Cast Announced For THE BAND'S VISIT at Donmar Warehouse

The Donmar Warehouse has announced the cast for the European première of David Yazbek and Itamar Moses' multi-Tony award-winning musical The Band's Visit, directed in a new production by Donmar Warehouse Artistic Director Michael Longhurst. Leading the company are award-winning film, TV and stage actor Alon Moni Aboutboul and seven-time winner of Israeli Female Singer of the Year award, and judge on Kokhav Nolad, the Israeli version of American Idol, Miri Mesika. They are joined by cast and onstage band of Sharif Afifi, Jason Alder, Marc Antolin, Harel Glazer, Levi Goldmeier, Ido Gonen, Michal Horowicz, Emma Kingston, Shira Kravitz, Nitai Levi, Yali Topol Margalith, Ashley Margolis, Carlos Mendoza de Hevia, Peter Polycarpou, Ant Romero, Idlir Shyti, Maya Kristal Tenenbaum, Sargon Yelda and Baha Yetkin.

The production opens on 6 October 2022, with previews from 24 September, and runs until 3 December.

Michael Longhurst said, "I am so proud we are assembling this astonishing cast, musicians and creative team, to tell this beautiful story and cannot wait for audiences to discover the power of this Tony-winning musical here in London for the first time."

Cast and onstage band: Alon Moni Aboutboul, Sharif Afifi, Jason Alder, Marc Antolin, Harel Glazer, Levi Goldmeier, Ido Gonen, Michal Horowicz, Emma Kingston, Shira Kravitz, Nitai Levi, Yali Topol Margalith, Ashley Margolis, Carlos Mendoza de Hevia, Miri Mesika, Peter Polycarpou, Ant Romero, Idlir Shyti, Maya Kristal Tenenbaum, Sargon Yelda, Baha Yetkin.

Director: Michael Longhurst; Musical Supervisor: Nigel Lilley; Designer: Soutra Gilmour; Lighting Designer: Anna Watson; Sound Designer: Paul Groothuis; Choreography, Movement & Intimacy Director: Yarit Dor; Casting Director: Anna Cooper CDG; Musical Director: Tarek Merchant; Associate Director: Orr Benezra-Segal; Assistant Musical Director: Natalie Pound; Resident Assistant Director: Dadiow Lin; Cultural Consultant: Dr Lina Khatib; Arabic Music Consultant: Attab Haddad; Dialect Coach: Caitlin Stegemoller

Joining the creative team in CATALYST roles are Assistant Designer: Lucy Sneddon; Assistant Lighting Designer: Cat Salvini; and Assistant Sound Designer: Daberechi Ukoha-Kalu.

CATALYST supports the development of talent both on and offstage which is underrepresented both at the Donmar and in the wider industry.

In a quiet desert town way off the beaten path, a band of musicians arrive lost. As they wait for the next bus out, these unexpected visitors bring the town to life in surprising ways, proving that even the briefest visit can stay with you forever.

Winner of 10 Tony Awards and a Grammy for Best Musical Theatre Album, The Band's Visit rejoices in the way music makes us laugh, makes us cry, and ultimately, brings us together.

Artistic Director Michael Longhurst directs the European premiere of The Band's Visit in a brand-new production, his next musical following his Tony-nominated revival of Caroline, or Change.

About the cast:

