Photo Flash: First Look At The Stars Of New West End American Romantic Musical Comedy IT HAPPENED IN KEY WEST

It Happened in Key West, a major new romantic comedy musical, will get its world premiere at London's Charing Cross Theatre in a strictly limited seven-week season from Wednesday 4 July.

Richard Curtis crossed with Tim Burton, funny, shocking and deeply moving, this new American musical will make you re-examine what you believe about the nature of love, loyalty and commitment (either to a person or an asylum!).

It Happened in Key West is inspired by true events that rocked the tiny island of Key West, Florida, in the 1930s. After decades of searching for his dream girl, eccentric scientist Carl finally finds Elena, only to lose the young beauty to the fatal disease of tuberculosis. But for Carl, the eternal optimist, death is only the beginning. He steals Elena's body from the graveyard and takes her home, embarking on the most ambitious "fixer upper" project in history as he tries to bring his beloved back to life...

Broadway actor Wade McCollum (The Wizard in Wicked) is Carl and Alyssa Martyn is the tragic love of his life, Elena.

Wade McCollum was recently nominated for a Best Actor Lucille Lortel Award starring off-Broadway as Ernest Shackleton in Ernest Shackleton Loves Me. Previously, he starred as Tick/Mitzi in the first national tour of the musical Priscilla Queen of the Desert and as Hedwig in Hedwig and the Angry Inch, for which he garnered the Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Award, Backstage's Garland Award for Best Actor and an Ovation Award for Best Musical. In 2012 Wade was seen Off Broadway as the Velociraptor of Faith in Triassic Parq - the musical. In New York he also starred as Jeffrey in Jeffrey at the Sage Theatre and as Nestor le Fripe in Irma la Douce at Musicals Tonight.

Alyssa Martyn originated the role of Amelia in the premiere of new musical The Clockmaker's Daughter (Landor Theatre/St James Theatre Studio). Her other roles include playing Gazer in The Cagebirds (New Wimbledon Theatre Studio), Marty in Grease, Ariel in Footloose, Mabel in The Pirates of Penzance, West End Men (Vaudeville Theatre), and The Mikado (Charing Cross Theatre).

The other 12 members of the ensemble are: Val Adams, Miguel Angel, Alexander Barria, Mary-Jean Caldwell, Andrea Golinucci, Siwan Henderson, Sophia Lewis, Guido Garcia Lueches, Hannah McIver, Ross McLaren, Johan Munir, Nuno Queimado.

It Happened in Key West has Book, Music and Lyrics By Jill Santoriello, Book and Additional Lyrics by Jason Huza, Book and Original Concept by Jeremiah James.It will be directed and choreographed by Marc Robin, who has staged almost 400 productions across the US, earning multiple awards and nominations.

The rest of the creative team are:
Production Designer Jamie Roderick (Bandstand, A Time To Kill).
Costume Designer Lisa Zinni (Rent, School of Rock, Cats).
Projection Designer Louise Rhoades-Brown (The Life, Southwark Playhouse, Bugsy Malone and Legally Blonde, Leicester Curve).
Sound Designer Andrew Johnson (The Woman in White, The Play That Goes Wrong, West End and Broadway).
Musical Director Andrew Hopkins (Direct From The West End, A Night At The Musicals).
Orchestrations Robert Felstein (The Fantasticks).
UK casting Neil Rutherford.

 

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