Complete Casting Announced for Stew & Heidi Rodewald's The Total Bent at The Public

Passing Strange masterminds Stew and Heidi Rodewald will perform live with the on-stage band for the world premiere of their new work The Total Bent, playing the guitar and bass, respectively. Helmed by Joanna Settle, the previously announced off-Broadway production will begin performances on May 10. Opening night is scheduled for May 25 at the Public Theater.

The tuner will feature Ato Blankson-Wood (Hair) as Marty Roy, Kenny Brawner (The City Club) as Deacon Charlie, David Cale (Lillian) as Byron Blackwell, Vondie Curtis-Hall (Dreamgirls) as Joe Roy, Damian Lemar Hudson (Romeo & Juliet) as Deacon Dennis, Jahi Kearse (Baby It’s You!) as Andrew and Curtis Wiley (Diner: The Musical) as Abee. Musicians will include Marty Beller, John Blevins and Brad Mulholland.

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. A funny, fiery, one-of-a-kind show, 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 production will feature scenic design by Andrew Lieberman, costume design by Gabriel Berry, lighting design by Thom Weaver and sound design by Obadiah Eaves and Sten Severson. The Total Bent is scheduled to run through June 12.