Wales Millennium Centre have announced the full cast of the forthcoming production, Tiger Bay the Musical, which includes a 39-strong cast with many notable names from right here in Wales.
Created by a multi-award-winning team composer, Daf James, writer Michael Williams and director, Melly Still, Tiger Bay The Musical is set in the flamboyant multi-ethnic community of Cardiff’s Butetown in the early 1900s. Extreme poverty meets supreme wealth while gangs of street children roam the docks. Coal is King, and in the notorious public houses and in the alleyways of the city’s underworld, a revolution is brewing. The story follows a young woman’s determination to challenge society’s injustices while following her heart and realising her dreams.
The cast which includes John Owen Jones, Noel Sullivan, Suzanne Packer, Vikki Bebb and two local young girls, Louise Harvey and Ruby Llewellyn, will be joined by Dom Hartley-Harris who will complete the lead cast as Themba, an African immigrant working the Cardiff docks to avenge his family. Dom most recently played Jagwire in the new musical Bat Out of Hell. His other theatre credits include Beautiful: The Carole King Musical and Accidental Brummie.
Zolani Shangase (Lion King, West End and most recently Chico in the The Fugard Theatre’s production of West Side Story) will travel from South Africa to reprise the role of Yusef, following previews of the Musical in Cape Town earlier this year.
John Owen Jones and Noel Sullivan will star in Tiger Bay – The Musical at Wales Millennium Centre
Also joining from Cape Town Busisiwe Ngejane (Isango Ensemble’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, La Boheme, Carmen and A Man of Good hope) who will play lady of the night, Klondike Ellie and Luvo Rasemeni (Isango Ensemble’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, La Boheme, Carmen and A Man of Good hope) as Felize. As well as Ernestine Stuurman as part of the ensemble.
Liz May Brice whose credits include Torchwood: Children of Earth, Bad Girls, Peep Show, Black Mirror will play clairvoyant, Leonora Piper. Ian Virgo, The Bastard Executioner, Weapon, Before The Fall, Holby City, Spooks, The Bill, Adam Vaughan The Wind in the Willows – London Palladium, Carousel, Sunset Boulevard, Sweeney Todd and Rhidian Marc Les Misérables – West End, UK tour and film, Pippin, Scrooge will play donkeymen, Bosun and Arwyn and First Mate/Locke respectively.
The Centre has turned to Welsh performers to create the production’s ensemble including Zoe George Wicked UK, Ireland and International tour as understudy for Elphaba and Nessarose, Lucy Elson ( who makes her career debut) and Elin Llwyd S4C presenter, Welsh National Theatre’s Lady from the Sea and Spring Awakening who will play shop girls of the famed David Morgan department store.
Suzanne Packer and Vicki Bebb will appear in Tiger Bay The Musical at Wales Millennium Centre
They will be joined by Jamal Andréas, Lee Dillon-Stuart, Kit Esuruoso, Soophia Foroughi, Daniel Graham, Carl Man, Kayed Mohamed-Mason, Cilla Silvia, Josh Tonks, Emma Warren and Stephanie Webber.
Graeme Farrow, Artistic Director at Wales Millennium Centre said: “This is the biggest production to come from the Centre to date and we are proud to give people a snapshot of the history of our home and celebrate some of its richness and strength through music and performance.
“To capture the essence of the production, we were seeking a diverse cast so we are delighted to be able to announce our full cast includes talent from across the world as well as right on our doorstep.”
Joining the main cast will be a talented group of ten young Welsh actors and actresses will make up the water boys. The gang of water boys are:
Amaree Ali, aged 12, from Grangetown
Lefi Jô Hughes, aged 10, from Canton
Lowri Elin Hughes, aged 14, from Caerphilly
Shakira Lorenza Ifill, aged 12, from Butetown
Amelia Jenkins, aged 14, from Bridgend
Mimi Nanud, aged 13, from Barry
Lauren Price, aged 11, from Rhiwbina
Mallers Saltus-Hendrickson, aged 9, from Butetown
Cadi-Gwen Sandall, aged 10, from Whitchurch
Efan Williams, aged 9, from Canton
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The world premiere of Tiger Bay the Musical is on Wednesday 15 November 2017 at Wales Millennium Centre. Tickets are on sale now at http://www.tigerbaythemusical.com