Vicki Manser, a powerhouse performer who has made a superhero-sized impact on the UK theatre scene playing every single Queen in SIX the Musical, is now continuing her reign in Leicester as she takes on the lead role of Katie in the rock opera SuperYou.
Joining her, and reprising their roles from the sold-out West End concert last November is writer and composer creator Lourds Lane as Rise, Aaliyah Monk (School Of Rock) as Young Katie and Lightning Girl and Will Bozier (Moulin Rouge) as Mi Roar.
Completing the cast are Kingsley Morton (Heathers) as Ima-Mazing, Courtney Stapleton (Beauty and The Beast) as Blast, B. Noel Thomas (Sister Act) as Seven, Damien Walsh (Dreamboats And Petticoats) as Jay, Owen Lloyd (Clueless The Musical) as Matty, Belinda Lee Chapman (Nutcracker!) as Mom, with Lu Anthony (Trapped Between Stories) as SuperYouman and cover Seven, Elizabeth Chalmers (A New World) as cover Katie and Young Katie, Ellen Eckersley (Snow White) as Alternate Rise, Jacob Fisher (Singin’ in The Rain) as SuperYouman and cover Mi Roar, Jay and Matty, Bayley Hart (Greatest Days) as SuperYouman and cover Ima-Mazing and Blast and Catherine Saunders (Swan Lake) as SuperYouman and cover Mom.
SuperYou features an entirely female band consisting of Musical Director Jenny Deacon, Associate Musical Director Issie Osborne, Maria Rocha, Laura Williams and Ashley Young.
SuperYou is led by a seasoned West End and Broadway creative team with Direction and Choreography by JoAnn M. Hunter (Bad Cinderella, School Of Rock), Music Supervision by Wendy Bobbit Cavett (Come From Away, Hamilton), Set Design by Tony-nominated Anna Louizos (In The Heights, School Of Rock), Costume Design by Cynthia Nordstrom (Rocktopia), Sound Design by Olivier Award Winner, Tony Gayle (My Neighbor Totoro), Lighting Design by Ryan O’Gara (Thoughts Of A Colored Man), and Video Design by Caite Hevner (Derren Brown: Secret). Will Bozier returns as Associate Choreographer and Billy Mitchell joins as Associate Director. Casting by Pearson Casting CDG, produced by Melissa M. Jones / All Awesome LLC with general management by Anthology Theatre Productions.
SuperYou is an uplifting musical, written and composed by Lourds Lane, that centres around the transformative journey of a comic book artist who discovers self-love and her own voice as her superheroine creations spring to life. SuperYou will have its first fully staged UK production at Leicester’s Curve theatre this autumn.
After making its West End debut for a sold-out, one night only concert at The Lyric Theatre in 2023, this new rendition of the beloved cult hit is a complete reimagination, now rewritten and presented entirely through song.
The musical’s score is a dynamic rock soundtrack which seamlessly incorporates a wide range of musical styles, including pop, hip hop, swing, blues, gospel, country, and soulful power ballads. Through its instantly memorable soundtrack, SuperYou delves into themes of discovering inner strength, while fostering acceptance, inclusivity, and kindness, both towards others and, crucially, oneself, making it a tale that feels particularly relevant and timely in today’s world.
Initially planned for an off-Broadway debut, SuperYou was the first theatrical production to perform during the pandemic, staging concerts on socially distanced pick-up trucks at a drive-in, in upstate New York. These pandemic concerts garnered national and international attention, and a film was later released as a popular documentary on Broadway on Demand.
During the pandemic, while many shows stopped activity and shut down, SuperYou gained what Playbill calls “a substantial cult following” for its online content and concept album of demos with over 23 million views on TikTok. #FANCOVERFRIDAY emerged as fans worldwide created their own SuperYou music renditions, a trend continuing until today, four years later.
Due to its online popularity and viral videos, SuperYou quickly sold-out Carnegie Hall for two nights in July 2022, and then proceeded to win BroadwayWorld’s Best New Musical Award in Milwaukee for its developmental presentation the following year. With an impressive debut at London’s Musical Con in 2022, SuperYou returned last year as a “teaser” ahead of the West End concert at The Lyric Theatre in November.
