Musical lovers, you’re in for a treat! Tyrone Huntley has joined the star-studded cast of a brand-new coming to London, joining the likes of Andy Mientus, Declan Bennett, Victoria Hamilton-Barritt, Cedric Neal and John Partridge.
The new and critically acclaimed LGBTQ+ musical The View Upstairs will make its European premiere at the Soho Theatre from 18 July to 24 August. A special gala night will take place in aid of the Albert Kennedy Trust (AKT) on 24 July.
The View Upstairs opens in present day when Wes, a young fashion designer, buys an abandoned space, not realising this had been a vibrant ’70s gay bar in the French Quarter of New Orleans, which was burned down in 1973 due to an arson attack. The incident killed 32 people and making it the worst attack on the LGBTQ+ community until the 2016 shooting at The Pulse nightclub in Orlando. This moving musical takes the audience on an exhilarating journey of seduction and self-exploration, celebrating the lives of those forgotten.
Tyrone was recently nominated for an Olivier Award for his role as Judas in Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre’s production of Jesus Christ Superstar. He has also played Gator in Memphis, and Doctor in The Book Of Mormon (both West End). Tyrone will star as Wes in the show.
Andy Mientus will be making his UK theatre debut in the role of Patrick. Andy is famed for his TV and Broadway performances as well as his writing. Best-known for the role of Kyle Bishop in Smash and for playing roles such as Marius in Les Mis, Andy’s arrival to London is something we’ve been waiting for for a long time now.
Declan Bennett, famed for playing Charlie Cotton in EastEnders and being in the boyband Point Break, will star as Dale. Declan also has an impressive theatre resume which includes Jesus Christ Superstar (Open Air Theatre), Once (Phoenix Theatre), American Idiot (St. James Theatre/Broadway), Rent (Nederlander Theatre/Broadway/US National Tour), Fatherland (Lyric Hammersmith), and Kiss Of The Spider Woman (Menier Chocolate Factory).
Stage actor Victoria Hamilton-Barritt will play Inez. Her previous credits include The Wild Party (The Other Palace), Miss Littlewood (RSC), Murder Ballad (Arts Theatre), In The Heights (Kings Cross Theatre/Southwark Playhouse), and A Chorus Line (London Palladium).
Playing Willie is Cedric Neal – a semi-finalist in The Voice. His other acting credits include Motown The Musical (Shaftesbury Theatre), the 2012 Tony award-winning Broadway production of Porgy And Bess, and Chess (London Coliseum).
And John Partridge will be playing Buddy. John is well known for his extensive TV work, including the long-running and much-loved role of Christian Clarke in EastEnders and winning Celebrity MasterChef. John began his career at the age of 16 in the original UK tour of Cats and subsequently went on to star as Rum Tum Tugger in both the West End production and the film opposite Elaine Paige and John Mills.
Also in the cast are Carly Mercedes Dyer (Hadestown, Dreamgirls, Memphis) as Henri, Gary Lee (Flashdance, Ghost) as Freddy, Joseph Prouse (Hadestown, Beautiful: The Carole King Musical, Jersey Boys) as Richard and Derek Hagen (The Twilight Zone, 20th Century Boy & Carousel) as Cops/Realtor.
The show received rave reviews during its Off-Broadway run, as well as support from some of the LGBTQ+ community’s biggest advocates, including RuPaul.
Tickets start from just £10. Visit the Soho Theatre page for details.
First published 18 April 2019; Updated 15 May