Casting for Belgrade Bubbly Black Girl musical

Published: 17 December 2016
Reporter: Steve Orme

Dancer dreams: Karis Jack

Coventry’s Belgrade Theatre and Theatre Royal Stratford East have revealed the cast for Kirsten Childs’s musical The Bubbly Black Girl Sheds Her Chameleon Skin, which will be performed at the two venues in February and March 2017.

The Bubbly Black Girl Sheds Her Chameleon Skin is described as a “life-affirming and funny coming-of-age story” which follows Viveca, a bright African-American girl from a black, middle-class family in LA who dreams of becoming a dancer. She “learns to reconcile the realities of racism and sexism with hope and faith and discovers her self-worth”.

Karis Jack plays young Viveca. She took the role of Little Inez in the Leicester Curve and UK tour of Hairspray in 2014 and played Chiffon in Howard Ashman and Alan Menken’s Little Shop Of Horrors at Salisbury Playhouse and the Mercury Theatre Colchester in 2015.

The rest of the cast comprises Matt Dempsey (Director Bob / Policeman), Llandyll Gove (Cosmic / Prince), Ashley Joseph (Lucas), Sophia Mackay (older Viveca), Jay Marsh (Gregory), Jessica Pardoe (Chitty Chatty / Miss Pain / Scarlett), Trevor A Toussaint (Daddy), Sharon Wattis (Mommy) and Shelley Williams (Granny / Yolanda / Nilda).

Josette Bushell-Mingo, artistic director of the Swedish national touring theatre Tyst Teater ensemble, directs. Designer is Rosa Maggiora, choreographer is Mykal Rand and Tim Reid is video designer. Lighting designer is Chris Davey, re-orchestrator is Darius Smith, musical director is Jordan Li-Smith and Andrew Johnson is sound designer.

The Bubbly Black Girl Sheds Her Chameleon Skin runs at the Belgrade from Wednesday 5 April until Saturday 15 April.

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