First look: Playboy of the West Indies at Birmingham Rep

A first look at the world premiere of new musical Playboy of the West Indies as been revealed.

Presented by the Birmingham 2022 Festival, the production is currently running at the Birmingham Rep through to 2 July 2022.

The cast of Playboy of the West Indies. Credit  Geraint Lewis
The cast of Playboy of the West Indies. Credit Geraint Lewis
Neil Patterson Chris Tummings Angela Wynter Guy Burgess.  Credit  Geraint Lewis
Neil Patterson Chris Tummings Angela Wynter Guy Burgess. Credit Geraint Lewis
Gleanne Purcell Brown McCallam Connell and Durone Stokes. Credit  Geraint Lewis
Gleanne Purcell Brown McCallam Connell and Durone Stokes. Credit Geraint Lewis

Based on the Irish Classic The Playboy Of The Western World, Mustapha Matura’s hilarious reinvention Playboy Of The West Indies has been delighting audiences and critics alike world-wide for over 35 years.

Now, the classic play has been transformed into a glorious new musical with a toe-tapping, finger-snapping score firmly rooted in the Caribbean.

Playboy of the West Indies stars Gleanne Purcell-Brown as Peggy, Durone Stokes as Ken, Elizabeth Ayodele as Ivy, Guy Burgess as Mac, McCallam Connell as Mikey, Derek Elroy as Stanley, Nathaniel Morrison as Fisherman Pepe, Neil Patterson as Jim, Tendai Rinomhota as Schoolgirl Iris, Rachel Summers as Alice, Chris Tummings as Phil and Angela Wynter as Mama Benin.

Gleanne Purcell Brown and Durone Stokes. Credit  Geraint Lewis
Gleanne Purcell Brown and Durone Stokes. Credit Geraint Lewis
Gleanne Purcell Brown. Credit  Geraint Lewis
Gleanne Purcell Brown. Credit Geraint Lewis
Durone Stokes credit Geraint Lewis
Durone Stokes credit Geraint Lewis
Nathaniel Morrison Chris Tummings Neil Patterson Derek Elroy. Credit  Geraint Lewis
Nathaniel Morrison Chris Tummings Neil Patterson Derek Elroy. Credit Geraint Lewis

Playboy of the West Indies is written by Mustapha Matura; music composed by Clement Ishmael and Dominique Le Gendre, with lyrics by Clement Ishmael, Nicolas Kent, Dominique Le Gendre and Mustapha Matura; and directed by Clement Ishmael, Nicolas Kent and Dominique Le Gendre.

The full creative team includes; Fight Director, Yarit Dor; Choreographer and Movement Director, Ingrid Mackinnon; Set Designer, Michael Taylor; Costume Designer, Natalie Pryce; Lighting Designer, Matt Eagland; Sound Designer, Tony Gayle; Musical Director, Ian Oakley; Casting Director, Debbie O’Brien; Production Manager, Sam Paterson; and Voice & Dialect Coach, Simone Sauphanor.

For more information and tickets visit Birmingham-rep.co.uk

About the author: Josh Darvill

Josh is Stageberry's editor with over five years of experience writing about theatre in the West End and across the UK. Prior to following his passion for musicals, he worked for more than a decade as a TV journalist.

 

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