Star of last year’s Off-West End production of the musical Newsies, Michael Akhoma-Lindsay, has been announced as part of the full cast of Sheffield Theatres’ Death & the King’s Horseman, coming to the Crucible in the new year.
The actor, who won Best Male Lead Actor in a Musical at the 2023 Black British Theatre Awards for his portrayal of the newsboy-turned union leader Jack Kelly, will be making his Sheffield Theatres debut as Olunde, the eldest son of Elesin, in February.
In an announcement on social media last week, the theatre group unveiled the finalised and full cast for the production, running from February 3rd to 8th, adding to names previously revealed.
Directed by Mojisola Kareem, Artistic Director of internationally renowned African theatre company Utopia Theatre, the production will see professional and non-professional cast members unite on stage to tell this previously-untold story to the Steel City.
As well as Akhoma-Lindsay, other announced cast members include Wale Ojo as Elesin Oba, the King’s Horseman, Kehinde Bankole as Iyaloja, Mother of the market, Theo Ogundipe as Praise Singer, Nicholas Chambers as Aide-de-camp, a colonial officer, and Olusegun Lafup Ogundipe as Sergeant Amusa.
Finishing up the professional cast are Roger May as Resident, Bridget Nkem as Elesin’s Bride, Julius Obende as Joseph, houseboy to the Pilkings, and Musician, Oluchi Odii as Girl, Clement Ule as Musician and Ensemble member, Kayefi Osha as Woman, David Partridge as Simon Pilkings, British District Officer for Oyo, Nigeria, husband of Jane Pilkings, and Laura Pyper as Jane Pilkings, wife of Simon Pilkings.
As part of the partnership with Utopia Theatre, a group dedicated to improving access to theatre for a range of people across South Yorkshire, the professional cast will be joined on stage by ten non-professional cast members, the majority of which are set to make their theatrical debut at The Crucible.
The non-professional cast of the play will consist of Jina Wilder, Betty Anyika, Quiana Smith (Nicole), Jennifer Vernon Edwards, Pauline Naylor, Shami Sochaitwa, Mumbi Nkonde, Bola Akanbi, Emmanuel Adetoye and Jim Steinke.
First staged in 1975, Death & the King’s Horseman tells the story of Elesin, the king’s horseman, who must honour the Yoruba tradition of ritual suicide to accompany the deceased king on his final journey.
The production will be “a thought-provoking, resonant theatrical experience showcasing music and dance, deeply rooted in the culture and spirituality of the Yoruba people”.
It has been staged around the world, including at London’s National Theatre, but most recently at the Stratford Festival in Canada in 2023.
The full casting for Death & the King’s Horseman has revealed an expected and award-winning actor in Akhoma-Lindsay that will be of high excitement to many theatre and musical theatre fans across the region.
With less than three months until the curtain rises, Death and the King’s Horseman seems set to be a truly unique production, thought-provoking in both content and message.
Death & the King’s Horseman is playing at the Crucible from February 3rd until February 8th 2025
