Public Theater announces full cast of The Total Bent

The Public Theater has now announced the complete cast of Stew and Heidi Rodewald's musical The Total Bent, directed by Joanna Settle, which begins previews at the Public's Anspacher Theater on 10 May 2016, before an official opening on 25 May and a limited engagement through to 12 June 2016.

The cast of The Total Bent includes Ato Blankson-Wood (Marty Roy), Kenny Brawner (Deacon Charlie), David Cale (Byron Blackwell), Vondie Curtis-Hall (Joe Roy), Damian Lemar Hudson (Deacon Dennis), Jahi Kearse (Andrew) and Curtis Wiley (Abee).

The cast will also be accompanied by a live on-stage band featuring Stew (on guitar) and Heidi Rodewald (on bass), along with fellow musicians Marty Beller, John Blevins and Brad Mulholland.

Synopsis: "When a British record producer arrives in Montgomery, Alabama to hook Marty Roy, a young black musical prodigy, he launches us back into Marty's tumultuous upbringing. The son of a gospel star and self-proclaimed healer, Marty spent his childhood writing the songs that have made his charismatic father famous. But in a nation on the verge of social upheaval, with the rising heat from the street guiding his pen, Marty finds himself at odds with his spiritually forceful father as he strives to create a masterpiece that will change America—no matter the cost. The Total Bent is about the passions that divide a father and son as they make their music and make their choice between salvation and selling out."

The creative team behind The Total Bent has also been announced and features scenic design by Andrew Lieberman, costume design by Gabriel Berry, lighting design by Thom Weaver and sound design by Obadiah Eaves and Sten Severson.

- by Tom Millward