Get Up, Stand Up!

Is this love that we’re feeling? Or is it the joy of musical theatre? Be transported to Trenchtown via the West End at Get Up, Stand Up! The Bob Marley Musical.

The Bob Marley musical is also a political show for our times. "Redemption Song" reflects on British life today and the impact of the Black Lives Matter movement in society. Experience Bob Marley's songs in a new, thought-provoking way, thanks to Simon Hale's Olivier-winning orchestrations.

If you're a Bob Marley fan, then you don’t need to worry about a thing in this musical. You're spoilt for choice with over 25 Bob Marley songs to listen out for, including “War,” “Three Little Birds,” and “Rebel Music.”

Born in Nine Mile, Jamaica, Nesta Robert Marley began recording music as a teenager. At 18, Marley led the ska and R&B band, Bob Marley and the Wailers, who introduced a new “reggae” sound to the world. But in 1974, Marley went solo, sharing his messages of love, unity, and Rastafarianism worldwide.

While his musical career shot into the stratosphere, the same couldn’t be said for his personal life. And in 1976, Marley survived an assassination attempt at his home. Bob Marley tragically died of cancer at the tender age of 36, however Get Up, Stand Up! The Bob Marley Musical shines a spotlight on Marley’s courage and determination to change the world for good.

When the show premiered, Marley’s daughter Cedella beamed that her father’s music would be a “source of creative inspiration and continue to bring people together” in the West End. Now, audiences explore Marley’s revolutionary music career and how he shaped the future of reggae eight times a week.

Get Up, Stand Up! The Bob Marley Musical features an original story by Olivier winner Lee Hall. The show follows a non-linear narrative, jumping through time and location to paint a full picture of Bob Marley’s life. Clint Dyer directs the musical.

What to Watch For:

• Bob Marley isn't the artist's birth name. His full name was Nesta Robert Marley. Bob Marley adopted the "Bob" as his first name in order to sound more masculine after a Jamaican immigration officer commented “Nesta” was girlish.
• Bob Marley wasn’t just a singer and musician. He was deeply involved with Jamaican and international politics. In 1978, Marley was awarded the Peace Medal from the United Nations in 1978 for his work on justice and peace. The Peace Medal recognised Marley’s effort to protect millions of disenfranchised Black people worldwide.
• Even though Bob Marley pioneered reggae music and is considered to be one of the greatest artists of all time, Marley never had a UK number one hit! However, three of his songs reached number five in the charts: “Could You Be Loved,” “One Love/People Get Ready,” and “Iron Lion Zion.”
• There could have been a world without any Bob Marley songs. As a child, Marley learned the art of palmreading and predicting what would happen to friends and family. Marley stopped palmreading at seven years old and later became a global superstar. We wonder what was on Marley’s life line and fate line.
• This isn’t the first musical all about Bob Marley. In 2017, Kwame Kwei-Armah wrote One Love: The Bob Marley Musical. Get Up, Stand Up! The Bob Marley Musical is the first Bob Marley West End musical.