Casting announced for world premiere of MIDNIGHT COWBOY – A NEW MUSICAL
Photo credit: Darren Bell
It has been announced that EastEnders star Max Bowden, WhatsOnStage Award nominee Paul Jacob French (Grease, West End) and Tori Allen-Martin (Here We Go, BBC) will star as Rico ‘Ratzo’ Rizzo, Joe Buck and Cass respectively in the world premiere of MIDNIGHT COWBOY – A NEW MUSICAL, which will open at Southwark Playhouse Elephant on 4 April.
This powerful adaptation has a book by Bryony Lavery, which breathes new life into the classic story, exploring the depths of friendship and ambition, and a soundtrack by three-time Ivor Novello Award-winning composer Francis “Eg” White, who has written songs for Adele, Sam Smith, Florence + The Machine and James Morrison.
Also joining the cast will be Elena Breschi (Fantastically Great Women Who Changed The World, The Other Palace/UK tour) as Delores, Joanne Henry (Bridgerton, Netflix) as Grandma Sally, Nick Len (Wicked, West End/UK tour) as Swing, Hollie-Ann Lowe (Burlesque The Musical, Manchester Opera House) as Swing, Dean Makowski-Clayton (Marie Curie, Charing Cross Theatre) as Student, Christian Maynard (Miss Saigon, Sheffield Crucible) as Tombaby, Phoebe Roberts (Grease, UK tour) as Chalkline Annie, Tim Rogers (An Officer and a Gentleman, UK & Ireland tour) as Woodsy Niles, Rohan Tickell (Rock of Ages, West End) as Mr O’Daniel, and Matthew White (The Mousetrap, West End) as Towny.
The new musical is based on the novel by James Leo Herlihy, which inspired the beloved triple Academy Award-winning 1969 film, starring Jon Voight and Dustin Hoffman. Midnight Cowboy captures the gripping tension of dreaming big whilst trying to survive the grind of New York City.
Joe Buck is a young man desperate to escape his dead-end past. Leaving everything behind, to seek wealth and glory in the big city, he meets a man just as lost as he is - Rico 'Ratso' Rizzo. The pair join forces, prepared to do whatever it takes to achieve their dreams, even if it means surrendering a part of themselves. But New York ain’t no dream - it’s a jungle and survival requires sacrifice…
MIDNIGHT COWBOY has direction and choreography by Nick Winston, with musical arrangements, orchestrations and musical supervision by Charlie Ingles, set and lighting design by Andrew Exeter, costumes by Sophia Pardon, sound by Yvonne Gilbert, musical direction by Ellie Verkerk, intimacy direction by Lucy Fennell, and casting by Sarah-Jane Price.
