Why Alexia is ready to start jammin’ with Bob

AFTER playing four of the biggest female leads in musical theatre, Alexia Khadime was looking for a different kind of role. And she found it when director Kwame Kwei-Armah cast her as Rita Marley — wife of reggae legend Bob — in One Love: The Bob Marley Musical. ‘It’s just so far removed from anything that I’ve done,’ Alexia told me. ‘It’s about someone’s life! I’m not playing a madeup character.’ I first saw her as Nala in The Lion King. Then she played Elphaba in Wicked; followed by Eponine in Les Miserables and, most recently, Nabulungi in The Book Of Mormon at the Prince of Wales theatre. To prepare for Rita (rehearsals start on Monday) she has been immersing herself in books and documentaries about Marley and his life. ‘Rita could easily be seen as “the wife”, who didn’t contribute — but she did,’ Alexia said. ‘She was his rock. She had kids with him. And she was known to sing prior to meeting Bob Marley.’ The 33-year-old actress has the right heritage to portray CubanJamaican Rita, because her parents and grandparents were born and raised in Jamaica (though Alexia herself was born in NorthWest London). She said she’s often surprised at the good luck she has enjoyed. ‘When I was younger, being an actress never entered my mind as a career. I was at school studying psychology, maths and English literature — and then I was offered a job playing Ronnie Spector in Leader Of The Pack.’

One Love will run at Birmingham Rep from March 10. Bob Marley will be played by Amsterdambased singer Mitchell Brunings, who portrayed the singer when the musical premiered (under a different title) at the Centre Stage Theatre in Baltimore, where KweiArmah is artistic director. He has subsequently rewritten the piece for its British run.

Jacade Simpson will play Peter Tosh, and Newtion Matthews will be Bunny Wailer — who, with Bob, made up The Wailers.