The full cast for Get Up, Stand Up! The Bob Marley Musical, joining Arinzé Kene in the title role, has been announced. The world premiere musical begins performances at London’s Lyric Theatre on 1 October 2021 with an opening night on 20 October.
The cast features Arinzé Kene (Bob Marley), Gabrielle Brooks (Rita Marley), Shanay Holmes (Cindy Breakspeare), Sophia Mackay (Judy Mowatt), Melissa Brown-Taylor (Marcia Griffiths), Jacade Simpson (Bunny Wailer), Natey Jones (Peter Tosh), Daniel Bailey, Craig Blake, Charles Blyth, Maxwell Cole, Athena Collins, Michael Duke, Kimmy Edwards, Raphael Estavia, Henry Faber, Cannon Hay, Savanna Jeffrey, Rohan Pinnock-Hamilton, Cleopatra Rey, Julene Robinson, Nate Simpson, Archie Smith, Declan Spaine, Jaime Tait and Teddy Wills.
With unlimited access to Marley’s magical, revolutionary songs and a book by Lee Hall, Clint Dyer directs this new production which celebrates the immense life and timely message of Jamaican soul rebel Bob Marley – from a life of poverty to visionary international superstar. Crucial fellow soul rebels in the cast include the sensational Rita Marley and the I Three and his inspiring brothers in arms, Peter Tosh, Bunny Wailer and Lee ‘Scratch Perry’. The score will include such hits as ‘Exodus’, ‘No Woman No Cry’, ‘Waiting in Vain’, ‘Three Little Birds’, ‘I Shot the Sheriff’, ‘Could You Be Loved’, ‘Redemption Song’ and many more.
Also in the creative team are choreographer Shelley Maxwell, musical supervisor and arranger Phil Bateman, set designer Chloe Lamford, costume designer Lisa Duncan, lighting designer Charles Balfour, sound designer Tony Gayle, sound effect designer Ben Grant, video designer Tal Yarden, Campbell Young (wigs, hair and make-up), orchestrator Simon Hale, musical director Sean Green and casting director Pippa Ailion CDG.
Bios
Arinzé Kene Theatre credits include: One Night in Miami (Donmar Warehouse), Girl from the North Country (Old Vic), Death of a Salesman (Young Vic). TV credits include: Informer (BBC), Flack (UKTV), I Am… (Channel 4), Crazyhead (E4/Netflix Original) and The Long Song (BBC One). Arinzé Kene is a writer and performer whose Olivier award-nominated one man play Misty ran at the Bush Theatre to widespread critical acclaim and transferred to the West End. Film credits include: Michaela Coel’s Been So Long (BBC/Netflix), The Pass (Toledo Productions), How to Build a Girl (Film 4) and I’m Your Woman (Amazon). Awards include: Black British Theatre Awards – Book and Lyrics recognition award (2020), Evening Standard Film Award – Best Supporting Actor (2016).
Gabrielle Brooks Theatre credits include: J’Ouvert (Harold Pinter Theatre); Anna Bella Eema (Arcola Theatre), A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre), Twelfth Night (Young Vic), The Way of the World (Donmar Warehouse), The Wizard of Oz (Sheffield Theatres), Everybody’s Talking About Jamie (Sheffield Crucible), Lazarus (King’s Cross Theatre), The Strangers Case (Liverpool Everyman Theatre), The Book of Mormon (Prince of Wales), I Can’t Sing (London Palladium) and Our House (The Savoy). TV credits include: Shadow and Bone and Coming Down The Mountain. Film credits include: Notes on A Scandal. Gabrielle has recently created and produced BlackStage UK – an emotional and educational exposé on what it means to be Black in the UK Arts industry, featuring 30 Black and Black mixed-raced workers from across the sector and from all over the UK.
Shanay Holmes Theatre credits include: Thriller Live (The Lyric), The Bodyguard Musical (Adelphi), Close To You – Burt Bacharach reimagined (Criterion), Jesus Christ Superstar (Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre), Rent (The Other Palace), Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat (Kilworth House Theatre), The Wizard Of Oz (Birmingham Rep) and Bridges Of Maddison County (Menier Chocolate Factory), High Fidelity (Turbine Theatre).
Sophia Mackay Theatre credits include: Thriller Live (Lyric), The Grinning Man (Trafalgar), Bubbly Black Girl who Sheds her Chameleon Skin (Theatre Royal Stratford East), Playboy of the West Indies (National Theatre Studio) Dirty Dancing (International Tour), Muscovado (UK Tour), Leader of the Pack (Waterloo East), Earth Makes No Sound (Filament Theatre Company), Journey’s Beyond (Arcola Theatre) and A Concrete Jungle Full of Wild Cars (Unicorn Theatre). In film, she can be seen in Chrissy and the Hush trilogy.
Melissa Brown-Taylor Theatre credits include: The Book of Mormon (Prince of Wales), Princess in Sleeping Beauty (Belgrade Theatre), This is Elvis (UK Tour), Aladdin (The Broadway Theatre), All or Nothing – The Mod Musical (UK Tour), Aladdin (Salisbury Playhouse), Roundelay (UK Tour) and A Voice In The Crowd (Almeida Theatre).
Jacade Simpson Theatre credits include: As You Like It (Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre), One Love (Birmingham Rep), The Book of Mormon (Prince of Wales), We Raise Our Hands in the Sanctuary (Albany Theatre), Kiss Me, Kate (Opera North) and The Scottsboro Boys (Garrick). Television credits include: Casualty (BBC), Humans (Channel 4), Doctors (BBC) and My Almost Famous Family (CBBC). Short film credits include: Sugababies, Civilised, White Liar and When the Earth Fell Down.
Natey Jones Theatre credits include: Rockets and Blue Lights (Royal Exchange Theatre), Death of a Salesman (Piccadilly), Small Island (National Theatre), Tina – The Tina Turner Musical (Aldwych) and Doctor Faustus, Don Quixote and The Alchemist (Barbican). TV credits include: BBC’s Father Brown, Waffle the Wonder Dog and Casualty.
