Bhangra Nation – A New Musical will play Birmingham Rep in association with Mara Isaacs, Tom Kirdahy, and Peggy Koenig early next year. Performances will run February 17–March 16, 2024.
The U.K. premiere production follows the story of Mary and Preeti’s Bhangra team as they qualify for the USA national competition. Drawing from competitive Bhangra dance and mixing it with other Indian and Western dance forms, Bhangra Nation features choreography by Rujuta Vaidya.
Set to star are Zaynah Ahmed as Preeti, Gregory Armand as Jake, Siobhan Athwal as Sunita, Tia Antoine Charles as Lily, Lydia Danistan as Shilpa, Kyle Evans as Noah, Iván Fernández González as Billy, Kuldeep Goswami as Mohan, Bob Harms as Wallace, Raimu Itfum as Varun, RoMaya Jey as a swing, Sophie Kandola as New Mary, Arysha Kelly as Shetal, Ai Kumar as Constance, Aaron Mistry as a swing), Mervin Noronha as Amit, Jena Pandya as Mary, Ajay Sahota as Gobind, Edward Turner as a swing), and Leo Udvarlaky as Bob. Additional casting will be announced at a later date.
Featuring a book by Mike Lew and Rehana Lew Mirza, music and lyrics by Sam Willmott, and direction by Stafford Arima, the musical will be built and rehearsed within The Rep. Additional creative team members will include set designer Michael Taylor, costume designer Linda Cho, lighting designer Nick Richings, sound designer Adam Fisher, projection designer David Bengali, musical stager and additional choreographer Rebecca Howell, Bhangra consultant Parambeer Samrai, musical supervisor Richard Morris, orchestrator Matthew Malone, additional arranger and orchestrator Kuljit Bhamra, and casting director David Grindrod for Grindrod Burton Casting.
Said Birmingham Rep Artistic Director Sean Foley, "I am beyond thrilled to be welcoming the amazing cast, the award-winning producing team, the extraordinary international creative team, and this spectacular show, to the Birmingham Rep. In a City that has a claim to be the modern centre of Bhangra, I’m looking forward to seeing the show connecting with both our South Asian communities, and with all audiences looking for a great night out. The Rep is a theatre for everyone, and I hope many people who perhaps will have never been to the theatre before will come along to enjoy the sheer talent involved in this feel-good new musical."
Bhangra Nation originally premiered at La Jolla Playhouse in San Diego in 2022 under the title Bhangin’ It.