Alon Moni Aboutboul plays Tewfiq. He recently completed 5 successful seasons of John Singleton's hit series Snowfall for FX, where he portrayed the fan favourite Avi Drexler. In 1989 he won the Israeli Film Academy's Best Actor Award for his performance in Uri Barbash's Ehad Mishelanu. He has since been nominated for Best Supporting Actor three times, again winning the award in 2003 for his performance in Savi Gabizon's Nina's Tragedies. Aboutboul played a pivotal role in Ridley Scott's Body of Lies alongside Leonardo DiCaprio and has appeared in Christopher Nolan's blockbuster The Dark Knight Rises, Steven Spielberg's Munich, Peter MacDonald's Rambo III and Eytan Rockaway's Lansky opposite Harvey Keitel, Sam Worthington and AnnaSophia Robb. He starred in London Has Fallen opposite Gerard Butler, Hand of God, which earned him another award from the Jerusalem Film Festival and A Place in Heaven, written and directed by Yossi Madmoni, which screened at the Toronto International Film Festival, Karlovy Vary International Film Festival, the Seattle International Film Festival and won him Best Actor at the International Film Festival of India in Goa. In 2018, he appeared in Beirut, directed by Brad Anderson. In the United States, Aboutboul has guest-starred on the television series Twin Peaks (The Return), FBI: International, Homeland, The Leftovers, Low Winter Sun, Fringe, Castle, Burn Notice, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, NCIS: Los Angeles and The Blacklist. Some of Aboutboul's best work has been on the stage in Israel's most prestigious theatres. Just to name a few, he starred in theatre productions of Hamlet, King Lear, Caviar and Lentils, Sonia Mushkat, Blood Brothers, Closer, and Redemption. At the Haifa Theater, he starred in Andora, Yair, and a one man show called The Baby of Ben Shatrit. He's also performed at the Beer Sheva Theater, starring in The Jewish Zis and The Western Wharf. Alon is also an accomplished painter who has solo exhibits in Los Angeles and abroad, and will soon be releasing his first music album Family Business.

Sharif Afifi plays Haled. His theatre credits include My Fair Lady (London Coliseum), The Magician's Elephant (RSC), You Bury Me (Paines Plough), On Your Feet! (UK tour), We Live in Cairo (American Repertory Theatre), Hadestown (National Theatre), The Toyboy Diaries (Hope Mill Theatre), Wonderland (UK tour) and Rent (Greenwich Theatre); and, for film, Mamma Mia!... Here We Go Again!.

Dr Jason Alder is a musician who enjoys an international musical career as a clarinet and saxophone performer, educator, academic researcher, and recording engineer. His projects include contemporary classical, orchestral, jazz, pop/rock, and world music and has performed in venues such as the Berliner Philharmonie, Amsterdam Concertgebouw, Stadsshouwburg Antwerpen, and Cadogan Hall. Jason has been active in musical theatre and opera for over 25 years performing on woodwinds, guitar, and bass guitar. Recent productions have included Ba-ta-clan (West Green House Opera), The Wiz, Hairspray, Gypsy, Drowsy Chaperone, and Reefer Madness (Bridewell). He has been involved in the creation and (sometimes onstage) performance of original music for new shows, such as Guys on Ice (Jeff Daniels' Purple Rose Theater), Storm, Moeder Blues, and Pillowman (ITs Theater Festival Amsterdam). Jason is a member of Payazen! Klezmer Band, JORO Afrobeat, Droste Effect (Balkan jazz), and performed with Grammy, Tony, and Emmy winners Idina Menzel and Rob Mounsey on the Idina Menzel World Tour. As a recording artist, Jason has been heard on BBC Radio 3 and on stations in the US, Austria, Spain, Netherlands, France, and Greece. He was recently a featured soloist on the soundtrack for the Paramount film Spell, BBC drama Ridley Road, ITV documentary The Thief, His Wife, and the Canoe, the animation Beren op de Weg which played at many film and animation festivals worldwide, released a solo album, Milieu Interieur, in summer 2022, and appears on numerous others. Originally hailing from the metro-Detroit area, Jason has lived in Europe since 2006. He received his musical training in the US, Netherlands, and earned his PhD from the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester.

Marc Antolin plays Itzik. His theatre credits include Murder on the Orient Express, Amadeus, Singin' in the Rain, The Music Man (Chichester Festival Theatre), The Magician's Elephant (RSC), Camelot (The Watermill Theatre), Romantics Anonymous (Shakespeare's Globe/Bristol Old Vic/US tour), Cry Havoc (Park Theatre), Hedda Gabler (Sherman Theatre), Little Shop of Horrors, Into the Woods, Hello, Dolly! (Regent's Park Open Air Theatre), The Flying Lovers of Vitebsk (Shakespeare's Globe/ Edinburgh Festival Fringe/UK & US tour), Twelfth Night (Shakespeare's Globe), Peter Pan (National Theatre), Taken at Midnight (Theatre Royal Haymarket/Chichester Minerva Theatre), The Trial (Young Vic), From Here to Eternity (Shaftesbury Theatre), Matilda (RSC/Cambridge Theatre) and Imagine This (New London Theatre). For television, his work includes The Outlaws, Keeping Faith, Caerdydd and More Than Love; and, for film, London Road, Hunky Dory, Love Actually and Coconut Shy.

