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Peter Noone of Herman's Hermits Helps Usher in My Very Own British Invasion

The new musical is based on Noone’s experiences on the rise.

Erika Olson, Conor Ryan, and Jonny Amies with Peter Noone of the band Herman's Hermits, which inspired My Very Own British Invasion.
Erika Olson, Conor Ryan, and Jonny Amies with Peter Noone of the band Herman's Hermits, which inspired My Very Own British Invasion.
(© David Gordon)

The stars of the new Paper Mill Playhouse musical My Very Own British Invasion met the press on January 16. The show is set to run January 31-March 3.

Directed and choreographed by Jerry Mitchell (Kinky Boots), My Very Own British Invasion features a book by Tony winner Rick Elice (The Cher Show) and music direction by Lon Hoyt.

Jonny Amies and Erika Olson in a scene from My Very Own British Invasion.
Jonny Amies and Erika Olson in a scene from My Very Own British Invasion.
(© David Gordon)

The story is described as "a fable of young love, set against the backdrop of the exploding 1960s music scene — when England launched the little dustup that became known as the British Invasion. Based on the experiences of Peter Noone of Herman's Hermits, who was just a teenager willing to sacrifice international stardom for the sake of girl he loves, the show features more than two dozen chart-topping hits from all the best British bands of the era."

The cast will feature Jonny Amies as Peter, Bryan Fenkart (Waitress) as John, Erika Olson (Beautiful: The Carole King Musical) as Pamela, Kyle Taylor Parker (Kinky Boots) as Gino, Conor Ryan (Desperate Measures) as Trip, John Sanders (Groundhog Day) as Fallon, and Daniel Stewart Sherman (Kinky Boots) as The Hammer. They will be joined by Travis Artz, Gemma Baird, John Campione, Emma Degerstedt, Trista Dollison, Jay Donnell, Graham Scott Fleming, Douglas Goodhart, Cory Jeacoma, Sage Melcher, Jen Perry, and Daniel Yearwood.

A scene from My Very Own British Invasion in rehearsal.
A scene from a rehearsal of My Very Own British Invasion.
(© David Gordon)

The production team includes scenic design by David Rockwell, costume design by Gregg Barnes, lighting design by Kenneth Posner, sound design by Andrew Keister, projection design by Andrew Lazarow, and hair and wig design by Josh Marquette.

My Very Own British Invasion is produced in association with Hal Luftig, Craig Haffner and Rodney Rigby.

The full company of My Very Own British Invasion, coming to Paper Mill Playhouse January 31.
The full company of My Very Own British Invasion, coming to Paper Mill Playhouse January 31.
(© David Gordon)