The world première of Roy Williams’s play Soul which explores the extraordinary life of Marvin Gaye will be staged at Northampton’s Royal and Derngate.
On April Fool’s Day 1984, hours before his 45th birthday, Marvin Gaye was shot dead by his father in their family home. What happened is shrouded in mystery. Soul is “a parable about an American family crushed by fame—a searing portrait of the dark side of the American dream”.
Williams wrote the play in close collaboration with members of Gaye’s family.
Adjoa Andoh plays Gaye’s mother Alberta. She will be remembered by many as Colette in the BBC continuing drama Casualty. She was in the 2016 Donmar Warehouse production of Christopher Hampton’s adaptation of Les Liaisons Dangereuses as well as appearing at the National Theatre and Royal Shakespeare Company.
The cast also includes Nathan Ives-Moiba as Marvin Gaye, Leo Wringer as his father Marvin Gaye Senior, Keenan Munn-Francis as young Marvin, Petra Letang and Mimi Ndiweni who play Gaye’s sisters Jeanne and Zeola and Abiona Omonua who plays Tammi Terrell.
Royal and Derngate’s artistic director James Dacre directs Soul which features the Royal and Derngate community choir. Original instrumental music has been composed and recorded by Marvin Gaye’s musical collaborator and guitarist Gordon Banks.
Soul, a co-production with Hackney Empire which transfers to London after its Northampton run, takes to the Royal stage from Friday 20 May until Saturday 11 June (press night Tuesday 24 May).