Full cast announced for Fat Friends Musical

The full cast of the British musical Fat Friends has just been announced.  The show is based on the TV drama and has been adapted for the stage by writer Kay Mellor with original music by Nicholas Lloyd Webber. Mellor will also direct the show which opens at Leeds Grand Theatre on 7th November followed by an extensive UK tour in 2018.

Jodie Prenger will play Kelly Stevenson a big, bubbly, bride to be who works in her dad's fish and chip shop. leading a star company including X Factor Winner Sam Bailey as Betty - Kelly’s mother, homely and sweet and recently slimmed down/Elaine C Smith at three Scottish dates in Edinburgh, Glasgow and Aberdeen with Emmerdale's Natalie Anderson as a Lauren (Jewish, attractive, thinks her bum's too big, works in a bridal shop and runs Super Slimmers Headingley Branch) and former England cricket captain, and star of SKY’s League of Their Own, Andrew “Freddie” Flintoff is playing Kevin Mergatroyd (Kelly's fiancee, a big lovable lad but not the sharpest knife in the drawer) in Leeds, Southampton, Sheffield, Manchester, Birmingham, Bradford and Blackpool/Joel Montague (School of Rock) who also recently starred alongside Sheridan Smith in Funny Girl will share the role. Other casting includes Rachael Wooding as Joanne (Kelly's sharp tongued and feisty thin sister), Chloe Hart as Val (works for local TV, has replaced men with chocolate and put on 2 stone!). Atomic Kitten Natasha Hamilton, who has previously starred in Blood Brothers, will take on the role of Julia at certain locations alongside Kevin Kennedy (Coronation Street, We Will Rock You) as Fergus with Jonathan Halliwell (Let It Shine) and Chloe Hart (Hairspray) , with Neil Hurst as Alan (one of dozens of Yorkshiremen who applied for the role through an open audition call) and Craig Armstrong, Lizzie Bea, Paul Brangan, Emma Crossley, Ellie Leah, Laura Mansell and Ryan Pidgen completing the cast.