Jaymi Hensely (Union J) joins the cast of rock musical Myth: The Rise and Fall of Orpheus. Previously called 27, it returns to London with a new title, a revised book and new songs. Directed by Arlene Phillips, the production, written by Sam Cassidy, will be semi-staged and performed by a live 6-piece rock band at The Other Palace.
The cast includes Zoe Birkett (Rachael Marron in The Bodyguard, Thriller Live & Priscilla, Queen Of The Desert original cast in the West End), Joe Burman (Hair, Hope Mill Theatre, Xanandu, Southwark Playhouse), Richard Carson (Sky, Mamma Mia!, West End, 1st Cover Chris, Miss Saigon, West End), Eloise Davies (27, Cockpit Theatre), Amy Di Bartolomeo (Bat Out Of Hell, London Coliseum, Priscilla, Queen of the Desert, UK tour), Lauren Ellis-Steele (Wicked, UK tour), Joel Harper-Jackson (Simon Zealot, Jesus Christ Superstar, Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre, Beautiful, West End, Mr Thompson, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time UK tour), Jaymi Hensley (Jaymi trained at The Brit School before entering The X Factor and joining pop sensation Union J), Jodie Jacobs (27, Cockpit, Crow, Bananaman the Musical and Miss Gardner, Carrie, Southwark Playhouse), Laura Johnson (Hair, Hope Mill Theatre & The Vaults), Shekinah McFarlane (Tommy, UK tour, Hair and Parade, Hope Mill Theatre), Matthew McKenna (Bananaman, Bananaman The Musical, Legally Blonde, We Will Rock You, The Phantom of the Opera, West End), Alice Martin (27, Cockpit Theatre), Jodie Steele (Alternate Elphaba, Wicked, UK and International tour), Jessamy Stoddart (1st Cover Fantine, Les Miserables), Damien Walsh (Mick Avory, Sunny Afternoon, West End, Barry, Dreamboats and Petticoats, UK tour).
Full creative team to be announced.
Arlene Phillips said: “We were inspired by the recent workshop performances of Andrew Lloyd Webbers Starlight Express and believed this method of presentation would be invaluable to the development of Myth: The Rise and Fall of Orpheus.”
Sam Cassidy said: “It’s true that musicals are not written, but rather rewritten, and this is a fantastic opportunity. In 2016, we opened a completely new British rock musical and enjoyed a very successful 6-week season at the 170-seat Cockpit Theatre. We had great audiences, with many people seeing it more than once, but we were not completely happy with elements of the production. I’ve since looked at the book, revised the storyline, dropped some songs and added new ones. This latest run will give us the chance to see how this new version works with the chance for audiences to give us feedback.”
Myth: The Rise and Fall of Orpheus is a modern retelling of the Ancient Greek tale of Orpheus and the underworld, looking at mental illness and addiction in society and more specifically the rock music business, with a storyline with echoes of the tragically short lives of some of music’s brightest stars, including Jim Morrison, Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, Kurt Cobain and Amy Winehouse.
Myth: The Rise and Fall of Orpheus is a show that’ll break your heart, make you laugh and rock you to your very core.
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