Mario Vaquerizo says the vision loss from a fall still complicates daily life. He has joined Cabaret in Madrid as its master of ceremonies and says the role has silenced critics who questioned his place in musical theatre.
Cabaret places its audience in Berlin in 1931, as the Weimar Republic neared its end and the Nazi movement gained ground. Mario Vaquerizo has taken the role of the Emcee in the Madrid production, despite vision problems that remain after a fall.
The 52-year-old says he now finds it harder to recognise people and read some text. He discussed his new role on Es la mañana de Federico on esRadio with Federico Jiménez Losantos and Isabel González. Vaquerizo had never planned to act in a musical, and at first worried he would be seen as an intruder.
After six performances, the response has encouraged him to carry on.
In an interview with Europa Press, Vaquerizo described the job as a demanding combination of singing, dancing and acting. He also has to use a German accent. Director Alejandro Amenábar saw the show and urged him to consider acting at 52. Amenábar was among the guests at the season’s public photocall, held at Madrid’s Espacio Delicias on 14 October 2026. Vaquerizo also followed advice from Concha Velasco: learn the work before rehearsals, then make the performance feel natural.
He started with vocal work. Choreography came next, followed by the script. During the final month and a half of rehearsals, he brought the material together on stage. Vaquerizo shares the Emcee role in the 2026 season with Víctor Palmero. Laia Prats plays Sally Bowles, while José Pastor takes the role of Clifford Bradshaw. Marta Arteta plays Fräulein Kost. Ricky Merino is Ernst Ludwig, and Tony River plays Herr Schultz. Patricia Clark is Fräulein Schneider.
Alaska joined the radio conversation and said her husband takes direction well in theatre. She finds him harder to direct in their musical projects. The couple have appeared together in two plays; Cabaret is his first experience of this kind without her. At home, he rehearses his German lines as he walks from room to room.
For Vaquerizo, the show carries a harsh account of human nature and the danger of repeating past mistakes. Its second half grows especially dramatic, and he says he enjoys performing scenes that require him to cry. The setting in Berlin in 1931 sharpens the contrast between the club’s entertainment and the political turmoil outside.
Actress Natalia Verbeke attended a performance and later praised the way Vaquerizo conveyed the final sadness and despair, he recounted. He declined to give away details of the ending, describing it as abrupt.
The eyesight problem affects him on stage and away from it. Vaquerizo says the fall damaged his macula and caused a loss of vision, but he has continued with the production. He has thanked fellow cast members for helping him settle in during its second season, and singled out Manuel Bandera for teaching him to speak and walk at the same time.
Several performers also backed the season’s launch. Rosario Flores attended in support, as did Marta Sánchez. Carlos Areces was there, along with Pasión Vega and Alaska.
The production puts 12 artists on stage, with tables for spectators to evoke a cabaret. Its specially configured Kit Kat Klub at Espacio Delicias places some audience seating directly on the stage. Vaquerizo’s published performance dates include 9 to 11 October and 16 to 18 October. Further October dates are 23 to 25 and 30 to 31. In November, he is scheduled to perform on the 1st and 6th, then from the 20th to the 22nd and from the 27th to the 29th. The production is scheduled to remain in Madrid until 17 January. Vaquerizo says there is no confirmed plan for other cities, though he would like to perform in Valencia.
In a separate Spanish arts story, photographer Vari Caramés received the National Photography Prize. The jury praised his use of blur and his place in Galician culture since the 1980s.
