Black Superhero, the playwriting debut of Olivier-nominated actor Danny Lee Wynter (The Normal Heart), has found its stars. The upcoming production will begin previews March 14 and open March 21. Performances are set through April 29 in the Royal Court Jerwood Theatre Downstairs.
Leading the cast as the eponymous Black superhero will be Emmy winner Dyllón Burnside (Pose, Thoughts of a Colored Man) in his London debut. Joining him in the cast will be the playwright Wynter, Ben Allen (Folk), Dominic Holmes (Cock), Eloka Ivo (The Glass Menagerie), Ako Mitchel (The Light in the Piazza), and Rochenda Sandall (The Playroom).
The play gives a portrait of one man’s life as it spirals out of control, at a time when "our idols are Kings and our superheroes Gods."
Director Daniel Evans (Our Generation) will helm the production, which will feature design by Olivier winner Joanna Scotcher, costume design by Kinnetia Isidore, lighting design by Ryan Day, and sound design by Tingying Dong. Gerrard Martin will serve as movement director Yarit Dor as intimacy coordinator. Matthew Iliffe will assistant direct with Zoë Thomas-Webb as associate costume designer and costume supervisor.
"Black Superhero is a love letter to the theatre. A subversion of the historical notion that a Black, gay man—both in art and the world—is merely an adjunct, a side note, an unserious man or a source only of amusement. He can, of course, be fun, but he’s also many other things; things the world has made him; things he has learnt to be for his own survival. I wanted to place him front and center at the heart of the kind of narrative that many of us brown boys who like men have, for the most part, been culturally starved of since we entered the world. I have tried to present his myriad flaws, his fears, his sensuality, his intimate desires. To celebrate him, and those like him, by ultimately allowing him to own all of it; by becoming the hero of his own story," said Wynter in a statement.
Following the March 28 performance will be a post-show talk with Danny Lee Wynter.
For tickets and more information, visit RoyalCourtTheatre.com.
