The new musical will run at the Southwark Playhouse Elephant from the 14th December until the 30th January 2027.
Lead casting has now been announced for the European premiere of Private Jones, which will officially open in London on the 17th December.
The production, written and directed by Marshall Pailet (Marcel and the Train, Who’s Your Baghdaddy), combines sign language, live captioning, a Foley soundscape, and a sweeping original score.
It is set to feature a cast of hearing, hard-of-hearing, and deaf performers including BAFTA-winning actor, presenter and children’s author Rose Ayling-Ellis MBE (Reunion, BBC; Code of Silence, ITV; As You Like It, Soho Place Theatre) as The Storyteller, Ffion Haf (The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe, UK & Ireland Tour; The Watcher, Apple TV) as Gwenolyn/Evans, Nadeem Islam (The Father and the Assassin, National Theatre; Antigone, Regents Park) as Henry & Others, Bronwyn James (Glinda’s sidekick Shenshen in Wicked & Wicked: For Good; Mickey 17; How to Train Your Dragon; Harlots, BBC One) as King & Others, George Karanja (Journey’s End, Performers collegeBirmingham) as Swing, Luke McCall (Les Misérables, Arena Tour; Love Never Dies) as Father & Others, Lili Mohammad (The Emu War: A New Musical, Pleasance Theatre Edinburgh & New Wimbledon Theatre) as Ensemble, Thea Munoz-Buirski (Diana The Musical in Concert, Eventim Apollo Hammersmith) as Ensemble, Katie Louise Prichard (Cry Baby, RWCMD) as Swing/ Pit Singer, James Spence (Thespians UK Tour, Unfortunate: The Untold Story of Ursula the Sea Witch) as Gomer Jones, Jacob Ethan Tanner (Death Valley, BBC; Hold On To Your Butts, West End) as Alwyn & Others, Jacob Young (Fiyero in Wicked, Apollo Victoria; MAMMA MIA!, Novello Theatre; Heathers, The Other Palace) as Trystan & Others.
Gomer Jones is restless to find where he belongs, but the recent loss of his hearing has left him feeling shut out of the world he longs to join.
Amid a company of misfit young men, he becomes an unlikely hero, only to discover that the prize he’s been chasing may not be the one that matters.
Talking about joining the cast, Rose Ayling-Ellis said “I’m delighted to be joining the cast of Private Jones and to work with Marshall Pailet, Misha Shields and Alexandria Wailes, alongside such a talented cast of deaf, hard of hearing and hearing people. It’s a special production and I’m excited to return to the stage in London.”
The creative team behind the musical includes: horeography by Misha Shields (Who’s Your Baghdaddy); artistic sign language direction by Alexandria Wailes (CODA film); music direction by Màth Roberts (Merrily We Roll Along, Oxford Playhouse); set design by Anna Kelsey (The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Ambassadors Theatre); lighting design by Tim Deiling (Ride The Cyclone, Southwark Playhouse Elephant); sound design by Yvonne Gilbert (The Code, Southwark Playhouse Elephant); video design by Ben Glover (Little Shop of Horrors, Northern Stage and Derby Theatre); associate direction by Alice Eklund (The Last Five Years, Porters Theatre Cardiff); casting direction by Rob Kelly (Hadestown, Lyric Theatre West End); BSL direction by Daryl Jackson (The Rule And The Exception, Young Vic); Welsh language consultancy by Lowri Morgan (S4C presenter); music consultancy by Myrna Conn (Death Becomes Her, Broadway); production management by Sam Kelly (Manic Street Creature, Kiln Theatre) and dramaturgy by Jac Moore (Associate Director of New Work Development at The Public Theater).
Private Jones has been in development since 2021 and was first presented in October 2023 at Goodspeed Musicals in Chester, Connecticut. The February 2024 World Premiere production at Signature Theatre in Arlington, Virgina won four Helen Hayes Awards including Outstanding New Musical. The musical has since been reworked with consultation and input from the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama in Cardiff, Wales where it was workshopped in 2025.
To book tickets visit: https://southwarkplayhouse.co.uk/productions/private-jones/