Glenn Adamson and Lauren Jones Will Lead The World Premiere of DARK OF THE MOON at Charing Cross Theatre

Witzend Productions and Charing Cross Theatre Productions have announced the leading cast members for the world premiere of new musical Dark of the Moon, based on the classic 1941 play by Howard D Richardson and William Berney, will run at Charing Cross Theatre from Monday 18 May to Saturday 8 August 2026, with a national press night on Tuesday 26 May.

Leading the cast of this brand-new musical will be Glenn Adamson as ‘John, The Witch Boy' and Lauren Jones as ‘Barbara Allen', with further casting to be announced.

Glenn Adamson is best known for playing Strat in Jim Steinman's Bat Out of Hell in the West End and in the UK, US and Australian tours, as well as the filmed version and was ranked No. 4 in What's On Stage's Most-Trending Theatre Actors of 2025. His other theatre credits include Closer to Heaven (Turbine Theatre), Bat Boy (London Palladium), We Will Rock You (London Coliseum), American Idiot (UK & New Zealand Tour) and many more. Glenn has become a well-known actor in the UK known for his signature rock-style vocals and has performed multiple sold-out solo concerts as London's Crazy Coqs.

On joining the cast, Glenn said “To say I'm excited for this one is an understatement. When I first heard the demo tracks for the show I was beyond desperate to be part of it.  The soundtrack really is THAT good. London really doesn't have a show like this one. It fills the folk-rock void we're all missing. This one's for the Rockers, the Romantics and the Witches among us.”

Lauren Jones is more recently known for playing ‘Wednesday' in the recent UK Tour of The Addams Family, but first came to the spotlight as ‘Trish' and alternate ‘Bonnie' in Bonnie & Clyde (The Arts; The Garrick & UK tour) and is featured on the West End Cast Recording in both roles. She has since continued to gain notoriety in her role as “I” in Rebecca (Charing Cross Theatre) for which she gained an Offie Award Nomination for Best Leading Actress, Scissorhandz (Southwark Playhouse Elephant) and A Christmas Carol (The Old Vic).

On returning to the Charing Cross Theatre, Lauren said: “I'm incredibly excited to be returning to the Charing Cross Theatre with this new project following Rebecca. From reading the script and hearing the demos, it's clear there's something really special at the heart of this piece. I can't wait to collaborate with the company and bring this intimate, powerful story to life for the audience.”

DARK OF THE MOON is a supernatural tale of powerful witchcraft, small-town prejudices and the power of love. This timeless, spellbinding new musical portrays the clash of two dynamically polarized worlds—a charming rural Appalachian town and the mystical world of witches and warlocks from the Smoky Mountains that loom high above. The show's unique musical score reflects those conflicting worlds using a thrilling blend of country/bluegrass and rock. Barbara Allen - a human girl and John - a curious witch-boy - find each other and defy their communities to build a life together. But will love conquer all - or will they be haunted by a deal that was made by the dark of the moon?

Directed by Georgie Rankcom (The Frogs; Anyone Can Whistle; How to Succeed In Business Without Really Trying; Before After – Southwark Playhouse), the musical features a book by Emmy Award nominee Jonathan Prince (American Dreams) and music and lyrics by Grammy Award-winning and multi-platinum songwriters Lindy Robbins (Demi Lovato's “Skyscraper”), Dave Bassett (Elle King's “Ex's and Oh's”) and Steve Robson (Rascal Flatts' “What Hurts the Most”).

Originally written by Howard Richardson and William Berney while students at the University of Iowa in the early 1940s, the play Dark of the Moon is loosely inspired by the traditional Scottish ballad Barbara Allen. Following its original Broadway production by the Shubert Organization, the play has been widely produced internationally and has attracted notable performers and directors including Paul Newman, George C. Scott, Cicely Tyson and James Earl Jones. Sir Peter Brook directed a London production at the Ambassador Theatre in 1949.

The story has recently re-entered the cultural conversation through references in the Stranger Things stage play The First Shadow and the final season of the hit Netflix series.

Georgie Rankcom said, “Dark of the Moon has captivated audiences since the 1940s, and it's exciting to see the story finding new resonance today — most recently through its appearance in the world of Stranger Things. This musical adaptation allows us to rediscover the story for a new generation.”

Additional members of the creative team are choreographer Jane McMurtrie, musical supervisor Brad Haak, musical director Matt Herbert, orchestrator Dillon Kondor, casting director Peter Noden, production designer Libby Todd, lighting designer Jonathan Chan and sound designer Andrew Johnson.

The show is produced by WitzEnd Productions LLC (Michael Jackowitz and Jeffrey Grove), and Steven M Levy for Charing Cross Theatre Productions Limited and is general managed by Steven M. Levy for Charing Cross Theatre Productions Limited. Dark of the Moon is presented by special arrangement with the Richardson/Yale Property Trust, Elliot S. Blair, administrator.