Cast Set For MTFestUK 2025 at the Other Palace Studio

Following the announcement of shows as part of MTFestUK 2025, casting for the four new musicals is now complete. Featuring Victoria Hamilton-Barritt (Hadestown, Cinderella), Hannah Lowther (Heathers, SIX), Obioma Ugoala (Hamilton, Frozen), Courtney Stapleton (SIX), Dean John-Wilson (Your Lie in April, The King and I), Michael Ahomka-Lindsay (Newsies), Iván Fernández González (Heathers), and Sarah O'Connor (Wicked, Frozen), this year's productions encompass a rich tapestry of titles and themes, with contributions from a diverse array of talented writers, composers and performers.

With continued success since its inaugural season in 2019, MTFestUK returns in 2025 to provide a platform for fresh and innovative musical theatre from the UK and abroad. This year, the festival will shine the spotlight on four new musicals from 4 April to 17 April workshopped and presented in sharing sessions in The Other Palace Studio. The audience is invited to support, explore, engage, and enjoy new musical theatre in its various stages of development.

Love Can

Written by Charli Eglinton

Directed by Dean Johnson

Musical Directed by Jenny Deacon

A vending machine can quench your thirst. What if it could mend your heart?

In a hidden corner of Central London, a curious vending machine “Love Can” offers something extraordinary: temporary companions to fill the gaps in your life – a partner, a parent, a great boss. Even a lost loved one...

Love Can is a vibrant, bittersweet anthology of four stories, exploring love, loneliness, and hope in a world where true connections feel impossible to find.

Cast includes: Madeline Charlemagne (Hadestown) as Lauren / Robyn, Jonathan Andrew Hume (Come From Away) as Brody / George, GRACIE Lai (Your Lie in April) as Mrs Caldwell / Sasha, Charlie McCullagh (42 Balloons) as Tristan / Connor and Courtney Stapleton (SIX) as Sydney / Alice.

MORE

Written by Mahlon Prince

Directed by Lakesha Arie-Angelo

Musical Directed by Shiloh Coke

‘More' reimagines ‘Great Expectations' in modern-day London, blending hip-hop, soul and R&B as a soundtrack to this classic coming-of-age story. Pip is a young man of Caribbean descent, orphaned not by death, but by the bureaucratic nightmare of the Windrush Scandal trapping his parents in legal limbo. Raised by his sister and her partner, Pip dreams of a better life. When he encounters wealthy, eccentric Miss Havisham and her daughter Estella, he's drawn into a world of privilege, love, and betrayal. Through his rise and fall, he pursues ambition, redemption and a place to belong.

Cast includes: Mahlon Prince as Pip, Obioma Ugoala (Hamilton) as Joe, Lauren Azania (Hadestown) as Biddy / Havisham, Dujonna Gift (TWO STRANGERS (Carry A Cake Across New York)) as Estella, Michael Ahomka-Lindsay (Newsies) as Herbert, Raphael Bushay (Oklahoma!) as Magwitch / Wopsle / Jaggers / Bentley.

NERDS

Music by Hal Goldberg

Book and Lyrics by Jordan Allen-Dutton & Erik Weiner

Directed by Nick Winston

NERDS reboots the story of Bill Gates and Steve Jobs in a hilarious musical comedy about the birth of the digital age. Follow these two misfit geniuses as they battle, innovate, and rise from humble garage beginnings to global tech dominance. With sharp wit, showstopping numbers, and a story packed with heart, NERDS turns the creation of personal computing into an unforgettable theatrical experience. Whether you're a tech enthusiast or just here for the laughs, this high-energy production will leave you inspired, entertained, and ready to cheer for the inner nerd in all of us.

Cast includes: Dean John-Wilson (Your Lie in April) as Gates, Kane Oliver Parry (Matilda) as Jobs, Elliott Evans (Back to the Future) as Allen, Chad Saint Louis (Cry-Baby) as Woz, Teleri Hughes (Heathers) as Sally, Hannah Lowther (SIX) as Myrtle, Iván Fernández González (Heathers) as Tim Patterson / Dustin / Henchman and Sarah O'Connor (Frozen) as Tom Watson / Thekla.

Theatre Mum

Book by Rory Svensson

Music & Lyrics by Helen Greenham

Directed by Vicky Gimby

Musical Directed by Helen Greenham

Kit is stuck in a rut. A Musical Theatre actor with an immature boyfriend, ten-years in the ensemble and one missed rent payment away from moving back in with her controlling mother, her biggest fan and critic. During a night out, Kit has a drunken fling with her gay friend Ike, and now she can't stop thinking about him. Unable/unwilling to do a job outside of performing, Kit is determined to land a leading role with the help of her chaotic bestie Vinny and lush agent Judy. The problem is, Kit thinks she's pregnant.

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