Stephen Fry Joins U.ME: THE COMPLETE MUSICAL, Full Cast Revealed!

 BBC World Service announced the cast for the global premiere of U.Me: The Complete Musical to be released on February 21, 2024. Stephen Fry will be the special guest narrator, with Anoushka Lucas and Martin Sarreal returning as leading roles Rose and Ryo. Cat Simmons and Kamilla Fernandes will be joining the cast as Anya and Jade, Rose’s mum and sister, respectively.

U.Me: The Complete Musical tells the story of Rose and Ryo, two young strangers who meet online and fall in love during the pandemic, resulting in Ryo flying across the world from Japan to London for Rose. In Part Two, we meet Rose and Ryo again – the relationship takes an unexpected turn and Rose has to take on the deepest challenge of her life. 

Olivier-nominated Anoushka Lucas, who plays Rose, is a singer, songwriter, composer and actor who has starred in such hit shows as Oklahoma and Jesus Christ Superstar. Martin Sarreal, who plays Ryo, is an East Asian actor and filmmaker, who has performed in such shows as Tammy Faye, “Luther: The Fallen Sun” and will be in the upcoming third series of Netflix’s “Bridgerton.” 

Joining the cast is Cat Simmons, playing Anya, Rose’s mother, who has performed in Fame!, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and “Killing Eve.” Kamilla Fernandes will be joining the cast as Jade, Rose’s sister. A recent graduate, she has already performed in Grease, Groundhog Day, and Sunset Boulevard.

U.Me: The Complete Musical boasts a new original soundtrack, which is performed by the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra. The Book is by Simon Pitts and Theo Jamieson with music and lyrics by Jamieson (The Famous Five, Everybody’s Talking About Jamie, Here Lies Love), and the music has been produced by music producer Steve Levine, who has worked with the likes of Culture Club, The Beach Boys, The Clash and many more. The film is a stylized character animation produced and directed by Dan Masterton at Mighty Pie Creative Studio.  The Showrunner and Executive Producer is Simon Pitts.

“Playing Rose made me think about how we all talk about wanting to make space for people who are struggling mentally or emotionally, but the reality of this can be so much messier and more uncomfortable than we expect,” said Anoushka Lucas, who plays Rose. “I feel so pleased to be part of a piece of work that explores that humanely. There's a real franticness to Rose's mental state across the piece, and this piece explores the effect this has on her and on her loved ones with such sensitivity and skill. Besides all of this, the score is bold and beautiful and fun and tender, and it was a real joy to sing.”

Co-creator Theo Jamieson said, “The Pandemic soft-ended, and people started going back to work and re-entering something that appeared close to their normal lives – but I knew many people who were feeling what I was: that the perspective on our lives had completely shifted. At the same time, this gave me the opportunity to examine and consider elements of my life that had not been making me happy, but which I had passed over, and I think a lot of people were going through that process.  That has been a painful period, but an important one, and Rose’s emotions and consequent reactions in this situation are central to Part Two of the musical.”  

U.Me: The Complete Musical will launch on February 21, 2024 on BBC World Service, BBC Sounds, YouTube, and podcast providers. www.bbcworldservice.com/musical