In New Interview, Adam Lambert Talks Big Broadway Debut in 'Cabaret'

Adam Lambert has transformed from rockstar frontman of Queen to now rocking the Broadway stage in the long-running production of "Cabaret."

Lambert will embody the character of Emcee, an iconic queer character who was previously played by Joel Grey, Alan Cumming, and, most recently, Eddie Redmayne.

For Lambert, the role is a full circle moment. He just released his very clubby EP, "Afters," and he was introduced to "Cabaret" by his voice teacher at an early age.

"I think I was probably like 14. She was just like, 'Isn't it scandalous?' And it just felt so naughty and edgy, and I was very drawn to that," Lambert told Paper magazine in a new interview. "Big surprise. Still am."

In fact, Lambert remembered performing the number "Money" for a recital.

"The music has been in my wheelhouse for a long time, and my dream roles in the theater have always been sort of the strange roles," said Lambert. "And the Emcee has always been on a short list for me. It's like, 'Oh, that would be so fun.'"

And Lambert has the voice for it, with Paper magazine sitting in to watch the rock star's first week of performances and his visual transformation into the character, via makeup, on stage in the opening number. Not to mention, Lambert will be performing eight times a week.

"I was doing theater all the way up until I auditioned for 'American Idol.' Theater was sort of the trajectory I was on. And I wasn't in New York, I was in LA doing theater, and there's not a lot there – but I was doing what I could find. And I always thought, 'Oh, one of these days I'm going to move to New York. One of these days when I have the right gig, I'm going,'" said Lambert. "And I was waiting for something to take me. And then I did the national tour of 'Wicked,' and I got to rehearse here in New York. It was a Broadway production, even though it was a tour, and it was rehearsing with a Broadway-caliber creative team and all that. So I was like, 'Oh, this is pretty much the same thing. I've sort of made it to Broadway.'"

But now Lambert has officially made it, and he recognizes the parallels of his latest music release and his role in "Cabaret."

"Well, it's so funny, because someone pointed out to me, 'It's almost like Cabaret is the 1930s equivalent to what you just did, the kind of stuff you're talking about and singing about.' Getting to create songs that are about sex, that are about connection and a dirty good time," said Lambert. "And 'Afters' was so much fun to put together. I wanted to do something that would feel at home in a club or an after party, obviously. I wanted it to sound like a party. I wanted it to sound like what my social life sounds like."

Read Lambert's full interview in Paper magazine, and watch him make his grand entrance below.