Full cast revealed for new musical Mona Loser, which is having public workshops later this month

Exclusive: Full casting has now been set for Mona Loser, the new musical by Kit Buchan and Jim Barne set to be presented in workshop form at Southwark Playhouse Borough this month.

Set in the music industry and drawing inspiration from Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, it will run for four performances from 16 to 19 July 2025. Limited availability remains for all dates.

Directed by Tim Jackson and produced by Tim Johanson Productions in collaboration with Birmingham Hippodrome, the musical explores themes of viral fame, artificiality and identity in a contemporary setting. It marks the latest in a series of new British musicals supported by Birmingham Hippodrome’s New Musical Theatre department, established in 2023.

Melanie-Joyce Bermudez will appear in the title role of Mona for these workshop performances, joined by Ahmed Hamad, Chad Saint Louis, Annabel Marlow, Rumi Sutton, and Stevie Webb.

A video was released last month of Bermudez performing a number, “Dead or Alive”, offering a sneak peek at the new show!

Buchan and Barne’s previous work includes Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York), which opened in the West End in 2024 and is currently running an extended season at the American Repertory Theatre in Boston. Their earlier musical Catastrophe Bay was staged at Southwark Playhouse in 2023 with the National Youth Music Theatre.

Further creatives joining the team include Katy Richardson (musical director), Harriet White (lighting design), Rob Atkinson (sound design) and Olivia Laydon for Jill Green Casting (casting director).

Mona Loser is supported by Birmingham Hippodrome’s ongoing push to support new musical theatre, part of a broader programme of artist development and community engagement.

Tickets are available via the Southwark Playhouse website.