The U.K. premiere of Passing Strange officially opens at London's Young Vic May 21 after beginning previews May 14. The run will continue through July 6 with Liesl Tommy directing.
The cast is led by Giles Terera (Hamilton) as Narrator, Rachel Adedeji (Dreaming Whilst Black) as Mother, and Keenan Munn-Francis (Black Dog) as Youth. Also featured are David Albury as Rev Jones, Terry, Christophe, and Hugo; Nadia Violet Johnson as Edwina, Marianna, and Sudabey; Renée Lamb as Desi, Sherry, and Renata; and Caleb Roberts as Mr. Franklin, Joop, and Mr. Venus. Rounding out the company are understudies Stephenson Ardern-Sodje and Simone Robinson. Casting is by Heather Basten.
The production's band, led by music director Jerome van den Berghe on keyboards and guitar, features Ikechukwu Onwuagbu on bass, Pete Billington on keyboards and guitar, and JT Taylor on drums.
The musical, following a young, Black musician on a quest to find himself, premiered on Broadway in 2008, featuring a book and lyrics by Stew and music by Stew and Heidi Rodewald. Stew won a 2008 Tony for his book.
The Young Vic's production features music supervision by Brandon Michael Nase, choreography by Dickson Mbi, set and costume design by Ben Stones, lighting design by Richard Howell, sound design by Tom Gibbons, video design by Will Duke, and wigs, hair, and makeup design by Suzanna Scotcher. Hazel Holder serves as voice and dialect coach.
Visit YoungVic.org.