FULL CAST AND CREATIVE TEAM ANNOUNCED FOR WORLD PREMIERE OF CULT KOREAN ROCK MUSICAL THE LAST MAN
NEO, Inc. (Hyunjae Lee) presents
THE LAST MAN
Book & Lyrics by Jishik Kim
Music by Seungyeon Kwon
Dramaturgy by Jethro Compton
Directed by Daljung Kim
Lyrics, Musical Supervisor, Co-Orchestrator and Arrangement by Gabriel Chernick
Set Design by Shankho Chaudhuri
Lighting Design by Cheolmin Cho
Sound Design by Liam McDermott
Costume Design by Anna Kelsey
Casting by Grace McInerny for Pippa Ailion and Natalie Gallacher
Supported by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, Korea Arts Management Service (KAMS), the Korean Cultural Centre UK, the Korea Tourism Organization, and the Seoul Performing Arts Company
Friday 8 May to Saturday 13 June 2026 at Southwark Playhouse Elephant
A mysterious virus spreads across the globe. Cities fall silent. The undead roam.
Casting has been announced for the world premiere of cult Korean one-person rock musical The Last Man, as director Daljung Kim brings together Lex Lee and Nabi Brown, who share the central role across the run, performing on alternate nights and offering distinct interpretations of the survivor.
Lex Lee is a Kiwi-Korean actor based in London. With a background spanning theatre and performance across New Zealand, Australia, and Berlin, credits include works Handel’s Messiah, War Hero and West Side Story. Nabi Brown is a recent graduate of Trinity Laban and her credits include Dick Whittington and His Cat (Greenwich Theatre) and Diana The Musical (Lambert Jackson productions).
Joining the previously announced creative team are lyrics, musical supervisor co-orchestrator and arranger Gabriel Chernick, set designer Shankho Chaudhuri, lighting designer Cheolmin Cho, sound designer Liam McDermott and costume designer Anna Kelsey.
A lone survivor seals themself inside bunker B-103 after a mysterious virus wipes out humanity. As isolation takes hold, the line between survival and living begins to blur. Now they must decide: is survival enough — or should they open the bunker door.
The cult hit that has built a passionate fanbase not only in Seoul but also in China, The Last Man has been newly reimagined for English-speaking audiences in this premiere, inviting audiences deep into a bunker for an intimate experience of one individual’s struggle to hold on to hope, connection, and humanity.
In this new English-language adaptation by Jishik Kim and Seungyeon Kwon, with dramaturgy by Jethro Compton, the piece blends gig, existential thriller, and social commentary, following the eponymous survivor who appears to be the last human alive after a zombie apocalypse. Driven by a live rock score, dark humour, and psychological tension, The Last Man tells an intimate and thrillingly suspenseful story of survival, resilience, and what it takes to remain human in a frightening and uncertain world.
This show is a popular work now entering its third season in Korea as of March 2026. Following its selection for the Seoul Performing Arts Company’s web musical development program in 2020, it went through further development by NEO, Inc. During the Korean production phase, it was selected for and supported by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Korea Tourism Organization’s performing arts tourism program ‘Welcome Daehakro’ in 2021 and 2022. It was subsequently chosen and supported by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and Korea Arts Management Service (KAMS)’ program ‘Global Expansion and Distribution Program for Korean Musicals’ in 2023 and 2024, leading to the full-scale development of an English-language production.
This world premiere of cult Korean one-person rock musical The Last Man is also supported by the Korean Cultural Centre UK.
The running time is approximately 1 hour 40 plus interval. Age guidance is 14+
LISTING INFORMATION
Southwark Playhouse Elephant1 Dante Place, London SE11 4RXClosest Tube Station: Elephant & Castle (Northern Line & Bakerloo Line) Take the Shopping Centre exit.
Box Office
Online https://southwarkplayhouse.co.uk/productions/the-last-man/
No Booking Fee Online or by Telephone
By Telephone 020 7407 0234
Performance Dates & Times:
Friday 8 May to Saturday 13 June 2026 Monday – Saturday: 7pm,
Thursday and Saturday Matinees: 2.30pm.
Captioned performance, Tuesday 26 May: 7pm.
Ticket Prices: from £24 Standard | from £19.50 Concessions | Previews £16 | Pioneers’ Preview £10
Age Guidance: Recommended for ages 14+. The Last Man’s depiction of solitary survival in a harsh and confined environment might make certain scenes in the production feel psychologically unsettling for some audience members.
Southwark PlayhouseSouthwark Playhouse is a registered charity that delivers a year-round programme of entertaining and enriching work. Southwark Playhouse operates two separate venues ‘Southwark Playhouse Borough’ and its newest theatre ‘Southwark Playhouse Elephant’ which opened in January 2023. Southwark Playhouse has always prided itself in telling stories and inspiring the next generation of storytellers and theatre makers, where support for the community has been rooted at the core of the organisation.
Instagram: @swkplay @thelastman_uk
Tiktok: @thelastman_uk
Facebook: The Last Man UK
BlueSky: @swkplay.bsky.social
Website: southwarkplayhouse.co.uk
Facebook: SouthwarkPlayhouse
YouTube: southwarkplayhouse
Daljung Kim is a Seoul-based director with a prolific career spanning film, musicals and plays. His recent work focuses on developing and directing original Korean musicals including The Last Man, Mahagonny and Gloomy Sunday. His other stage credits include the successful Korean productions of An Iliad, Hedwig and the Angry Inch and The Spitfire Grill.
Jethro Compton is an award-winning Cornish director, designer, independent theatre producer and writer for stage and screen. His directing credits include, for Jethro Compton Productions, The Bunker Trilogy and The Capone Trilogy, as well as his own writing including The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, The Frontier Trilogy, Sirenia, Wolf’s Blood and the Olivier Award-winning musical The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.
NEO, Inc. is a production company dedicated to exploring the emotions and questions faced by individuals and society today through original musicals. Through works such as The Last Man, Gloomy Day, and Vanishing, the company has engaged with themes including youth isolation, existential anxiety, and fractured human relationships, connecting personal emotions with wider social issues. The UK production of The Last Man portrays the survival of an individual in an extreme state of isolation, revealing the growing sense of loneliness and disconnection in contemporary society. It seeks to open a broader conversation around these themes and share this with audiences.