Signature Theatre announces the cast and creative team for the DC premiere of The Untitled Unauthorized Hunter S. Thompson Musical, with music and lyrics by Joe Iconis (Be More Chill, NBC’s Smash) and a book by Joe Iconis and Gregory S. Moss (Indian Summer, Reunion). The production will be directed by Tony Award winner Christopher Ashley (Broadway’s Come From Away, Signature’s Freaky Friday), with choreography by Jon Rua (Broadway’s Floyd Collins, La Jolla’s 3 Summers of Lincoln) and music direction by Rick Edinger (The Public’s The Visitor, Alliance Theatre’s Trading Places). The production stars Eric William Morris (Broadway’s King Kong, Two River Theater’s Be More Chill) as Hunter S. Thompson. Performances run June 3 – July 13, 2025 in Signature’s MAX Theatre. Tickets start at $47 and are available at SigTheatre.org.
“I am thrilled that Signature will close out its 35th season with The Untitled Unauthorized Hunter S. Thompson Musical, an explosive new musical brought to audiences by the extraordinary voice of writer Joe Iconis,” said Artistic Director Matthew Gardiner. “Signature has always valued its commitment to producing new works written by bold new artists in the American musical theater, and I cannot imagine a bolder combination than Joe Iconis and gonzo journalist Hunter S. Thompson. I am excited for Signature audiences to experience this electrifying production after a sold-out world premiere at La Jolla Playhouse.”
“I first had the idea to write this musical in 2006 and have been working on it in fits and starts ever since,” said Joe Iconis. “My interest in and excitement over the material has only grown with time and part of me thinks that this persnickety show has purposefully been dragging its heels through development hell so that it could unleash itself on the masses in 2025. I can think of no better place than Signature to have our rowdy, passionate, political, and hopeful love letter to artists and activists cause a musical ruckus. This is a piece of theater that unabashedly asserts that art has the power to change the world and how appropriate to begin that change in our Nation’s Capital. The revolution will not be televised… but it will feature showtunes. Get ready DC, Hunter is coming for you.”
Let’s get wild in this exciting new musical about the infamous author from the mind of Joe Iconis (Be More Chill) and directed by Tony Award winner Christopher Ashley (Come from Away). A collision of politics, counterculture, and rock and roll in human form, Hunter S. Thompson is impossible to pin down. Careening from the 1940s to 2005, Thompson invents Gonzo journalism, attempts to take down a corrupt president, and quests for equality for his fellow weirdos, outsiders and freaks. However, this anti-hero’s drug-fueled tornado leaves a trail of destruction as he grapples with his legacy in a world that has left him behind. Funny and unique, as anarchic and irreverent as the writer himself, this explosive rock musical will spark a revolution for the rebel inside us all.
The cast of The Untitled Unauthorized Hunter S. Thompson Musical is rounded out by George Abud (Broadway’s Lempicka, The Band’s Visit) as Nixon, Darlesia Cearcy (Broadway’s A Wonderful Life: The Louis Armstrong Musical, Once On This Island) as Jann, Josiah Rey Cajudo (La Jolla’s The Untitled Unauthorized Hunter S. Thompson Musical, Performance Riverside’s The Little Mermaid) as Puppeteer, Giovanny Diaz De Leon (La Jolla’s Redwood, San Diego Symphony’s Romeo and Juliet) as The Kid, Lorinda Lisitza (WPTheatre’s Malicious Compliance, Jean Cocteau Rep’s The Threepenny Opera) as Virginia, Meghan McLeod (Apple TV+’s Dear Edward, The King in Yellow) as Flower Child, George Salazar (Broadway’s Be More Chill, Off-Broadway’s The Lightning Thief) as Oscar, Ryan Vona (Broadway’s Parade, Once) as Juan, Tatiana Wechsler (Broadway’s Mr. Saturday Night, Two River Theater’s Love in Hate Nation) as Sandy, and Jason SweetTooth Williams (Broadway’s Be More Chill, Signature’s Freaky Friday) as Steadman. Tziah Coli (Olney and Round House’s FELA!), Tyler Dobies (Olney Theatre Center’s Disney’s Frozen) and Stephen Russell Murray (Signature’s Private Jones) are understudies.
The creative team for The Untitled Unauthorized Hunter S. Thompson Musical includes Scenic Design by Wilson Chin (Broadway’s Cost of Living, MCC’s All Nighter), Costume Design by Toni-Leslie James (Broadway’s Come From Away, Jitney), Lighting Design by Amanda Zieve (Broadway’s The Who’s Tommy, Signature’s Into the Woods), Sound Design by Justin Stasiw (Broadway’s Lempicka, Off-Broadway’s The Jonathan Larson Project), Hair and Wig Design by Matthew Armentrout (Broadway’s Redwood, Paradise Square), and Puppet Design by Animal Cracker Conspiracy (La Jolla’s TransMythical, Gnomesense). Orchestrations are by Charlie Rosen and Vocal Arrangements are by Rick Edinger. Danielle Gimbal from Anixter Rice Music Service is the Copyist & Score Supervisor, Ann James is the Sensitivity Specialist, and Dani Stoller is the Script Assistant. Casting is by The Telsey Office/Rachel Hoffman, CSA. Signature Casting is by Jorge Acevedo and Charlotte La Nasa. Kerry Epstein is the Production Stage Manager, Stefania Giron Zuluaga is the Assistant Stage Manager, Jaylen Dews is the Production Assistant, Kat Yen is the Associate Director, Brianna Mercado is the Associate Choreographer, Lucia LaNave is the Associate Music Director, Travis Chinick is the Assistant Costume Designer, and Michael Crevoisier is the Assistant Lighting Designer.
The Untitled Unauthorized Hunter S. Thompson Musical runs June 3 – July 13, 2025 at Signature Theatre, 4200 Campbell Ave, Arlington, VA 22206. Tickets start at $47 and are available by phone at 703.820.9771 or online.
Closed captions will be available for every show via the GalaPro app.
Pride Night: June 27, 2025
Post-show Discussions: June 17 and July 9, 2025
ASL Interpreted: July 8, 2025
Masks Required: June 28 (2PM) and July 9, 2025
ABOUT SIGNATURE THEATRE
Signature Theatre is a Tony Award-winning regional theater that broadens and brightens the region’s cultural landscape with its bold productions of challenging new and established works and engaging education and outreach programs. Founded in 1989 by Eric Schaeffer and Donna Migliaccio, and currently under the leadership of Managing Director Maggie Boland and Artistic Director Matthew Gardiner, musical theater is Signature’s “signature,” and the Theatre is renowned for its definitive Sondheim productions, inventive adaptations of overlooked or forgotten works, and investment in fresh new projects. Signature combines Broadway-caliber productions with intimate playing spaces and aims to be a leading force in U.S. musical theater.
Since its inception, the Theatre has produced 61 world premiere works — including 20 new musical commissions. Signature opens its doors to more than 100,000 people annually from the Washington, DC region and beyond and reaches more than 10,000 students every year through its innovative education programs, including the award-winning initiative Signature in the Schools. Signature has won 142 Helen Hayes Awards for excellence in the Washington, DC region’s professional theater and has been honored with 527 nominations.