Full casting announced for London premiere of It Happened in Key West

Updated on 20 February 2019

True love knows no bounds. New major romantic comedy musical It Happened In Key West has just announced its full cast ahead of its world premiere at the Charing Cross Theatre on 4 July 2018. 

The musical will star Broadway actor Wade McCollum as Carl and Alyssa Martyn as Elena. McCollum is a multi-award-winning actor who is perhaps best known for playing the Wizard in the Broadway production of Wicked and its US national tour. In 2004 he won a Portland Drammy award for his lead roles as Hedwig in Hedwig and the Angry Inch and Bat Boy in Bat Boy: The Musical. His role as Hedwig also garnered a Los Angeles Drama Critic's Circle Award. 

Martyn, on the other hand, is known for originating the role of The Clockmaker's Daughter and has also starred as Ariel in Footloose, Marty in Grease, Gazer in The Cagebirds, Mabel in The Pirates of Penzance, and has featured in both The Mikado (Charing Cross Theatre) and West End Men (Vaudeville Theatre).

The cast also stars Alexander Barria, Andrea Golinucci, Guido Garcia Lueches, Hannah McIver, Johan Munir, Mary-Jean Caldwell, Miguel Angel, Nuno Queimado, Ross McLaren, Siwan Henderson, Sophia Lewis, and Val Adams.

This Tim-Burton-meets-Richard-Curtis play follows a lonely man named Carl in the 1930s who has spent many years trying to find his soulmate. One day he finally meets the love of his life named Elena, who shortly thereafter is diagnosed with tuberculosis with not much time left to live. But that's not the only shocking twist in this original new musical, which eventually takes a turn for the absurd when Carl tries his hand at resurrection à la Frankenstein. Surely, this is a madcap comedy like you've never seen before! 

It Happened In Key West, which takes place on the main island of the popular tropical archipelago, will be directed and choreographed by the award-winning Marc Robin, who has staged nearly 400 productions all across the US. The show is accompanied by a book, music, and lyrics by Jill Santoriello, a book and original concept by Jeremiah James and a book and additional lyrics by Jason Huza.

The production features production design by Jamie Roderick (A Time To Kill, Bandstand), costume design by Lisa Zinni (Cats, School of Rock, Rent), sound design by Andrew Johnson (The Play That Goes Wrong, The Woman in White), musical direction by Andrew Hopkins, orchestration by Robert Felstein (The Fantasticks) and UK casting by Neil Rutherford. Producers include Jeremiah James, Marylou Rothfuss, Rashad V. Chambers and Art Lab LLC. The UK management team is comprised of Guy Kitchenn and David Adkin Ltd.

It Happened in Key West will begin happening in London's West End at the Charing Cross Theatre on Thursday, 4 July 2018 and will run until 18 August 2018. Do you believe in love after life? Book your tickets now to guarantee the best seats and best prices for this limited summer run!


Purchase your tickets to It Happened in Key West here.

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Nicholas Ephram Ryan Daniels

By Nicholas Ephram Ryan Daniels

Ephram is a jack of all trades and enjoys attending theatre, classical music concerts and the opera.