Bill Russell and Janet Hood鈥檚 Unexpected Joy, which played Off-Broadway's York Theatre Company earlier this year, will make its U.K. debut beginning September 5 at London's Southwark Playhouse.
Directed by Amy Anders Corcoran, the all-female cast is made up of Janet Fullerlove (Fortune鈥檚 Fool, The Beggar鈥檚 Opera) as Joy, Jodie Jacobs (Myth, Rock of Ages) as Rachel, Melanie Marshall (Guys and Dolls, Jane Eyre) as Lou, and Kelly Sweeney (Ronald William White Acting Through Song Prize winner 2018) as Tamara.
The creative team is completed by musical director Gareth Bretherton, designer Verity Johnson, lighting designer Nic Farman, sound designer James Nicholson, casting director Jane Deitch, and general manager Chris Matanl茅.
Unexpected Joy is the story of three generations of female singers. Joy, a baby boomer pop star, is visited by her daughter Rachel and granddaughter Tamara. Rachel is married to a prominent televangelist, so Joy is reluctant to divulge that she鈥檚 planning to marry Lou, another singer who happens to be a woman.
Katy Lipson of Aria Entertainment and Jim Kierstead of Kierstead Productions produce.
Lipson said, 鈥淣ew chamber musicals are rarely seen on stage鈥攏ot to mention musicals with an all-female cast celebrating the importance of the freedom to love and that 鈥楲ove is Love.鈥� I have always been a huge fan of Janet and Bill's work, and it is an honor to be presenting a U.K. premiere of their latest musical in London after our premiere Off-Broadway earlier in the year.鈥�
