The Rhythmics casting announced with Noel Sullivan and Zweyla Mitchell Dos Santos
Casting has been announced for new musical The Rhythmics which premieres at the Southwark Playhouse
Aria Entertainment and Metta Theatre will present the new show at the London venue from 2 December 2021 to 8 January 2022.
Noel Sullivan will star as ‘Grey’ in life affirming musical while recent graduate Zweyla Mitchell Dos Santos will make her professional debut playing ‘Silva’.
You can watch a brand-new music video for one of the numbers in the show – ‘Daddy, You’re My Hero’ – below with the leads performing together for the first time.
Joining the cast are Ken Christiansen as ‘Nick’, Kinny Gardner as ‘Sid’, Rebecca Hayes as ‘Robin’, Andrew Patrick-Walker as ‘Jeremy’, Joshua Steel as ‘Connor’, Phil Snowden as ‘Dennis’ and Kirby Hughes as Sue’
With book and lyrics by Metta’s Artistic Director P Burton-Morgan, and music and lyrics from Stiles + Drewe award winner Ben Glasstone (Reanimator), The Rhythmics explores the crisis of masculinity via a collection of oddballs belting their way through a thrillingly catchy guitar-led score.
The Rhythmics is directed by P Burton-Morgan, with choreography by Mark Smith, with Ellie Verkerk as Musical Supervisor, Erika Gundesen as Musical Director, James Nicholson as sound designer, Francine Huin-Wah as costume designer, Jane Deitch as casting director, and Will Reynolds as set and lighting designer.
Hapless single-dad Grey is in a rut. Teenage daughter Silva packs him off to revive his rockstar dreams, successfully auditioning for ‘Nick & the Rhythmics’ only to realise… he’s actually signed up for an All-male Rhythmic Gymnastics troupe.
Against the odds these burly blokes make it as far as the World Championships – twirling their ‘ribbons of fire’ – and along the way Grey finally learns to commit to life. Calendar Girls meets The Full Monty in this joyous new British musical.
P Burton-Morgan said: “I’m thrilled to collaborate with the gorgeous talent that is Noel Sullivan and delighted to be giving Zweyla her professional debut – she’s a star in the making. It feels crazier than ever right now to be premiering a completely original new British musical – but with the astonishing responses to The Rhythmics cast album and now this stellar cast joining our brilliant creative team I know the show is in safe hands!”
Noel Sullivan added: “I’m thrilled to be leading the cast of “The Rhythmics” this coming Christmas, at the Southwark playhouse. It’s so exciting to be part of such an ambitious, brand new, British musical theatre project and after the year we’ve just had, this show will be the perfect, uplifting, tonic.”
