The WANTED Broadway cast is complete ahead of the musical’s October 15 start at the James Earl Jones Theatre, with Solea Pfeiffer and Liisi LaFontaine leading as Mary and Martha Clarke. The company combines performers from earlier versions of the musical with new Broadway additions as the production moves toward its November 8 opening.
Key Takeaways
- The complete WANTED Broadway cast and creative team were announced September 4.
- Solea Pfeiffer and Liisi LaFontaine will play twin sisters Mary and Martha Clarke.
- Ledisi, Luke James, Bradley Jaden, Aurelia Williams and Awa Sal Secka are among the principal cast.
- Previews begin October 15 at the James Earl Jones Theatre, followed by an official opening November 8.
- The musical previously appeared as Gun & Powder, including productions at Signature Theatre in 2020 and Paper Mill Playhouse in 2024.
The WANTED Broadway cast has been finalized less than six weeks before the new musical begins performances in Manhattan. Producers completed the company on September 4, adding the ensemble, swings and standby to a principal cast that had been announced in stages throughout 2026.
Pfeiffer and LaFontaine will anchor the production as Mary and Martha Clarke, Black twin sisters whose family story inspired the musical. In an earlier Broadway announcement, the two performers said, “We know the importance of seeing yourself onstage,” as they discussed bringing the Clarke sisters’ story to Broadway.
The production arrives during an active New York theater season that has also included a 2026 musical revival at Studio 54.
WANTED Broadway Cast Locks In Its Full Company
Pfeiffer will appear as Mary Clarke, while LaFontaine plays Martha Clarke. Ledisi takes the role of their mother, Tallulah Clarke, and Luke James will play Elijah. Bradley Jaden joins the production as Jesse, with Aurelia Williams as Sissy and Awa Sal Secka as Flo.
Ximone Rose will serve as standby for both Mary and Martha. Melody A. Betts, Aaron Arnell Harrington, Jennie Harney-Fleming, Rayshun LaMarr, Hailey Thomas and Harris Matthew Turner make up the Kinfolk, described by the production as a chorus of ancestors who accompany the Clarke sisters through the story.
The wider company includes Wesley J. Barnes, Kailey Boyle, Meghan Olivia Corbett, Timothy Hughes, Crystal Joy, Mary Claire King, Brad Sharp, Danielle J. Summons, Nathan Quay Thomas, Katie Thompson and Brent Thiessen. The official production site identifies several of those performers as townspeople or swings.
Some members of the Broadway company have already been connected with WANTED during earlier stages of its development.
Pfeiffer originated the role of Mary when the musical, then called Gun & Powder, received its world premiere at Signature Theatre in Arlington, Virginia, in 2020. Emmy Raver-Lampman played Martha in that production.
LaFontaine later played Martha opposite Ciara Renée as Mary at Paper Mill Playhouse in 2024. That staging also featured Jeannette Bayardelle as Tallulah, Aaron James McKenzie as Elijah and Hunter Parrish as Jesse Whitewater. Aurelia Williams was also part of the Paper Mill company before returning for the Broadway production as Sissy.
The combination gives the Broadway lineup connections to multiple stages of the musical’s development without simply reproducing either earlier cast.
Gun & Powder Development Shapes the Broadway Version
WANTED reaches Broadway after a development process spanning several years and multiple versions of the production.
Photo Credit: Unsplash.com
Angelica Chéri wrote the book and lyrics, with Ross Baum composing the music. The project draws from the story of Mary and Martha Clarke, Chéri’s great-great aunts. Columbia University records describe the sisters as African American twins who passed as white in post-Emancipation Texas and became known through family history as outlaws.
The musical received a Richard Rodgers Award for Musical Theater in 2018 while it was still known as Gun & Powder. It had previously been developed through Signature Theatre’s SigWorks Musical Theater Lab and later received its world-premiere production there from January 28 through February 23, 2020.
Paper Mill Playhouse staged the next major production in 2024. Previews began April 4, the production officially opened April 14, and the run continued through May 5. Stevie Walker-Webb directed that staging, with Tiffany Rea-Fisher as choreographer.
By June 2025, the project was operating under the WANTED title. Pfeiffer and LaFontaine led an industry workshop at New 42 Studios in Manhattan that also included Luke James, Aurelia Williams and several performers who would later join the Broadway company.
Its route from regional productions into Manhattan places WANTED among new stage works arriving in New York through development outside Broadway. The city’s 2026 theater calendar has also featured another New York musical debut following an earlier New Jersey production.
The Broadway transfer was formally announced March 17, 2026. At that point, producers confirmed Pfeiffer and LaFontaine as the Clarke sisters, the James Earl Jones Theatre as the venue, and the October 15 and November 8 dates.
Creative Team Carries the Musical Into New York
Stevie Walker-Webb remains director for the Broadway production after directing the 2024 Paper Mill staging. Chelsey Arce is choreographing the Broadway version, marking a change from the earlier Paper Mill creative team.
John Clancy is handling orchestrations, while Ross Baum and Austin Cook are credited with arrangements. Nadia DiGiallonardo serves as music supervisor and Paul Byssainthe Jr. as music director.
The design team includes Beowulf Boritt for scenic design, Emilio Sosa for costumes, Adam Honoré for lighting and Gareth Owen for sound. Stefania Bulbarella is responsible for video and projection design, while J. Jared Janas and Tony Lauro handle hair, wig and makeup design. Claire Warden oversees fight and intimacy direction, and Kaja Dunn serves as cultural consultant.
The story remains set in Texas in 1893 and centers on Mary and Martha as they attempt to protect their mother and family property. Official descriptions characterize WANTED as a “mostly true” treatment of the Clarke family story rather than a documentary account of the sisters’ lives.
The WANTED Broadway cast will begin previews October 15 at the James Earl Jones Theatre, located at 138 West 48th Street. Opening night is scheduled for November 8. The production’s official site currently lists an estimated running time of two hours and 15 minutes, including intermission, while noting that the duration may change during development.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is leading the WANTED Broadway cast?
Solea Pfeiffer stars as Mary Clarke and Liisi LaFontaine as Martha Clarke. The WANTED Broadway cast also features Ledisi as Tallulah Clarke, Luke James as Elijah, Bradley Jaden as Jesse, Aurelia Williams as Sissy and Awa Sal Secka as Flo.
When does WANTED begin performances on Broadway?
Previews are scheduled to begin October 15, 2026, at the James Earl Jones Theatre. The production is set to officially open on November 8, 2026.
Was WANTED previously called Gun & Powder?
Yes. The musical was developed and staged under the title Gun & Powder, including its 2020 Signature Theatre premiere and its 2024 Paper Mill Playhouse production, before adopting the WANTED title.
Who wrote WANTED?
Angelica Chéri wrote the book and lyrics, and Ross Baum composed the music. Chéri is a descendant of Mary and Martha Clarke, whose family story provided the basis for the musical.
Where is WANTED playing in New York?
WANTED will play the James Earl Jones Theatre at 138 West 48th Street in Manhattan. The official production information recommends the musical for audiences ages 10 and older because of thematic material involving violence and Western life.
