Following a series of prestigious accolades including the 20th Annual Fred Ebb Award, the Eric H. Weinberger Librettist Award, and the Princess Grace Award, Cheeyang Ng (Fat, Femme, Asian; The Phoenix; Eastbound) along with Eric Sorrels (The Phoenix) will bring their groundbreaking musical Māyā: The Musical to London’s West End for an invite-only industry workshop.
Set in 1930s British India, Māyā: The Musical tells the poignant and powerful story of Maya Mehta, an aspiring poet who dreams of making her mark on the world amidst the turmoil of the Indian independence movement. With a storyline that combines the grandeur of epic revolutions like Les Misérables and the complex friendships of Wicked, the new musical is set to become the next global phenomenon.
Directed by the two-time Olivier Award nominee Milli Bhatia, this is a timely and crucial addition to London’s theatrical landscape. Bhatia, recognised for her work on Seven Methods of Killing Kylie Jenner and Blue Mist, brings her visionary direction to this international production. This momentous occasion, and experience a musical unlike any other, one that not only brings history to life but highlights the intersectionality that defines the global community.
The story follows Maya as her ambitions lead her into the heart of the Indian Independence Movement, where she encounters Mahatma Gandhi’s iconic Salt March. Maya’s journey of self-discovery presents a powerful narrative of choice, as she confronts her privilege versus her desire to contribute to a movement for freedom. The historical fiction explores the decision to defy the Empire and take a stand for India’s sovereignty, even at great personal cost. The new musical gives voice to the untold stories of those who shaped history within the British Empire.
Sharvari Deshpande (We All Know How This Ends, Stratford East; The Crucible, UK Tour) leads the cast as Maya. She is joined by Irfan Damani (Les Misérables, The Time Traveller’s Wife, West End) as Lawrence, Raj Ghatak (Bombay Dreams, West End; The Kite Runner) as Rohit, as well as Sonya Venugopal (Life of Pi, West End and International Tour) as Harini. Shobna Gulati (Everybody’s Talking About Jamie, West End; Dinnerladies, BBC) will play Gayatri, and Hassun Sharif (Hamilton, Pretty Woman, West End) will be Darwesh.
The ensemble features Jamal Zulfiqar (Come From Away, UK Tour; Legally Blonde, West End), Minal Patel (Oliver!, UK Tour; Wicked), Ritesh Manugula (My Fair Lady, Wind in the Willows, West End), Katie Stasi (Madagascar, Pop Off, Michelangelo!, UK Tour),Maya Bassi Curtis (The World Goes Round, We All Know How This Ends) and Diya Sohi (The Beaker Girls, The Silver Lining, BBC).
The creative team is completed by Chi San Howard (Leo Reich: Literally Who Cares?, HBO; The Real Thing, The Old Vic) who joins as a Choreographer with sound design from Aidan Jones (For Tonight, West End; Lixard Boy, Hope Mill Theatre). Orchestration comes from Anthony Lucca (Bronco Billy, Charing Cross Theatre; Cult of Love, IAMA Theatre Company) with musical direction from Yshani Perinpanayagam (Street Scene for Opéra de Paris, Olivier Award-winning Showstopper! The Improvised Musical). The casting direction is from Sarah Jane Price (WHY AM I SO SINGLE?, West End; Death Note, West End) with from Ben Armstrong (Fat, Femme and Asian, Crazy Coqs; Aladdin, Everyman Cheltenham) as the casting associate. General management for the production is provided by Ameena Hamid and Grace Dickson from HD General Management.
Completing the company are the musicians include Eric Fegan (Van Goh Biomusical), Noah Hadland (Wicked, Waitress: The Musical, Broadway) and Rachel Espeute (MJ The Musical, West End; Operation Mincemeat, UK Tour).
Cheeyang Ng, comments, When we first conceived the show, we knew that we’d like to premiere it in the UK. To be able to realize that vision is extremely exciting and we cannot wait for UK audiences to experience this very soon!
Bringing together a unique blend of Indian classical music with Western pop, Māyā: The Musical creates a contemporary score unlike anything audiences have experienced before. With both rousing anthems and tender confessions, Māyā showcases a fusion of Broadway melodies and Carnatic Indian ragas that will leave the audience humming long after the performance.