Harel Glazer makes his professional UK debut in the role of Papi. His other theatre credits include The Wizard of Oz (Hashana Theatre), A Song for Shira (HaKibutz Theatre). He has performed in concerts including Stephen Sondheim's Old Friends - A Celebration (Sondheim Theatre) and Maria Friedman & Friends - Legacy (Menier Chocolate Factory).

Levi Goldmeier plays Zelger (and Understudy Haled). His theatre credits include Fatherland, Macbeth, Pentecost (Lawrence Hall Theatre) and Oliver! (Hyde Park St.Johns). For television, his credits include Wool.

Ido Gonen plays Sammy. His theatre credits include Everything Between Us (Marylebone Theatre), Cloud Nine, The Heiress (John Thaw Studio), On Your Walls (Sky Blue Theatre), 74 Georgia Avenue (New End Theatre), Naughty - Modern Romance and $ellebrity, Toyboy and Living With... (Blue Elephant Theatre), Spare (New Diorama Theatre), Crazy For You, Me and My Girl (London Palladium), Jew You Love Me? (HaSimta Theatre and The Lion and Unicorn Theatre), Actually, I-do (The Pheasantry), Got a Problem? (The Battersea Bridge), On Your Walls (The Lost Theatre), Head (Kenneth More Theatre), Loving Art! (Landor Theatre), Yiff! (King's Head Theatre), The Producers (Cameri Theatre), Cabaret and Blood Brothers (Ramat Gan Theatre). For television, his credits include Autopsy: The Last Hours Of; and, for film, Aryan Papers.

Michal Horowicz plays Iris. Her theatre credits include Amsterdam (Orange Tree Theatre), Bylines (Theatre503), The Famous Five (Gobbledigook Theatre), Resources of Quinola (Cockpit Theatre), Thea Saves Her Parents (Hounslow Arts Centre), Mimi and the Mountain Dragon (Skewbald Theatre) and Gretel and Hansel (UK tour). For television, her credits include The Rabbi's Son and Tikva.

Emma Kingston plays Sammy's Wife (and Dina at certain performances). Her theatre credits include Carousel (Kilworth House), Heathers (The Other Palace), The Last 5 Years (Minack Theatre), Zorro (Hope Mill Theatre), Evita (International tour), Fiddler on the Roof (Chichester Festival Theatre), In The Heights (King's Cross Theatre/Southwark Playhouse), Les Misérables (Queen's Theatre), Priscilla Queen Of The Desert and Grease (UK tour). For television, her credits include The Sound of Musicals; and, for film, Been So Long and BKLYN. She has performed in concerts including Children of Eden (Cadogan Hall), A Little Night Music (Opera Holland Park), The New Year's Musical Concert (Tokyu Theatre Orb), West Side Story (BBC Proms), Honeymoon in Vegas (London Palladium), Something Wonderful (Royal Festival Hall) and Kings of Broadway (Palace Theatre).

Shira Kravitz makes her professional debut as Understudy Iris / Anna / Julia / Sammy's Wife.

Nitai Levi is Understudy Itzik / Papi / Telephone Guy / Sammy. For theatre his credits include A Midsummer Night's Dream and Spring Awakening (Edinburgh Festival Fringe). For television, his credits include Masters of the Air. He has performed in concerts including Romeo and Juliet/West Side Story (BBC Concert Orchestra/Barbican Centre), The Pillowman, The Glass Menagerie, The Wild Party, The Sweet Smell of Success and Letters Home (The Royal Academy of Music).

Yali Topol Margalith makes her professional stage debut playing Anna.

Ashley Margolis plays Telephone Guy. His theatre credits include Bad Jews (Arts Theatre), Oh! What a Lovely War (Lyric Hammersmith Theatre), A Midsummer Night's Dream (The Georgian Theatre Royal) and Beauty and the Beast (UK tour). For television, his credits include The VAR Room, Doctors, Casualty, So Awkward, Holby City, Anne Frank: A Life in Hiding, The City and the City, Comedy Playhouse: Broken Biscuits, Father Brown, Some Girls, Living the Dream and Hollyoaks; and, for film, A Christmas Number One.

