Signature Theatre announces cast for Play On!

Signature Theatre announced the cast and creative team for Play On!, conceived by Sheldon Epps (Broadway's Blues in the Night, Purlie) with a book by Cheryl L. West (Shout, Sister, Shout!, Pullman Porter Blues) and music by Duke Ellington. The production will be directed by Lili-Anne Brown (Olney and Round House's Fela!, Goodman Theatre's The Color Purple), with choreography by Breon Arzell (Goodman Theatre's The Color Purple, Oregon Shakespeare Festival's Once On This Island) and music direction by Jermaine Hill (Goodman Theatre's The Color Purple, The Muny's RENT). Performances run August 12 - October 5, 2025 in Signature's MAX Theatre.

Play On! at Signature Theatre

"Signature begins its 36th season filling the MAX Theatre with the rich and syncopated sounds of Duke Ellington in a rarely staged gem of the American musical theater," said Signature Artistic Director Matthew Gardiner. "Play On! is a big-hearted and utterly irresistible musical comedy that sets Shakespeare's Twelfth Night in the vibrant, high-style world of 1930s swing-era Harlem. I am thrilled to welcome award-winning Chicago native Lili-Anne Brown to direct this production in her Signature debut. If music be the food of love, then we hope you will join us at Play On! this fall for a fabulous feast as the MAX transforms into Harlem's Cotton Club."

"Play On! is one of those rarely produced musicals that makes you immediately wonder 'why isn't this delightful show better known,' and I have wanted to direct it for years," said director Lili-Anne Brown. "I am so thrilled to introduce this witty, charming musical comedy to audiences in the DC area. Get ready for some classic romantic comedy in a gorgeous historic setting, top it all off with this incredible score of Duke Ellington songs, and you have a recipe for a fantastic night at Signature Theatre!"

Play On! is a delightful musical based on Shakespeare's comedy Twelfth Night and set to the syncopated soundtrack of Duke Ellington's greatest hits. Aspiring songwriter Vy comes to swinging 1930s Harlem to make it big. But when she discovers the doors of opportunity are closed to women, she disguises herself as a man to pitch her songs to Harlem's hottest composer, the Duke. However, when her tunes attract the attention of Cotton Club performer Lady Liv, the object of The Duke's affection, Vy-Man is swept up in a swinging tempest of love, mistaken identity and jazz. If music be the food of love, then Play On's timeless classics "Take the 'A' Train," "Mood Indigo," "I Got it Bad and That Ain't Good," and "It Don't Mean a Thing," combine with stunning dance to make for a joyous feast in a fun and fresh take on a beloved comedy.

The cast of Play On! includes Wesley J. Barnes (Broadway's A Wonderful World: The Louis Armstrong Musical, National Tour of Mean Girls) as Jester, Chuckie Benson (The Acting Company's Comedy of Errors, McCarter and Goodspeed's Dreamgirls) as Rev, Awa Sal Secka (The Public's GODDESS, Signature's Ragtime) as Lady Liv, Alana S. Thomas (Constellation's Little Shop of Horrors, Imagination Stage's The Hula Hoopin' Queen) as CC, Derrick D. Truby Jr. (Ford's Little Shop of Horrors, Folger's The Merry Wives of Windsor) as Sweets, Greg Watkins (Arena Stage's Jubilee, Keegan's Legally Blonde) as Duke, Jalisa Williams (Signature's The Color Purple, Olney and Round House's Fela!) as Vy, and Kanysha Williams (Signature's Gun and Powder, Ford's Sister Act) as Miss Mary. The ensemble of Play On! is rounded out by Bryan Archibald (Olney and Round House's Fela!, Studio's Choirboy), Montel B. Butler (Signature's Gun and Powder, Olney's Beautiful: The Carole King Musical), Ciara Hargrove (Olney's Senior Class, Long Way Down), Divine Iweha (54 Below's 54 Below Passes the Bechdel Test), Vaughn Ryan Midder (Olney and Round House's Fela!, Constellation's Avenue Q), Kalen Robinson (The Kennedy Center's Finn, Woolly Mammoth's The Sensational Sea-Minkettes), and Sean Walton (McCarter Theatre's Dreamgirls, The Muny's The Color Purple). Jared Martin (Signature's In the Heights) and Tierra London Rush (Know Theatre of Cincinnati's BLERDS) are swings.

The creative team for Play On! includes Scenic Design by Dan Conway (Signature's Jelly's Last Jam, Sunset Boulevard), Costume Design by Samantha C. Jones (MCC's The Lonely Few, Woolly Mammoth's Incendiary), Lighting Design by Jason Lynch (Goodman Theatre's English, Drury Lane's Fiddler on the Roof), Sound Design by Eric Norris (Signature's Hedwig and the Angry Inch, In the Heights), and Hair & Wig Design by LaShawn Melton (Studio's Paradise Blue, Folger's The Winter's Tale). Orchestrations are by Luther Henderson. John "Ray" Proctor is the Dramaturg. Casting is by Charlotte La Nasa. Kerry Epstein is the Production Stage Manager, Taryn Friend, Jamie Berry and Jessica Hagy are the Assistant Stage Managers, Raven Lorraine is the Associate Director, Carollette Phillips is the Associate Choreographer/Tap Dance Specialist, Brian P. Whitted and Andra Velis Simon are the Associate Music Directors, Brandon Roak is the Associate Scenic Designer, Jessica Utz is the Assistant Costume Designer, Dominic DeSalvio is the Assistant Lighting Designer, and TJ Schultz is the Assistant Sound Designer.

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