Last Updated on 29 May 2021 by Showcall Editorial Team
A new updated version of Off-Broadway musical John & Jen will have its world premiere at Southwark Playhouse starring Rachel Tucker
Rachel Tucker and Lewis Cornay will star in the world premiere of a new updated version of the musical John & Jen at London’s Southwark Playhouse.
The show, which explores the dynamics of family relationships, is written by Andrew Lippa and Tom Greenwald, with orchestrations by Lippa and leading musical theatre composer Jason Robert Brown.
Directed by Guy Retallack, it will run from 28 July to 21 August 2021. It is a new version of the musical which opened Off-Broadway in 1995 and was revived Off-Broadway in 2015 starring Kate Baldwin.
In 1985, brother and sister John and Jen grow up together, totally inseparable. Jen makes a “forever pact” with her little brother to always protect him against anything and anyone, including their own dad.
In 2005 Jen is now alone in Canada with her baby boy who she has named John as a living memorial to the brother she failed to protect.
The creative team also includes musical supervisor Michael Bradley and musical director Bob Broad, with scenic and costume design by Natalie Johnson and sound design by Andrew Johnson. The production manager is Matt Harper and the stage manager is Robyn-Amber Manners. Casting is by Leon Kay Casting and it is produced by Bray Productions.
In a joint statement, Lippa and Greenwald said: “We are absolutely delighted that Bray Productions are bringing John & Jen to the stage as part of the resurgence of London theatre this summer, particularly under the guidance of this extraordinary cast and creative team.
“We’ve also taken the opportunity to make some updates to the script, which we hope will give the piece a fresh jolt of relevance. But most of all, we’re so excited that live audiences will once again get to see our show.”
Tucker was most recently in the digital production of Jason Robert Brown’s Songs for a New World and on stage in The Pirate Queen at the London Coliseum. Before that, she was in Come From Away on Broadway and in London’s West End as Beverley Bass and Annette, earning a nomination for best actress in a supporting role in a musical in the Olivier Awards.
Cornay’s credits include PS I’m A Terrible Person at London’s Cockpit Theatre, The Book of Mormon in London, Just So at Cirencester’s Barn Theatre and the UK tour of Titanic the Musical. He also wrote new musical Snowflake.