Carlos Mendoza de Hevia plays Camal. His theatre credits include Let Me Play the Lion Too (Barbican Centre), Siyanda Protector of Plants (Kew Gardens), The Party's Over, The Band at the End of the World (UK tours), El Guru (La Rosa Theatre), La Sibylle (Dans La Poche) and Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk (Royal Opera House). For television, his credits include Killing Eve.

Miri Mesika plays Dina. She is a multi-award-winning Israeli singer and actress, selling over 200,000 albums internationally. She was raised in Herzliya, where she learned music (guitar and flute) in the local conservatoire. She studied at the Yovel High School under Sofi Moskovich, then at the Rimon School of Music. She made her professional debut as a lead singer in a production marking the 50-year anniversary of Israel, directed by Tsedi Tsarfati, and music managed by Roni Vise, which she has performed all over Europe. She then sang in different musical groups at Rimon, where she met Uri Zach, who later produced her first album in collaboration with Shmulik Noifeld, one of her teachers. In 2000, Miri won the competition Shir Rimon, performing David Daor's "Ima Shel Guy". The next year she created her first independent show featuring the songs of Karen Peles, following which she was offered a recording contract with Anana in collaboration with the recording company Head Artsi. Miri launched her first album in 2005, featuring hit singles including "Le Sham", which also won the Galgalatz Radio's Song of the Year. It went Platinum, selling over 70,000 copies. Miri was also awarded Singer of the Year and Discovery of the Year. Her tour of the album which had started in small clubs moved quickly into large concert halls. In February 2006, she was awarded Singer of the Year by the Israeli Music Channel 24. Since 2005, Miri has released seven successful albums and won every possible title. In 2015 she won The Times of Israel Award for The Artist of the Year. Theatre includes: Shlomo Ha Melech Ve Shelmay Ha Sandlar (winner of Musical of the Year), Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat, Les Misérables, and Od Hozer Hanigun (Habima). Her television credits include Ze Lo HaGil, The Psychologist, Me'orav Yerushalmi and Keshet; and she has been a judge on A Star is Born (the Israeli version of American Idol), Aviv or Eyal (the Israeli version of The Voice), The X Factor Israel, The School of Music and The Masked Singer; and, for film, Three Mothers and Restless.

Peter Polycarpou returns to the Donmar to play Avrum - he previously appeared in City of Angels. His other theatre credits include Indecent (Menier Chocolate Factory), A Very Expensive Poison (The Old Vic), Moonlight, Oslo (Harold Pinter Theatre), Ross (Chichester Festival Theatre), The Choir (Glasgow Citizens Theatre), The Magistrate (National Theatre), Artefacts (Nabokov - Bush Theatre), Last Easter (Birmingham Rep), Silver Birch House (Arcola Theatre), All the Ordinary Angels (Royal Exchange, Manchester), Anna in the Tropics; Follow My Leader (Hampstead Theatre), The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui (Bridewell Theatre), Angels in America (Manchester Library Theatre), Titus Andronicus (RSC), Man of La Mancha (English National Opera), Working (Southwark Playhouse), Mrs Henderson Presents (Royal Alexandra Theatre, Toronto), Les Misérables (Cameron Mackintosh, Dubai), Follies (Royal Albert Hall), Oliver! (Curve, Leicester), The Pajama Game, Guys and Dolls, Sweeney Todd, Love Story (Chichester Festival Theatre), Les Misérables 25th Anniversary Concert, Miss Saigon (Cameron Macintosh), A Christmas Carol (Birmingham Rep), Imagine this (ICW Productions Ltd - New London Theatre), Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (The London Palladium), Cats, Phantom of the Opera (Really Useful Group), The Secret Garden, Les Misérables (RSC) and Oklahoma! (National Theatre). For television his credits include Unforgotten, The Lost Honour of Christopher Jeffries, Tyrant, Defending the Guilty, Family Tree, Threesome, Hustle, Last Days of Lehman Brothers, Holby City, Empathy, Eastenders, The Bill, Waking the Dead and Sunburn; and, for film, Blue Iguana, Cleanskin, I Could Never Be Your Woman, O Jerusalem, De-lovely, Julie and the Cadillacs, Oklahoma!, Bloodlines: Legacy of a Lord and Evita.

