Fra Fee, Cassidy Janson David Thaxton and Ben Lewis in Candide at the Menier

Updated 11th September:  Booking opens this morning for Candide with the announcement of some of the cast members.  Fra Fee is playing Candide and he will be joined by Cassidy Janson, Ben Lewis, Scarlet Strallen, David Thaxton, Carly Anderson, Jeremy Batt, Christopher Jacobsen, Frankie Jenna, Rachel Spurrell, Helen Walsh and Matt Wilman.

Fra Fee: A Man of No Importance (Salisbury Playhouse);  Young Buddy in Follies (Oṕera de Toulon, France); Les Miserables (Queen’s Theatre); Fame (RTE Irish Tour) and Dirty Dancing (Aldwych Theatre).Courfeyrac in the film version of Les Miserables.

Cassidy Janson/Paquette:  Lend Me A Tenor – The Musical (Gielgud), Avenue Q (Gielgud), Elphaba in Wicked (Apollo Victoria) and Tick Tick Boom (Menier Chocolate Factory).

Ben Lewis/Govenor and Vanderdendur: The Phantom in the Australian production of Love Never Dies,A Little Night Music (Opera Australia) and Australian productions of Spamalot and
Priscilla -- Queen of the Desert.

Scarlett Strallen/Cunegonde: A Chorus Line (London Palladium); Singin’ In The Rain (Chichester Festival and Palace Theatre London - Olivier nomination, Best Actress in a Musical), Passion (Donmar Warehouse); and the title role in Mary Poppins on Broadway and in the West End. Her performance as Josephine in the Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre’s production of HMS Pinafore also won her an Olivier nomination.

David Thaxton/Maximilian: 2011 Olivier Award for Best Actor in a Musical for his performance as Giorgio in Passion (Donmar). Other theatre credits include Raoul in Love Never Dies (Adelphi) and Les Miserables (Queen’s).

More casting news still to come.

Book tickets for Candide

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 The Menier Chocolate Factory is to present a revival of Leonard Bernstein's 1956 musical Candide this Christmas with previews starting on 22nd November and the show opening on 2nd December to 22nd February 2014.

Based on Voltaire's 1759 novel, Candide has music by Leonard Bernstein with a book originally adapted by Hugh Wheeler, then adapted again by Robert Carsden and Ian Burton. The lyrics are by Richard Wilbur with additional lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, John Latouche, Lillian Hellman, Dorothy Parker and Bernstein. It premiered on Broadway in 1956 at the Martin Beck Theatre starring Barbara Cook.

The production will be directed by Matthew White (Top Hat), choreography by Royal Ballet principal and now star of musical theatre Adam Cooper (Singin' in the Rain) with design by Paul Farnsworth, lighting design Paul Anderson, sound design Gareth Owen, musical supervisor David Charles Abell and musical director Seann Alderking.