“Get Up, Stand Up! The Bob Marley Story,” a musical about the life and work of Marley, the reggae superstar and political voice, will begin previews on Feb. 6, 2021, at the Lyric Theatre in London’s West End.
Arinzé Kene has the title role in the production, which has been in development for several years. The book is by Lee Hall, who wrote the book and lyrics for “Billy Elliot: The Musical.” Dominic Cooke, artistic director of the Royal Court Theater from 2007 to 2013, is directing. The music will be Marley’s and will include “No Woman No Cry,” “Exodus,” “Three Little Birds” and “Get Up, Stand Up.”
The lead producer is Suzette Newman, formerly of Island Records, the label that brought Marley to a global audience. Chris Blackwell, the founder of Island Records, is also a producer. Earlier iterations of the musical include “Marley,” written and directed by Kwame Kwei-Armah, and presented in 2015 at Center Stage in Baltimore while Mr. Kwei-Armah was the artistic director there. Another producer of this musical, he is now artistic director at the Young Vic.
In 2017, the same musical by a different name, “One Love: The Bob Marley Musical,” played at the Birmingham Repertory Theater in Britain.
The earlier incarnations focused on two years of Marley’s life, 1976 to 1978, when he fled to London after an attempt to kill him, and on a peace concert he held back in Kingston, Jamaica.
“This is much more an all-around window into his life,” Ms. Newman said. “It’s not chronological. It’s told in a different way.”
“It’s not a jukebox musical,” Ms. Newman added. “It’s a deep story where you get to know him a bit more and his struggle and his inner conflicts.”
“Get Up, Stand Up!” has the blessing of the Marley estate. In a news release, Cedella Marley, Bob Marley’s daughter, said: “As a family we feel that our father would be proud to know that his legacy is a source of creative inspiration and continues to bring people together.”
Ms. Newman said, “We are living in such bizarre times, such heavy times.”
“His message is one of peace and one of positivity,” she added. “And couldn’t we use that right now.”
Source: Music - nytimes.com
