Tony Award winner Alex Newell will reprise their acclaimed role as Asaka in a special concert staging of Once on This Island at Theatre Royal Drury Lane on Sunday 8 February 2026. Tickets are on sale now at lwtheatres.co.uk.
Newell earned widespread praise for their performance as Asaka in the 2018 Broadway revival of Once on This Island and later won a Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Musical for Shucked. They are also known for playing Unique Adams in Glee and Mo in Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist.
Alex Newell said:
“Playing Asaka is like stepping into pure sunlight—she lives in my bones, loud and loving, wise and wild, and absolutely unafraid. Every time I return to her, it feels like reconnecting with a part of myself that refuses to dim. And after performing Pippin at Theatre Royal Drury Lane, I fell head-over-heels for London’s audiences—their open hearts, their contagious energy, their willingness to go on a ride with you from the very first note. Coming back to this city feels like being welcomed by an old friend who never forgot you. I can’t wait to shake the stage again, to fill it with laughter and power and color, and to pour every ounce of myself into a character who has given me so much.”
Joining Newell are West End stars Dujonna Gift (Two Strangers…) as Ti Moune, Whatsonstage Award-winner Melanie La Barrie (Hadestown) as Papa Ge, and Olivier Award nominee Cedric Neal (Guys & Dolls) as Agwe.
The cast also features Jamael Westman as Daniel Beauxhomme, Casey Al-Shaqsy as Andrea Deveraux, Waylon Jacobs as Armand Beauxhomme, Ako Mitchell as Tonton Julian, and Wendy Mae Brown as Mama Euralie. Ensemble members include Elliot Broadfoot, Jerome Lincoln, Lindo Shinda, and Tamara Tare, with further casting to be announced.
Written by Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty, Once on This Island bursts to life with Caribbean color, driving rhythms, and the unstoppable pulse of folklore. The story follows Ti Moune, a fearless peasant girl who falls in love with Daniel, a boy from a world beyond her own, and makes a daring pact with the island gods.
This concert event promises a sweeping celebration of passion, sacrifice, and community, accompanied by the London Musical Theatre Orchestra under the direction of Jordan Li-Smith.
Listings and ticket information can be found here.
