in ‘Cabaret’

Style|Orville Peck Takes His Face Out for a Spin

First things first: The mask is coming off.

Ever since the country singer Orville Peck was announced as the next Emcee in Rebecca Frecknall’s ritzy production of “Cabaret,” invested circles have speculated feverishly about Mr. Peck’s signature accessory: Would he possibly give up his sartorial calling card? How could he deliver an honest, Broadway-worthy performance without a full face’s worth of emotion?

But in a recent interview, the singer confirmed that he would not be masked when he makes his Broadway debut later this month.

“The mask is part of my expression personally as an artist and a very big personal part of me,” Mr. Peck, 37, said during the (masked) interview at the Civilian Hotel in Midtown Manhattan. “But I’m here to play this role and to bring respect and integrity and hopefully a good performance to it. It’s not about me. I’m not trying to make it the Orville Peck show.”

It’s been a long time since he’s performed without a mask, Mr. Peck recalled, saying that he anticipated feeling “a little shook” at his first performance, on March 31. His fans might be, too: Many have been eager to see the singer’s face since 2019, when he released his debut country album, “Pony.”

In January, it was announced that Mr. Peck, who is gay, would be replacing Adam Lambert in the current Broadway revival of “Cabaret,” Kander and Ebb’s revered 1966 musical about the goings-on at a decadent Berlin nightclub as the Nazis come to power. (Joel Grey originated the role of the enigmatic Emcee; Eddie Redmayne did so in this production.)

Performing maskless may be out of Mr. Peck’s comfort zone, but the stage is not. He grew up in Johannesburg, South Africa, with parents who met working in the theater world; his father was a sound engineer and his mother an usher.