Olivier Award nominee Rachel Tucker and Lewis Cornay will star in the world premiere of a new updated version of Andrew Lippa and Tom Greenwald’s John & Jen at the Southwark Playhouse this summer.
Presented by Bray Productions and featuring new orchestrations by Jason Robert Brown and Lippa the production will run from 28 July until 21 August 2021.
Tucker (Come From Away, West End and Broadway, Wicked, West End and Broadway) stars as Jen opposite Cornay (The Book of Mormon, Prince of Wales Theatre, Titanic The Musical UK tour) who plays two characters called John – Jen’s brother and her son.
Director Guy Retallack heads a creative team that includes musical supervisor Michael Bradley, musical director Bob Broad, with scenic and costume design by Natalie Johnson and sound design by Andrew Johnson. The production manager is Matt Harper and the stage manager is Robyn-Amber Manners with casting by Leon Kay Casting.
Commenting on the new production of their work, composer Lippa and playwright Greenwald said: “We are absolutely delighted that Bray Productions are bringing John & Jen to the stage as part of the resurgence of London theatre this summer, particularly under the guidance of this extraordinary cast and creative team. We’ve also taken the opportunity to make some updates to the script, which we hope will give the piece a fresh jolt of relevance. But most of all, we’re so excited that live audiences will once again get to see our show!”
A two-person tale with two sections – the first detailing the relationship between John and his sister Jen with the second focusing on Jen and the son she names John after her dead brother – the musical debuted Off-Broadway in 1995 and was revived in 2015.
John & Jen was the first musical from Lippa, the award-winning composer and lyricist whose credits include The Wild Party (book, music and lyrics), The Addams Family (with book by Marshall Brickman and Rick Elice) and Big Fish (with book by John August).
Angela Thomas
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