Frances Mayli McCann and Zachary Pang to lead new Korean AI musical You and It

Casting has been confirmed for the London premiere of You and It.

The Korean musical is set in a near-future world where humans and AI coexist, focusing on a grieving widower.

WhatsOnStage and Olivier Award nominee Frances Mayli McCann takes on the role of Mina, with Zachary Pang as Gyujin. Lucy Park is the understudy.

You and It has been performed in South Korea and Taiwan, and an English-language run took place at Edinburgh Festival Fringe. It will run from 20 August to 26 September at King’s Head Theatre.

Stephen McGill, founder of MCG Productions, said: “We’re delighted to welcome Frances and Zachary to You and It. They are two exceptional performers whose chemistry, emotional depth and musical talent make them the perfect pairing for this beautiful story. As Korean musical theatre continues to gain international recognition, we’re excited to introduce London audiences to a production that is both deeply moving and incredibly relevant.”

The piece was originally written by Seoeun Oh and Q Lee, with Lee as original lyric writer and composer. This production has lyrics by Ricky Allan and dramaturgy and additional lyrics by Yojiro Ichikawa. It is directed by Esther Jun, with Ichikawa as associate director.

The musical director/musical supervisor is Amy Hsu, with set design by Bob Sterrett and Lu Herbert, costume design by Herbert, lighting design by Jonathan Chan, sound design by Adrienne Quartly, production management by Ben Dackerman and casting by Ben Armstrong. Eunggyu Lee is executive creative producer, Minje Lee is art director and Gangwan Boo is artwork designer, with Minkyoung Park as AI tech director and Aro Cho as planning and production producer. The production is supported by South Korea’s Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and Korea Arts Management Service.