Luke James is returning to Broadway this fall. The singer/actor has been cast as Elijah in the new musical, Wanted.
He joins the previously announced cast members Ledisi as Tallulah Clarke, Solea Pfeiffer as Mary Clarke and Liisi LaFontaine as Martha Clarke.
The musical is inspired by the mostly true story of Mary and Martha Clarke. Per the logline, “Texas, 1893 — Twin sisters Mary and Martha Clarke are on the run. The sisters, Black women who pass for white and hide in plain sight, straddle a dangerous line between two Americas.
“But as powerful forces close in to keep their family from claiming a future of their own, Mary and Martha are driven to desperate measures to save their mother and their family’s legacy. When survival demands they do the unthinkable, the sisters nevertheless fight for self-determination, dignity, and the inheritance they have long been denied.”
Wanted marks James’ first appearance on Broadway since Thoughts of a Colored Man in 2021. The play, which follows seven Black men in the course of a day in Brooklyn, also co-starred Keith David, Tristan “Mack” Wilds, Dyllón Burnside, Bryan Terrell Clark, Da’Vinchi, and Forrest McClendon
Wanted will begin previews Oct. 15 at the James Earl Jones Theatre, with opening night scheduled for Nov. 8. The play features book and lyrics by Angelica Chéri, a descendant of the Sisters Clarke, with music by award-winning composer Ross Baum.
James’ new acting gig follows his starring role in the award-winning series The Chi, which concluded its eight-year run in May. Outside of that, James starred in Prime Video’s series Them: The Scare, the second installment of its horror anthology series.
On a musical note, James lent his voice to Hulu’s Reasonable Doubt season three soundtrack on “Mad World,” alongside Adrian Younge and Ali Shaheed Muhammad. Before that, he released his Grammy-nominated second album, To Feel Love/d, in 2021.