Antonio Romero is a musician who was born in Jerez, Spain, and now lives in London. He was co-founder and drummer of the band El Hombre Burbuja which became known as one of the most influential groups to appear on the Spanish pop-rock scene at the end of the 90s. EHB recorded 4 LPs as well as collaborating on various movie soundtracks and frequently appearing at festivals and major venues throughout Spain. With the separation of EHB, Antonio moved completely away from the world of pop and fully dedicated himself to studying oriental percussion. Feeling passionate about this new field, he moved temporarily to Istanbul where he created a bond with Turkey and its music that has lasted until today. Antonio completed his professional studies in percussion at the Royal Conservatory Manuel De Falla. More recently Antonio has played and collaborated with such diverse groups and singers as Laura Marling and the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, Brian Finnegan, Boris Grebenshchikov, El Barrio, Hamza Namira, Matoula Zamani, Sarah Jane Morris, Antonio Forcione, Benjamin Ezcoriza (Radio Tarifa), India Martinez, Faia Younan, Lanja Ali, Cigdem Aslan, Attab Haddad, Los Delinquentes, La Banda Morisca, Agustin Carbonell "El Bola", Ramón Ruiz, Eduardo Niebla, Pepe Justicia, and Julio de la Rosa amongst many others.

Idlir Shyti is an Albanian cellist based in London. He has been awarded the 'Diplôme Supérieur de Concertiste' under the tutelage of Anssi Karttunen at the Ecole Normale de Musique de Paris. Previously he studied with Richard Lester at the Royal College of Music London and at the Conservatorio di Santa Cecilia Rome with Maurizio Gambini. He has played for many renowned musicians such as Yo-Yo Ma, Gary Hoffman and Johannes Goritzki. As a soloist he has performed with Sudwestdeutche Kammerorchester Pforzheim, Southbank Sinfonia, Orkestra Filharmonike e Tiranes amongst others. An ardent chamber musician, he has been invited to play at Rome Chamber Music Festival, Leamington Festival, Anghiari Festival, Different Trains Festival, Southwark International Music Festival, and alongside artists like the Allegri Quartet and Alberto Portugheis. His passion for contemporary music has led him to premiere chamber music works at Cheltenham Festival, Festival of Contemporary Music for All as part of Chineke and IXION ensembles. He has worked with composers such as Joseph Sonnabend, Michael Finnissy, Morgan Hayes, Xia-Leon Sloane. London premieres include The Key, an opera by Francesca Le Lohe for three trio ensembles and Kenneth Hesketh`s Ein Lichtspiel. Idlir is also an enthusiastic orchestra musician and has collaborated with Philharmonia Orchestra, English National Opera, BBC NOW, BBC CO, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic, Southbank Sinfonia, Welsh National Opera.

Maya Kristal Tenenbaum plays Julia. Her theatre credits include In The Heights (Starcatcher) and Avenue Q (Cinema City).

Sargon Yelda plays Simon. His theatre credits include Hex, Antony and Cleopatra, Light Shining in Buckinghamshire, Dara, Emperor & Galilean, Mother Courage and Her Children (National Theatre), Stovepipe (National Theatre & Bush Theatre), Romeo and Juliet (Shakespeare's Globe), Fanny and Alexander, King Lear (The Old Vic), The Comedy of Errors, Twelfth Night, The Tempest (RSC), Human Animals, Teh Internet is a Serious Business (Royal Court Theatre), Incognito, Forget Me Not (Bush Theatre), Moby Dick and The Cabinet of Dr Caligari (Arcola Theatre). For television, his credits include Treason, Dead Pixels, Endeavour, People Just Do Nothing, Strike: The Silkworm, The Cuckoo's Calling, Innocent, Zen, Midnight Man, Saddam's Tribe and Compulsion; and, for film, Spectre and Close.

