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

The object in the museum catalogue

Joel Grey wore this wig as part of a costume portraying the Emcee (Master of Ceremonies) in the 1987-1989 national tour of the musical Cabaret. The brown wig is made of human hair attached to a net, and is parted down the middle and slicked back with hair gel.

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: around 1987
• wearer: Grey, Joel
• Object Name: wig
• Physical Description: hair, human (overall material)
• Physical Description: netting (overall material)
• Physical Description: metal (pins material)
• Measurements: overall: 14 in x 8 in; 35.56 cm x 20.32 cm
• Measurements: down the part: 14 in; 35.56 cm
• Measurements: from each sideburn: 8 in; 20.32 cm
• Subject: LGBTQ
• Subject: Musical Theater
• ID Number: 1989.0375.03
• accession number: 1989.0375
• catalog number: 1989.0375.03
• Credit Line: Barry and Fran Weissler
• 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.