Get Up, Stand Up! The Bob Marley Musical

Lyric Theatre

4.7/5 based on 154 reviews (read reviews)

Booking until: Sunday, 8 January 2023
Running time: 2 hours 20 minutes (including interval)

This show is now closed

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Get Up, Stand Up! The Bob Marley Musical photos

Get Up, Stand Up! The Bob Marley Musical description

Get Up Stand Up – Bob Marley's Story

Do you love the music of the legendary Bob Marley? The tunes that seem to have sunshine running through them like a bright thread? The tunes that make you feel summer's here even in the dead of winter? If that's you, this is your musical. Welcome to Get Up Stand Up!, the Bob Marley Story, a celebration of the great man's extraordinary life and times.

What's the story?

Bob Marley holds a place in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. He placed reggae firmly on the global map, as well as bringing peace to his home country Jamaica's violent, constantly-fighting factions. These days Bob Marley remains one of the 20th century’s most important and influential entertainers. His life and music inspire new generations and his legacy lives on.

Marley is synonymous with reggae, both the music and the movement. But did you know anything about the man behind the music, about his life both on and off stage? You soon will. The plot reveals assassination attempts and number one hits, Marley achieving the position as a leading figure of Rastafarianism, and his tragic death in 1981. The show tunes include Get Up Stand Up itself, 3 Little Birds, No Woman No Cry, Exodus and many, many more.

Who are the stars of the show?

The musical features a book by the man who penned Billy Elliott - Lee Hall. It's directed by the Olivier Award winner Dominic Cooke, who delighted us recently with his work on the revival of Follies at the National Theatre, and his 2020 revival of the marvellous Hello, Dolly! with Imelda Staunton.

Arinzé Kene stars as Bob Marley, following a significant critical success with his one-man show, Misty, at Bush theatre and Trafalgar Studios. He also impressed us in Death of a Salesman at the Young Vic, playing next to Wendell Pierce and Sharon D. Clarke.

Amazing Bob Marley facts

This bit really is amazing: did you know Marley actually has the second-highest social media following of any posthumous celebrity, and his official Facebook page attracts more than 71 million fans a year? Marley’s back catalogue is a hot seller and probably always will be. Legend is the longest-charting album in the history of Billboard magazine’s Catalogue Albums chart. It is also the world’s best-selling reggae album.

If you'd like to experience a splendid jukebox musical full of sing-along hits, whose story is just as compelling as his music, this one is for you, billed as a 'sensitive exploration' of the musician's incredible legacy.