Baha Yetkin (musician) is a Turkish oud artist and composer. He grew up in Istanbul, the meeting point of two continents, and the prolific melting pot of European and Middle Eastern musical cultures. So, not very surprisingly, he was able to shape a very unique artistic style which embraced both Istanbul music and Middle Eastern music; which in return, paved the way for fruitful collaborations with Turkish and European masters of music like Mustafa Keser, Zeki Cetin, İnci Çayırlı, Melihat Gülses, Petros Klampanis, Michalis Kouloumis.
Yetkin also garnered attention as the first ever Turkish oud artist to be invited to play flamenco in Spain, and to give a solo recital at Royal Albert Hall. Furthermore, these milestone events were preceded and followed by performances at prominent concert venues in Turkey and Europe such as Cemal Reşit Rey Concert Hall (Turkey), Zorlu Performing Arts Center (Turkey), Angora Theatre (Spain), Union Halle (Germany), and in the UK at the Royal Alert Hall, Asia House, the RAS, the RSC, Vortex, and Green Note, to name a few. He also performed in festivals like Alamar World Music Fest in Almeria, Yeldeğirmeni Spring Jazz Festival in Istanbul and Rebetiko Carnival in London. He has also done some Oud and Makam Music workshops in Istanbul, London, Cambridge and Madrid. His latest workshop was at Cambridge University in 2022. He makes videos to explain Ottoman music makams on his Youtube channel and his Superpeer channel. His first single Emperian and first album The Pearl was released in 2019, his second and third singles Shine Again and Tears of the Pearl were released in 2020 his latest album The Turkish Oud was released in 2021. They are on all digital platforms. He continues performing and teaching in the UK and on online platforms.

Itamar Moses' work includes Outrage, Bach At Leipzig, Celebrity Row, The Four of Us, Yellowjackets, Back Back Back, Completeness, and The Whistleblower, the musicals Nobody Loves You (with Gaby Alter), Fortress of Solitude (with Michael Friedman), and the evening of short plays Love/Stories (Or But You Will Get Used To It).

David Yazbek is a Tony Award winning writer, musician, composer and lyricist. Broadway credits include Tootsie, Fish in the Dark, Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, Bombay Dreams and The Full Monty.

Michael Longhurst is Artistic Director of The Donmar Warehouse. For the company, direction includes Force Majeure, Midnight Your Time (lockdown film), Teenage Dick, Europe, Belleville and last summer's multicast revival of Nick Payne's Constellations, which broke box office records at the Vaudeville and won the Olivier Award for Best Revival. Constellations previously ran on Broadway (Samuel J Friedman Theater, for MTC), West End (Duke of York's, Evening Standard Award Best Play), UK tour, originating at the Royal Court. His Chichester Festival Theatre production of Tony Kushner and Jeanine Tesori's Caroline, or Change transferred to Studio 54 for Roundabout Theater on Broadway with Sharon D Clarke reprising her Olivier Award-winning performance (also West End and Hampstead). The Broadway production received three Tony nominations including Best Musical Revival. Other theatre includes Amadeus with the Southbank Sinfonia (National Theatre/NTatHome), The Son (Kiln Theatre/Duke of York's Theatre), Gloria (Hampstead Theatre), Bad Jews (Theatre Royal Haymarket/Theatre Royal Bath/UK tour & current revival at the Arts), They Drink It In The Congo and Carmen Disruption (Almeida Theatre), 'Tis Pity She's A Whore, The Winter's Tale (Shakespeare's Globe), If There Is I Haven't Found It Yet (Off-Broadway for Roundabout), Linda, The Art of Dying, Remembrance Day (Royal Court Theatre), A Number (Nuffield Southampton Theatres/Young Vic), Cannibals (Royal Exchange Theatre), The History Boys (Sheffield Theatres), Dealer's Choice (Royal & Derngate), The World of Extreme Happiness (NT Shed), Stovepipe (site-specific promenade with The National Theatre, HighTide and Bush Theatre), Midnight Your Time (HighTide), On The Beach (Bush Theatre), On The Record, Gaudeamus (Arcola Theatre), dirty butterfly (Young Vic - winner of the Jerwood Directors Award) and Guardians (Pleasance/Theatre503 - Fringe First Award).

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