Rehearsals are underway for the National Theatre and Various Productions' transfer of Sheffield Theatres’ Standing at the Sky's Edge, which will make its West End premiere at the Gillian Lynne Theatre February 8 prior to an official opening February 28.
Written as a love letter to Sheffield and as an ode to the Park Hill Estate, Standing at the Sky’s Edge features songs by Richard Hawley, a book by Chris Bush, and direction by Sheffield Theatres Artistic Director Robert Hastie. The musical, which reveals the history of modern Britain through the stories of this iconic housing estate, charts the hopes and dreams of three generations over the course of six decades.
As previously reported, the cast will be led by Elizabeth Ayodele as Joy, Joel Harper-Jackson as Harry, Sharlene Hector as Grace, Samuel Jordan as Jimmy, Mel Lowe as Connie, Baker Mukasa as George, Alastair Natkiel as Marcus, Laura Pitt-Pulford as Poppy, Lauryn Redding as Nikki, Rachael Wooding as Rose, Jonathan Andre (Macbeth) as Max, Jonathon Bentley (From Here to Eternity) as Gary, Mya Fox-Scott as Jenny, Rachael Louise Miller (Les Misérables) as Cathy, Adam Price (Privates on Parade) as Charles, Nicola Sloane (Backstairs Billy) as Vivienne, Lillie-Pearl Wildman (Sunset Boulevard) as Justine, and David McKechnie (Flowers for Mrs Harris) as Joe/Workman with Monique Ashe-Palmer, Adam Colbeck-Dunn, Viquichele Cross, Jamie Doncaster, Caroline Fitzgerald, Jerome Lincoln, Sean McLevy, and Karen Wilkinson.
The young company completing the cast are Alayna Anderson, Luca Foster-Lejeune, Renee Hart, Eric Madgwick, Chioma Nduka, and Sam Stocks.
Go inside rehearsals with the company in the photo gallery below:
Thomas Herron and cast of Standing at the Sky's Edge
Cast of Standing at the Sky's Edge
Sharlene Hector, Rachael Wooding, Joel Harper Jackson, Elizabeth Ayodele, Laura Pitt Pulford, and the cast of Standing at the Sky's Edge
Sharlene Hector
Samuel Jordan
Samuel Jordan
Robert Hastie and Elin Schofield
Rachael Wooding, Elin Schofield, Luca Foster Lejeune, Sam Stocks, Eric Madgwick, and Joel Harper Jackson
Rachael Wooding
Rachael Wooding and Joel Harper Jackson
Rachael Louise Miller, Jonathon Bentley, and the cast of Standing at the Sky's Edge
Mel Lowe
Lauryn Redding
Laura Pitt Pulford and the cast of Standing at the Sky's Edge
Laura Pitt Pulford and Baker Mukasa
Joel Harper Jackson
Joel Harper Jackson
Elizabeth Ayodele
Chioma Nduka, Renee Hart, and Alayna Anderson
Baker Mukasa
Alastair Natkiel
The musical, winner of 2023 Olivier Awards for Best New Musical and Best Original Score or New Orchestrations, had its world premiere at the Crucible Theatre in 2019, returning there in 2022 before making its London premiere in the National Theatre’s Olivier in early 2023.
The production will also have set and costume design by Ben Stones, choreography by Lynne Page, orchestrations and arrangements by originating music supervisor Tom Deering, lighting design by Mark Henderson, sound design by Bobby Aitken, wigs, hair, and make-up design by Cynthia De La Rosa, casting by Stuart Burt, children’s casting by Chloe Blake, and dialect coaching by Michaela Kennen and Shereen Ibrahim. Alex Beetschen is music director and associate music supervisor.
Visit SkysEdgeMusical.com.
