Sheffield Theatres and Utopia Theatre, collaborators on the upcoming production Death and the King’s Horseman, have announced their principal leading performers for the show’s run, set for February 2025. The eight-production run will mark the first time the story has played in the Steel City, and will be staged in the Crucible for its short tun.
The two announced performers are notable stars of African media, including film and TV. Wale Ojo, playing the King’s Horseman Elesin Oba, began his acting career at eight on Africa’s WNTV Ibadan TV station, before playing a range of roles in British theatre, including the titular Othello in London’s East End, as well as performing at the National Theatre and Bristol’s Old Vic. He has also performed in one of the UK’s foremost African theatre companies, tiata fahodzi.
Opposite Ojo as Mother of the Market, Iyaloja, will be Kehinde Bankole, a Nigerian actress likely best known for her voice work as Moremi in the Disney animated series Kizazi Moto: Generation Fire. As well as her recent role in the U.K. tour of Anna Hibiscus’ Song, she has also performed at Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre in London and has also starred in several Nigerian films such as Adire and Blood Sisters, currently available on streaming services.
Directed by Utopia Theatre’s Artistic Director Mojisola Kareem, Death and the King’s Horseman is based on a true story, and following the death of the king, sees his former horseman tasked with an ancient ritual performance in memoriam of the lost monarch. Written by Wole Soyinka, the play was first staged in 1976 and has been produced in multiple iterations since then, including at the National Theatre and in 2023 at Canada’s Stratford Festival, but this latest production marks the first time the production comes to Sheffield.
Whilst only the two principal performers have currently been announced, they will lead a cast of 26 performers, uniquely comprised of a mix of theatre professionals and non-professional performers. Cast by Ellie Collyer-Bristow, the production aims to increase opportunity to non-professional performers across South Yorkshire and will be joining the company as part of a community call-out in our region.
Kareem said: “To be able to cast these two titans of African performance to the lead roles for our adaptation of Death and the King’s Horseman is an honour. Both are very highly regarded, and their performances promise to be nothing short of outstanding.” As we begin to learn more about the upcoming Sheffield debut of Death and the King’s Horseman, the latest Sheffield Theatres’ casting announcement is sure to begin much anticipation for this classic tale, as its first performance begins to appear on the horizon.
Death and the King’s Horseman is playing at the Crucible from February 3rd until February 8th 2025
