“Marley,” a new musical about Bob Marley, the Jamaican reggae star who died in 1981 at the age of 36, will have its premiere next year at Center Stage in Baltimore, the company announced on Tuesday. The show will feature music composed by Marley, including the songs “Exodus” and “Rastaman Vibration,” with a book and direction by Kwame Kwei-Armah, Center Stage’s artistic director. Set to run May 6 to June 14, 2015, the show is a collaboration between Center Stage and the Public Theater in New York, where Mr. Kwei-Armah directed “Detroit ’67″ and “Much Ado About Nothing” last year. Oskar Eustis, the Public’s artistic director, will be the show’s dramaturg.
In an interview, Mr. Kwei-Armah said he first heard Marley’s music as a child growing up in London in the 1970s.
“One could not escape what Bob meant to the black community, and how excited the white community was at this dreadlocked wild man, who was a prophet,” he said.
Mr. Kwei-Armah said “Marley” will not be a traditional jukebox musical, but rather a show “focusing on a really dynamic moment” in the singer’s life. Set between 1975 and 1978, it follows Marley’s life in Jamaica leading up to a 1976 attempt on his life, through his self-imposed exile in London, where he recorded the albums “Exodus” and “Kaya.”
“We have maybe 20 songs, but I’ve tried to make them come out of what I perceive to be an integrity that Bob would demand,” Mr. Kwei-Armah said. “It’s not, Here are some songs and how can I link them with some drama. There is an investigation into the man’s life, between him putting his life on the line and going into self-imposed exile for 18 months and while there, recording two of his biggest albums.”
Casting for “Marley” has yet to be announced. Mr. Kwei-Armah said it would be a “real big ask” to find an actor who has the chops to accurately play the title character.
“Whoever takes on this icon doesn’t have to look like him,” he said. “But he has to be able to generate his physical and spiritual and sexual energy in a way that will enthrall.”
Plans for a New York run aren’t in the works just yet.
“My job is to look at the here and now,” he said. “But if I can get it right, then we can construct it so it has the legs to travel.”