Shoe worn by Joel Grey as the Emcee in Cabaret: Museum Object and Cultural History

Shoe worn by Joel Grey as the Emcee in Cabaret: date made: before 1966. wearer: Grey, Joel. Object Name: shoe.

By the Pop Culture Files editorial team•Updated September 30, 2026•2 min read•✓ Fact-checked

Editorial graphic for: Shoe worn by Joel Grey as the Emcee in Cabaret: Museum Object and Cultural History — Editorial graphic by Pop Culture Files · not a photograph

The object in the museum catalogue

Joel Grey wore this shoe as part of a costume to portray the Emcee (Master of Ceremonies) in both the original 1966 production and 1987-1989 national tour of the musical Cabaret. The black patent leather shoes have black elastic bands at each side and two black tabs at the top of each shoe.

The musical Cabaret premiered on Broadway in 1966. With music by John Kander, lyrics by Fred Ebb, and book by Joe Masteroff, the show was an adaptation of John Van Druten's 1951 play I Am a Camera, which itself was based on Christopher Isherwood's 1939 memoir Goodbye to Berlin. Cabaret is the story of love triangle centered around Berlin's Kit Kat Klub amidst the decadence, corruption, and political intrigue of the Weimar Republic era. The musical was celebrated for its originality, but was also controversial for its moral ambiguity, frank sensuality, and mature themes, including homosexuality, abortion, anti-semitism, and the rise of the Nazi party. In 1972, director Bob Fosse adapted Cabaret as a critically- lauded and popular film.

For his performances as the impish, leering Emcee in both the stage and film productions, Grey won the Tony Award for Best Supporting Actor in a Broadway Musical in 1967 and Oscar for Best Supporting Actor in 1972.

Materials, dates and provenance

date made: before 1966
wearer: Grey, Joel
Object Name: shoe
Physical Description: leather, patent (overall material)
Physical Description: elastic (overall material)
Measurements: overall: 10 in x 6 in; 25.4 cm x 15.24 cm
Subject: Musical Theater
Subject: Theater
ID Number: 1989.0374.04
accession number: 1989.0374
catalog number: 1989.0374.04
Credit Line: Joel Grey
Data Source: National Museum of American History

Sources and reuse

Catalogue descriptions and facts adapted from National Museum of American History through the Smithsonian's official Open Access dataset. This record explicitly marks its metadata CC0 1.0; formatting and selection have been changed.