Full Cast Announced For Get Up, Stand Up! The Bob Marley Musical
by Best of Theatre Staff on Friday 9 July 2021, 5:09 pm in Cast Changes and Announcements
Producers have today announced the full cast for Get Up, Stand Up! The Bob Marley Musical, they join Arinzé Kene who has already been announced in the title role. With unlimited access to Marley’s magical, revolutionary songs and a book by award-winning Lee Hall, acclaimed director Clint Dyer channels the creative quest and spiritual power of a universally embraced icon. The production brings a dynamic company of performers that fuse with the finest reggae musicians to bring this exhilarating story of struggle, freedom and transformation from Trenchtown to the West End.
The explosive new production 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 World Premiere musical begins performances at the Lyric Theatre on 1 October 2021 with an opening night on 20 October.
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, Teddy Wills.
‘It’s not all that glitters is gold, half the story has never been told’
From the hills of rural Jamaica, armed only with his overwhelming talent and righteous beliefs, Bob Marley applied himself with resolute determination to achieve international acclaim for his prophetic musical message – a gospel of love and unity.
Lose yourself to the rhythm of 'Exodus', 'No Woman No Cry', 'Waiting in Vain', 'Three Little Birds', ‘I Shot the Sheriff’, 'Could You Be Loved', 'Redemption Song' and many more.
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 (Regents Park Open Air Theatre), Rent (The Other Palace), Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dream Coat (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
Daniel Bailey
Theatre credits include: Oedipus (Pecho Mama), Girl From The North Country (Gielgud/Toronto, Canada), Jesus Christ Superstar (Barbican, Regents Park Open Air Theatre), Wizard of Oz (Pitlochry Festival Theatre), King (Hackney Empire), Priscilla Queen of the Desert (Queens Theatre, Hornchurch), Hair (The Vaults), Motown the Musical (Shaftesbury Theatre), Wheel of Misfortune (The Old Red Lion Theatre), Disney’s The Lion King (Lyceum), South Pacific (UK Tour), Blues Brothers (Erasmus Theatre) and Hair (Bronowski Productions). He is an Artist Associate at Brixton House.
Craig Blake
Theatre credits include: Le Silence et la Peur /Silence and Fear (Compagnie Lieux Dits, French National Tour), Shakespeare in the Abbey, Shakespeare’s Walk (Shakespeare’s Globe) , Romeo and Juliet, Bussin’ It (Oval House Theatre), Blacking Lag (London Shakespeare Workout), Afterbirth (Arcola Theatre), It’s Just a Name, No Sweat (Birmingham Rep) and Scrape Off The Black (Theatre Royal Stratford East). TV credits include: The Chelsea Detective, Landscapers, Safe Space, Hollyoaks, Eastenders, Casualty, Doctors, Someone You Thought You Knew and Guilt. Film credits include: The Tape, Dragonfly, Below and How Stella Got Her Groove Back.
Charles Blyth
Theatre credits include: The Simon and Garfunkel Story (UK and International Tour), Teechers (White Horse Theatre), The Dark Lord and The White Witch (UK and International Tour), Tess of the D'Urbervilles (International Tour), Romeo and Juliet (The Complete Works) Goldilocks and the Three Bears, Cinderella (Gorleston Pavilion) and H.M.S Pinafore (King’s Head).
Maxwell Cole
Theatre credits include: Various DanceMania shows.
Athena Collins
Theatre credits include: Bare: A Pop Opera (Vaults Theatre) and Six The Musical (UK Tour).
Micheal Duke
Theatre credits include: The Inheritance (Noel Coward), West Side Story (Manchester Royal Exchange), William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet (Secret Cinema), Into the Woods (The Cockpit Theatre), Outlaws to In-laws (King’s Head Theatre), Travels With My Aunt (Chichester Festival Theatre), Beautiful: The Carole King Musical (Aldwych), The Rat Pack LIVE! (Arts Theatre), Thriller Live (The Lyric), The Lion King (Lyceum) and Bizet’s Carmen (Opera Holland Park).
Kimmy Edwards
Theatre credits include: Legally Blonde, Dreamgirls (The Savoy) where she won an International Artists Recognition Award for Best Female Stage Performer, The Who’s Tommy, Hairspray (German Tour), Ghost The Musical (UK Tour), Memphis (Shaftesbury Theatre) Peter Pan, In The Heights (King’s Cross Theatre), Kiss me Kate (The Watermill Theatre) and One Night of Tina (European Tour).
Raphael Estavia
Theatre credits include: Disney’s The Lion King (UK Tour).
Henry Faber
Television credits include: Glow & Darkness, Victoria (Mammoth), Henry IV I & II (BBC). His film credits include: King Authur (Warner Bros), Johnny English Reborn (Working Title).
Cannon Hay
Theatre credits include: Thriller Live! (Lyric).
Savanna Jeffrey
Theatre Credits include: The Book of Mormon (Prince of Wales).
Rohan Pinnock-Hamilton
Theatre credits include: Dreamgirls (The Savoy), The Scottsboro Boys (Garrick), Some Like it Hip Hop (West End and Tour), Riverdance (European and US Tour), Joseph and His Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat (UK Tour), Hairspray (West End) and Mary Poppins (UK Tour). TV credits include: Children’s Ward and My Parents Are Aliens. He also starred inITV’s celebrity dance show Dance-Dance-Dance, where he reached the final.
Cleopatra Rey
Theatre credits include: Motown: The Musical (Shaftesbury), The Book of Mormon (Prince of Wales), Sister Act (Grand Opera House), Brother Love's Travelling Salvation Show (UK Tour), Dirty Dancing (Aldwych), Arabian Nights (Cockpit Theatre) and The Wiz Ensemble (Cockpit Theatre). Cleopatra Was a live finalist on the BBC1 Show I’d Do Anything.
Julene Robinson
UK credits include: My Cape is Invisible (Pleasance). Screen credits include The Witcher (Netflix), I am MIA, (Salzburger Films) Cleaning House (10A Production, Jamaica) Origins (Kurt Wright Film, Jamaica). She has extensive theatre credits in Jamaica.
Nate Simpson
Theatre credits include: Mowtown (Shaftesbury Theatre), The Lion King (Lyceum) and The Crooners (UK Tour). He has worked extensively in the music industry, performing on television, radio, at Festivals and in arenas, both in his own right as an artist, and as a background vocalist.
Archie Smith
Theatre credits include: Fun Home (Young Vic), The Bodyguard (UK & International Tour).
Declan Spaine
Theatre credits include: Red Dust Road (National Theatre Scotland) and Four Play (Above the Stag Theatre). Short Film credits include: The Gossip (Tanktop Films).
Jaime Tait
Theatre credits include: Motown the Musical (Shaftesbury Theatre), Beautiful: The Carole King Musical (Aldwych), Guys and Dolls (Royal Exchange Theatre), The Producers (The Gordon Craig Theatre), West Side Story (Stratford Upon Avon) and Babes in Arms (Ye Olde Rose and Crown).
Teddy Wills
Theatre credits include: Man of La Mancha (English National Opera) and Caroline, or Change (Playhouse Theatre).
Choreographer - Shelley Maxwell
Musical Supervisor & 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
Wigs, Hair & Make-Up – Campbell Young
Orchestrator – Simon Hale
Musical Director - Sean Green
Casting Director - Pippa Ailion CDG