Musical Version of Kipling's Man Who Would Be King to Run at St. Luke's

The Man Who Would Be King, “an epic musical adventure,” will run March 25-April 3 at the Theatre at St. Luke’s. Directed by DJ Salisbury, the musical features book and lyrics by Salisbury, music by Neil Berg, music direction by Andrew Gerle, and music supervision by Wendy Bobbitt Cavett.

Based on Rudyard Kipling’s novella of the same name, The Man Who Would Be King follows two rogues in 1888 Imperial British India, who chase imperial dreams into the remote Hindu Kush, where they attempt to rule a mythical culture as kings. Their hunger for power leads to betrayal and catastrophe, leaving one man to return home and tell a journalist the compelling story of greed, hubris, star-crossed romance, and empire undone.

The musical has had several readings. In this revised iteration, the first staging of the musical in New York City, nine actors portray multiple characters.

The cast includes Terence Archie, Shanel Bailey, Josh Canfield, Coleman Cummings, Rita Harvey, Vicki Lewis, Trevor Martin, Wesley Slade, and Katie Thompson.

A concept album recording, featuring Brian d’Arcy James, Marc Kudisch, Judy McLane, Paul Schoeffler, Don Richard, and Mandy Gonzalez, with orchestrations by Tony Award winner Larry Hochman, is available on iTunes.