Full cast announced for revival of The Rink starring Gemma Sutton and Caroline O'Connor

Updated 24th April: Joining Gemma and Caroline will be Stewart Clarke, Ross Dawes, Michael Lin, Elander Moore, Ben Redfern and Jason Winter playing Dino, Lino, Lucky, Benny, Lenny and Tony respectively in the first London revival in 20 years of Kander and Ebb’s THE RINK.


Updated 13th April:  Gemma Sutton  has joined the cast playing  the role of Angel, an estranged daughter who returns home to mend her relationship with her mother and help save their roller-skating rink.

Gemma most recently played Fran in Strictly Ballroom (West Yorkshire Playhouse & Princess of Wales Theatre, Toronto) and Marian in The Go Between (Apollo Theatre, London). She received critical acclaim for her portrayal of both June and Louise in the West End production of Gypsy opposite Imelda Staunton (also June in the Chichester Festival Theatre production). Her other theatre credits include Amber Von Tussle in Hairspray (UK tour), Roxie Hart in Chicago (Curve Theatre, Leicester), Drunk (Leicester Curve Theatre and The Bridewell Theatre, London) and Enid/first cover Elle in Legally Blonde (Savoy Theatre, West End).

Caroline O’Connor is  to star as Anna Antonelli -  the owner of a fading Coney Island seaside roller rink - in  The Rink musical at Southwark Playhouse from May 25th-23rd June.

This is the  first London revival of The Rink  in almost 30 years.It  has music and lyrics by Tony and Olivier Award-Winning John Kander and Fred Ebb (Chicago, Cabaret) and book by Tony Award-winning Terrence McNally (Ragtime, Kiss of the Spiderwoman), and. It originally premiered on Broadway in 1984 starring Chita Rivera and Liza Minelli with Anna, an Italian housewife who runs a roller-skating rink on the Eastern coast of America who  is about to sell it to developers until her estranged daughter, Angel, returns after a long absence, hoping to save the rink and patch things up with her mother. Chita Rivera created the role Anna in New York and Josephine Blake played her in London back in 1987.

The Rink is directed by Adam Lenson (Songs For a New World & Superhero) and choreographed by Fabian Aloise (Working & Our House, UK Tour)  It has showstopping songs, including Colored Lights and Don’t “Ah Ma” Me,

O'Connor is currently appearing as Countess Lily in Anastasia on Broadway.which also has a script by McNally. She understudied Diane Langton who played Angel in London saying I was so young then. For me it was so exciting to be part of it. It’ll be very interesting to understand Anna from the get go. Having listened so often to The Rink soundtrack, she feels she understands the show very well.

 

Tickets for The Rink