Song:Cabaret
Album:Greatest Hits: Broadway
When most folks think of the role of Sally Bowles in the musical Cabaret, they think of Liza Minnelli in the 1972 film. But Sally Bowles was played in the 1966 Broadway show by British actress Jill Haworth. Unfortunately, Jill was never a star though she appeared on TV a lot in the 70s. She was born Aug. 15, 1945 in Hove, Sussex, England. Her mother was a ballet dancer and usually traveled with Jill. Jill took ballet lessons and studied at the Corona Stage School. Her big break came when legendary producer director Otto Preminger saw a picture of her in a Corona promotional brochure. He was looking for a girl to play the romantic lead opposite Sal Mineo in the 1960 film Exodus. Jill was 15 years old when she auditioned for that role. He signed her to a contract and she also appeared in the 1963 film The Cardinal and the 1965 film In Harm's Way. The problem was Preminger wouldn't let Jill appear in anyone else's films. He turned down Lolita. Jill did appear in TV shows like Twelve O'Clock High and Rawhide. After her contract with Preminger ended, Jill was filming the 1966 film It! when she met legendary Broadway director Hal Prince. He was working on Cabaret with John Kander and Fred Ebb. He asked Jill if she could sing. She said "louder than Merman". Jill played Sally Bowles from 1966-68. She was criticized for her singing but Prince pointed out that Sally Bowles was not supposed to be a professional singer. She left when Cabaret moved to London. You can get Jill's performance of Cabaret on this Sony Classical various artists budget CD. The original cast is also available on CD. One would think that a big role like that would lead to stardom. It didn't happen. Jill Haworth did a lot of TV guest shots in the 70s and appeared in a few low budget films. She retired in the 80s and died on Jan. 3, 2011 at age 65. Her final film appearance was in the 2001 film Mergers & Acquisitions. Here's Jill Haworth performing Cabaret on the 1968 Tony Awards broadcast.
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