Cast announced for Once on This Island West End concert

Casting has been revealed for the concert production of Once on This Island.  

The new staging will take place on 8 February at Theatre Royal Drury Lane.

Alex Newell will reprise the role of Asaka, following their performance in the 2018 Broadway revival. Newell, who won a Tony Award for Shucked, said today: “Playing Asaka is like stepping into pure sunlight – she lives in my bones, loud and loving, wise and wild, and absolutely unafraid. Every time I return to her, it feels like reconnecting with a part of myself that refuses to dim.

“And after performing Pippin at Theatre Royal Drury Lane, I fell head-over-heels for London’s audiences – their open hearts, their contagious energy, their willingness to go on a ride with you from the very first note. Coming back to this city feels like being welcomed by an old friend who never forgot you. I can’t wait to shake the stage again, to fill it with laughter and power and colour, and to pour every ounce of myself into a character who has given me so much.”

Newell will appear alongside Dujonna Gift as Ti Moune, WhatsOnStage Award winner Melanie La Barrie as Papa Ge and WhatsOnStage Award nominee Cedric Neal as Agwe.

The cast also features WhatsOnStage Award winner Jamael Westman as Daniel Beauxhomme, Casey Al-Shaqsy as Andrea Deveraux, Waylon Jacobs as Armand Beauxhomme, Ako Mitchell as Tonton Julian and Wendy Mae Brown as Mama Euralie. Ensemble members include Elliot Broadfoot, Jerome Lincoln, Lindo Shinda and Tamara Tare, with further casting to be announced.

Read the show announcement.