Casting has been announced for the forthcoming revival of award winning musical Grindr: The Opera at the Union Theatre in London.
The show will star James Aymon, Grant Jackson, James Lowrie, Christian Lunn, Billy J Vale, Dereck Walker and Santino Zapico.
Winner of Best New Musical at the 2019 Off West End Awards, this hilarious show puts the notorious gay hook-up app into the bonkers world of musicals and opera.
Grindr: The Opera boasts a Book, Music and Lyrics by Erik Ransom, and will be directed by William Spencer.
Composer Erik Ransom said: “Class and crass were the elements I sought to blend in the creation of this show. It is right in the title: ‘GRINDR: The Opera’. Opera brings to mind tuxedos, elegant gowns and pearl necklaces. GRINDR brings to mind bare torsos, leather harnesses and, well… pearl necklaces. This may not be opera in the traditional sense, but I would argue it fulfils the necessary prerequisites to be defined as such and, like all opera, it lives in a heightened world. I was interested in exploring and exaggerating themes that have become commonplace across the spectrum of queer culture in the Information Age, while paying occasional homage to iconic musical greats like Verdi, Wagner and, of course, The Village People. I hope you’ll lose yourself in this eclectic musical world, which is frequently as frivolous as ‘Figaro’ and at times as tragic as ‘Tosca’. I hope you’ll take differing sides in the disputes between the characters, because in my view there are no heroes or villains in this story. GRINDR is neither good nor bad. It is, like its trademarked sigil, a mask. A guise to be donned by myriad men for a plethora of purposes. However you receive GRINDR: The Opera, may you find it at least as enjoyable as your most recent hook up!”
Grindr: The Opera will run at the Union Theatre from 25 May to 8 July 2023.
Book tickets now to Grindr: The Opera
More about the cast
James Aymon recently played Buttons in ‘Once upon a Panto’ (UK tour) as well as a singer, dancer and vocal captain for Celebrity Cruise Lines.
Grant Jackson’s recent roles include Referee Angel in ‘Kinky Boots’, Bella Du Ball in ‘Queenz’ (UK tour), ‘Top Hat’ (Upstairs at the Gatehouse) and ‘We Will Rock You’.
James Lowrie has just finished an international tour and West End run as Denym in ‘Bat Out of Hell’. He was also Lumiukko in ‘Frostbite – Who Pinched My Muff?’ (Garden Theatre).
Christian Lunn played Riff Raff in the European Tour of ‘The Rocky Horror Show’. He was in the original award-winning cast of ‘Grindr the Opera’ in 2018 and played ‘Little John’ in Lionel Bart’s ‘Twang!! The Musical’ at the Union Theatre.
Billy J Vale is a recent graduate of Arts Ed. Earlier this month he was in ‘Dr Zhivago in Concert’ (London Palladium).
Dereck Walker returns to the role of Don from the original award-winning cast of ‘Grindr The Opera!’. Recent theatre credits include Grandma in ‘George’s Marvellous Medicine’ (Birmingham Stage) and Tin Man in “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz” ( PMA Productions).
Santino Zapico is a recent graduate of Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance making his professional debut.
