Floella Benjamin’s Coming to England announces cast for UK tour

Casting has been revealed for the upcoming UK tour of Coming to England, the stage adaptation of Floella Benjamin’s award-winning book.

Penned by David Wood (The Tiger Who Came to Tea), the play is set in the 1960s and tells Benjamin’s story of moving to England at the age of ten, where her family faced racism and intolerance, and triumphing over adversity to ultimately become Baroness Benjamin of Beckenham. It premiered at Birmingham Rep in spring 2022, receiving a glowing review from WhatsOnStage.

Benjamin commented: “I am overjoyed and delighted that the fantastic cast for our emotive and significant show Coming to England has now been announced. Told from the perspective of a child, this heartfelt production uses music, dance, storytelling and drama to bring to life an inspirational Windrush journey about overcoming adversity and challenges through love, family unity and the feeling of belonging.

“Our cast and creative team bring with them a wealth of different experiences and skills, to a show that is packed full of lessons for families to engage with, all set to an upbeat soundtrack of fun musical numbers and songs. We can’t wait to bring Coming to England to audiences across the UK.“

The cast includes Julene Robinson (Get Up, Stand Up! The Bob Marley Musical) as Floella, Charles Angiama (Tell Me Everything) as Dardie, gospel singer Maryla Abraham as Marmie, Shaquille Jack (For Black Boys Who Consider Suicide When the Hue Gets Too Heavy) as Ellington, Solomon Gordon (Welcome to Thebes) as Lester, Simone Robinson (Passing Strange) as Sandra / Teacher, Alexander Bellinfantie (My Bloody Galentine) as Roy / Uncle, Taya Ming (Much Ado About Nothing) as Cynthia / Auntie, Jordan Stamatiadis (Stephen Sondheim’s Old Friends: A Celebration) as Teacher and others, Christian James (Dirty Dancing) as Policeman and others, Kamarane Grant (Three Little Birds) as onstage swing and dance captain and Joe Pieri (The Roles We’ll Never Play) as onstage swing.

Under the direction of Denzel Westley Sanderson, the creative team includes designer Jasmine Swan, musical director and arranger Abdul Shyllon, choreographer and movement director Kloe Dean, lighting designers Rachel Luff and Will Hayman, sound designer Beth Duke and casting director Richard Johnston for Pippa Ailion and Natalie Gallacher Casting. Completing the team are assistant director Tara Noonan, voice and dialect coach Simone Sauphanor and costume supervisor Louise Smith.

Produced by Nicoll Entertainment and MAST Mayflower Studios, Coming to England will begin performances at Swansea Grand Theatre on 13 September 2024, before visiting Oxford, Lichfield, Cheltenham, Southampton, Nottingham, Birmingham and Northampton. Further venues are still to be confirmed.

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