ONE DAY musical cast news: West End stars announced for new musical based on David Nicholls' bestselling novel

Today, on St Swithin's Day, The Royal Lyceum Edinburgh and producers Melting Pot announce the lead casting for the World Premiere of the new ONE DAY musical set to premier in Edinburgh in 2026.

Jamie Muscato and Sharon Rose. Image credit: Ellie Kurtz

Jamie Muscato and Sharon Rose to star as Dexter and Emma in ONE DAY

The Royal Lyceum Edinburgh and Melting Pot are thrilled to announce the stellar leading cast for the upcoming world premiere of brand new musical based on David Nicholls’ critically acclaimed, global bestselling novel ONE DAY.

Emma and Dexter first meet on the night of their graduation, 15th July 1988 – St. Swithin’s Day. Over the next twenty years we return to them on the same day each year, and through joy and heartbreak, missed opportunities and second chances, they navigate love, ambition, and the unpredictable twists of life.

One Day the musical cast announced

Taking on the Iconic role of Dexter is Olivier-nominated Jamie Muscato who is currently starring as 'Jay Gatsby' in The Great Gatsby at the London Coliseum and was Olivier-nominated for 2025 Best Actor in a Musical for his performance as 'Anatole' in Natasha, Pierre & the Great Comet of 1812 at the Donmar Warehouse. Other theatre work includes Christian in Moulin Rouge! (Piccadilly Theatre); Guy in Once (London Palladium); Enjolras in Les Misérables The Staged Concert (Sondheim Theatre); Tony in West Side Story (Leicester Curve); JD in Heathers (Theatre Royal Haymarket/The Other Palace).

Powerhouse West End performer Sharon Rose will play Emma to Muscato’s Dexter. Her past theatre credits include Elizabeth ‘Eliza’ Schuyler in Hamilton (Victoria Palace Theatre); The Unlikely Pilgrimage Of Harold Fry (Chichester Festival Theatre); Sylvia (Old Vic); Caroline Or Change (Hampstead Theatre, ATG); Motown (Shaftesbury Theatre, MTM London); Beautiful, The Carole King Musical (Aldwych Theatre, Mark Rubinstein); Sister Act (TWODS). Further casting will be announced closer to the show's opening.

About One Day, the musical

This brand-new adaptation of the beloved story is written by The Lyceum’s former Artistic Director David Greig (The Strange Undoing of Prudencia Hart, The Architect, Dunsinane, Local Hero), with music and lyrics by Abner and Amanda Ramirez (of acclaimed US band Johnnyswim), with additional material by Freya Catrin Smith (Ride: A New Musical, Charing Cross Theatre), and directed by Tony and Olivier award nominee Max Webster (Macbeth with David Tennant and Cush Jumbo, The Importance of Being Earnest with Ncuti Gatwa, Life of Pi, Sheffield Crucible, West End and Broadway).

One Day opens in Edinburgh as part of The Royal Lyceum’s 60th anniversary season, which is the first programmed by new Artistic Director, James Brining.

One Day has choreography by Carrie-Anne Ingrouille, set and costume design by Rae Smith, lighting design by Bruno Poet, sound design by Simon Baker, music supervision and arrangements by Nigel Lilley, orchestrations by Simon Hale and casting by Stuart Burt CDG.

One Day is a celebration of love, fate, and the moments that define us forever, with a soaring original score, and the warmth, wit, and raw emotion of the novel that touched millions.

One Day is scheduled to open at the Royal Lyceum Theatre in Edinburgh in February 2026.

Further casting is to be announced.

Read the full One Day musical announcement here

ONE DAY

Royal Lyceum Theatre Edinburgh

Grindlay Street, Edinburgh, EH3 9AX

27 February - 5 April 2026

lyceum.org.uk | 0131 248 4848 / boxoffice@lyceum.org.uk