Obba Babatunde to Play the Title Role in New Musical Sammy

Tony Award nominee Obba Babatundé has been tapped to star as Sammy Davis, Jr. in the world premiere of the new musical Sammy at San Diego’s Old Globe Theatre. Featuring a book, music and lyrics by Oscar winner Leslie Bricusse (Stop the World—I Want to Get Off), and additional songs by Bricusse and Anthony Newley, the show will begin previews on September 19 and run through November 8. Opening night is October 2, directed by Keith Glover.

Sammy moves from Sammy Davis, Jr.’s days as a child working in vaudeville through his years with Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin as a member of the Rat Pack. Featuring classic tunes such as “The Candy Man,” “Mr. Bojangles” and “What Kind of Fool Am I?” as well as new ongs written especially for the musical, Sammy traces the highs and lows of the ultimate triple-threat singer, actor and dancer, who broke new ground while struggling with issues of identity, race and a turbulent personal life.

Babatundé was nominated for a Tony Award for his performance as C.C. White in the original Broadway cast of Dreamgirls. Additional Broadway credits include the revival of Chicago, Grind and Timbuktu! He also created the role of Jelly Roll Morton in Jelly’s Last Jam. On television, Babatundé received an Emmy nomination for Miss Evers’ Boys, an NAACP Image Award nomination for his performance as Harold Nicholas in Introducing Dorothy Dandridge and has appeared in 60 made-for-TV movies. Feature films include The Celestine Prophecy, Material Girls, After the Sunset, The Manchurian Candidate, The Notebook and the upcoming The Black Man’s Guide to Understanding Black Women.

Sammy will feature choreography by Keith Young and music supervision by Ian Fraser. Additional cast and creative team members have not yet been announced.