Casting has been announced for Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts’ upcoming world premiere of Invincible—The Musical, which features the music of Pat Benatar and Neil Giraldo.
Directed by Tiffany Nichole Greene with a book by Bradley Bredeweg (Good Trouble), performances of the musical reimagining of Romeo and Juliet are scheduled for November 22-December 18 in The Wallis’ Bram Goldsmith Theater in Beverly Hills.
The cast will feature Khamary Rose (Next to Normal at the Kennedy Center) as Romeo, Kay Sibal as Juliet, Sharon Leal (Dreamgirls) as Madame Capulet , Dionne Gipson as Madame Montague, Brennin Hunt (Pretty Woman: The Musical) as Paris, Ari Notartomaso (Paranormal Activity: Next of Kin) as Benvolio, Julia Harriman (The Voice) as Nura, Jon Patrick Walker (Peter and The Starcatcher) as Friar, Aaron Alcaraz (Rent tour) as Mercutio, and Josh Strobl (Dear Evan Hansen) as Tybalt.
The ensemble includes Steven Agdeppa, Gillian Bozajian, Cameron Field, Sophia Hall, Nadja Hayes, Eric Myrick, Ian Joseph Paget, Lyric Rachae, Krystle Simmons, Kelsey Lee Smith, Ian Ward, and Kendyl Yokoyama.
Invincible—The Musical, featuring songs from Benatar and Giraldo's catalog and new tunes penned by the duo, is set in the modern, war-torn metropolis of Verona where the newly elected Chancellor Paris vows to destroy the progressive resistance and return the city to its traditional roots. The star-crossed lovers’ story envisions peace in a divided world.
The production will also have music direction and vocal arrangements by Jesse Vargas, arrangements by Vargas and Giraldo, orchestrations by Giraldo and Vargas, casting by The Telsey Office's Ryan Bernard Tymensky, and choreography by Galen Hooks.
The creative team also includes scenic designer Arnel Sanciano, projection designer Yee Eun Nam, costume designer Lena Sands, lighting designer Elizabeth Harper, sound designer Cricket Meyers, production stage manager Christine Catti, fight director Steve Rankin, assistant stage manager Morgan Zupanski, associate music director David Saul Lee, associate sound designer Andrea Allmond, associate choreographer Macy Swaim, casting associate Dana Gaier, wardrobe supervisor Deborah Hartwell, and props specialist Joshua Sheldon.
Singer-songwriter Benatar and producer-musician Giraldo will be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in November. Their partnership includes such rock hits as “We Belong,” “Invincible,” “Love Is a Battlefield,” “Promises in the Dark,” “We Live For Love,” “Heartbreaker,” and “Hell is for Children.”
Visit TheWallis.org/Invincible.
