Adam Lambert Channels Modern Angst in His 'Cabaret' Role on Broadway

"American Idol" alum and Queen singer Adam Lambert is starring as the Emcee in "Cabaret," replacing Eddie Redmayne in the Broadway revival and fitting the classic musical to the times.

Set in Germany's Weimar Republic days – specifically, in 1929 and 1930 – the musical's mood becomes grim as, in the background, the Nazis come to power and plunge the nation... and the queer demimonde in which the musical takes place... into a time of terror.

The parallels to today are unmissable, Lambert told The New York Times.

"In the beginning I get to be big and crazy and let out all this excess energy and be silly and no holds barred," Lambert said in the Times interview. "Then we get into Act II and I can channel any sort of frustration I have."

"It's super meta," the singer – who recently released a cover of one of the show's most famous tunes, "I Don't Care Much" – told the newspaper. "Look at what's going on right now in our country. Look at the election. I take all of my frustration with everything and I put that into the second act."

"'If You Could See Her' is really tricky," Lambert went on to say of another song from the show, which features music by John Kander and lyrics by Fred Ebb, and which sends up the antisemitism the Nazis traded in for political power. "It's a vaudeville number that's silly. There's a person in a gorilla costume. The audience is giggling at the top of it, as they should, because it's all cute."

But the song's whimsy is all on the surface. Underneath, it – and the show as a whole – is a scathing indictment of the Nazi's rampage of mass murder as they pursued a highly organized, even factory-like, homicidal agenda across Europe.

Lambert explained that when he first stepped into the role, one of the song's more loaded lines drew laughter. Now, though, he's conveying the song's much more chilling subtext.

"It's my job to make them understand that there's some depth to this satire that we're playing. I'm getting no laughs now. Every once in a while you hear like one person chuckle. Maybe it's nerves, maybe they're uncomfortable, but I've quieted them all down," Lambert said.

As to his vision of the Emcee (the character has no other name), Lambert described someone who, in his mental notes, is named Rudolph.

"I think he's queer for sure," the out gay singer detailed. "He's a provocateur. He has been working in nightlife for a long time. He's traveled all around Europe. And knows all these dancers and colorful characters. He almost wants to be Sally. He's almost envious of how fabulous she is, of how gorgeous she is."

Lambert drew a distinction between his version of the Emcee and that of Redmayne, explaining that, to him, "the Emcee's probably a little drunk. He's probably a little high on something. And he's in this permissive environment. He's horny."

When it comes to Redmayne's interpretation – and those of anyone else who has played the role – Lambert said he's not interested in holding his take up to theirs.

"One of the things I've learned as I've gotten older and more mature is like, no, no, no," he disclosed. "Got to do you. That's what the audience is going to respond to the most. That's what's going to make you the happiest as a performer and feel as free as possible."

Lambert revealed that he is writing a musical of his own, and said that he's collaborating with another queer artist – Taylor Mac – on the project.

The "Whataya Want from Me" singer dove deeper into the political message of the iconic musical, telling the Times that "Cabaret" is "about a group of people who are on the fringe of society getting their rights taken away. That's what's going on right now."

"The thing that I like so much about the show is that it feels important," Lambert added. "It's not just frivolous escapism. It is at the beginning, to prove a point. But by the second act, we're talking about some real [stuff] here. Not only the politics of scapegoating and fascism and blame, but also the misogyny."

"And abortion is right at the heart of Sally's story," Lambert noted, referring to the show's lead female character, a role made famous by Liza Minnelli, who starred in the 1972 film version along with Michael York, who played the queer male lead character.

"It's a thinking piece of musical theater," Lambert observed. "You're humming some songs, yes. But you walk out going, 'Whoa!'"

Watch the video for Lambert's cover of "I Don't Care Much" below.