Hear ye, hear ye! Fetch your quills, your goblets, and your fanciest pair of heels, because Birmingham Rep is kicking off 2026 with a right royal knees-up. They’ve just announced the full cast for the concert performance of Sweet Henry V — a brand-new musical swaggering into The Studio on Friday 23 and Saturday 24 January.
Picture the year 1413. Our Hal is less “history book hero” and more “playboy prince with a glow-up pending.” Sweet Henry V (pronounced “Vee”, darlings — get it right or the crown may wobble) is on the brink of becoming the most iconic warrior king Britain has ever produced. His only obstacle? Squaring up to Owain Glyndŵr — Wales’ very own rebel prince and, frankly, a bit of a medieval menace.
What follows is a hilarious, heartfelt quest for identity, belonging, and the occasional well-timed battle cry. Imagine Shakespeare’s history plays after they’ve slipped into something fabulous, dashed on a bit of lippy, and tottered out for a night on the tiles. Think Hamilton meets Braveheart meets Priscilla Queen of the Desert. Yes. It’s that kind of party.
This script-in-hand concert performance comes armed with a live band and over thirty original musical numbers — including medieval bangers such as A-Hole, Naked Out Here, and I’m Your Man. (If the Tudors had Spotify, they’d have this on repeat.)
Now onto the freshly announced cast:
Leading the charge as Hal and OG are Will Jennings (Les Misérables, Sondheim Theatre; Starter For Ten, Bristol Old Vic and Birmingham Rep) and Birmingham’s own Matt Rawle (Cabaret, Evita… the man’s practically theatre royalty himself).
They’re joined by a stellar company:
Seiriol Davies (How To Win Against History, Milky Peaks) as Henry IV;
Adrian Hansel (Military Wives The Musical, We Will Rock You) as Hotspur;
Emily Ivana Hawkins (Housemates, A Christmas Carol) as De Grey;
Emmy Stonelake (Twelfth Night, OG Prince of Wales) as Catrin;
and Rhys Taylor (Eugenius, Everybody’s Talking About Jamie) as Iolo.
The Rep’s Artistic Director — and director of Sweet Henry V — Joe Murphy, says he’s “absolutely thrilled” with this powerhouse ensemble. And honestly? Same. He promises Birmingham will be the first to witness this bold, ambitious slice of storytelling before it sets off for a full-scale future production. Consider me already polishing my crown.
The creative team includes Joe Murphy (Director), Seiriol Davies (Book, Music and Lyrics), Leo Munby (Musical Director), Livi Van Warmelo (Associate MD), Lucy Baker-Swinburn (Keyboard Programmer), plus musicians and crew Dan Hayward, Clive Meldrum and Elliot Mitchell — the knights of backstage wizardry.
Sweet Henry V reigns at The Rep on 23 and 24 January.
To book your royal seat, gallop over to birmingham-rep.co.uk or ring the Box Office on 0121 236 4455.
And with that, I tuck this royal proclamation back into my satchel. Long live musical theatre — and long live Sweet Henry V.
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