Full cast revealed for My Fair Lady in London

With rehearsals about to start, ull casting has just been revealed for My Fair Lady at the London Coliseum this May.

Joining Amara Okereke (Spring Awakening, The Boy Friend) as Eliza and Harry Hadden-Paton (returning to the role following his turn on Broadway) as Henry Higgins will be Stephen K Amos as Alfred P Doolittle and Malcolm Sinclair  as Colonel Pickering.

Stephen K Amos is a BAFTA award-winning comedian whose stage work includes My Night With Reg and One Flew Over The Cuckoos Nest. Malcolm Sinclair  has performed in more than 50 theatrical productions and was nominated for Best Supporting Actor at the 2019 Olivier Awards for his performance in Pressure at The Ambassador's Theatre. 

The score, which includes such standards as "I Could Have Danced All Night," "Get Me to the Church on Time," and "On the Street Where You Live", will be performed by the English National Opera orchestra.

The full company is completed with Dammi Aregbeshola, Bernadette Bangura, Joseph Claus, Jordan Crouch, Jamie Cruttenden, Francessca Daniella-Baker, Barry Drummond, Bethany Huckle, Heather Jackson, Emma Johnson, Charlotte Kennedy, Sinead Kenny, Jenny Legg, Tom Liggins, Rebekah Lowings, Carl Patrick, Tom Ping, Dominique Planter, Joseph Poulton, John Stacey, Joshua Steel, Oliver Tester, Adam Vaughan, Annie Wensak and Paul Westwood.

Gemma Collins to take over as Mama Morton on Chicago tour

TV personality and reality star Gemma Collins  (The Only Way Is Essex) is to take over the role of Mama Morton from Three Degrees singer Sheila Ferguson on the tour of Chicago from 31st May at the Sunderland Empire ahead of playing Cardiff New Theatre, Blackpool Winter Gardens, Sheffield Lyceum, Norwich Theatre Royal and New Theatre, Oxford. 

Producer  David Ian said  “We were completely stunned by Gemma’s audition for the role. She’s an undeniable force both on and off stage, and we can’t wait to see her portrayal of ‘Mama Morton’ on tour. Audiences across the country are in for a treat.”

 Gemma Collins is best known as a media personality and businesswoman, having first featured in the reality series The Only Way Is Essex. She was awarded the 2021 winner of the Best Female Personality at the National Reality Television Awards. Since ‘Essex’ Gemma has appeared in numerous television shows including, I’m A Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here!, Celebrity Big Brother, Dancing on Ice and All Together Now in which she was a finalist. Most recently Gemma was seen on screens with her intimate Channel 4 documentary, Gemma Collins: Self-Harm & Me. Before finding fame on The Only Way Is Essex, Gemma was a keen performer having studied dance and winning a place at the renowned Sylvia Young Theatre School.

Also in the cast will be Faye Brookes, Djalenga Scott, Jamie Baughan and B E Wong with  Ishmail Aaron, Michelle Andrews, Gabby Antrobus, Delycia Belgrave, Joel Benjamin, Tanisha-Mae Brown, Daniel Clift, Callum Fitzgerald, Emily Goodenough, Billie Hardy, Aaron Jenkins, Liam Marcellino, Theo Reece, Hollie Jane Stephens and Harrison Wilde.

 

Beverley Knight to play Deloris with more casting announced for London run of Sister Act Tour

It has been announced that Beverley Knight is to play Deloris Van Carter (the role made famous in the film by Whoopi Goldberg) for the  London run of Sister Act Tour at the London Eventim Apollo from 19 July – 28 August 2022. 

  

Beverley Knight will be playing Deloris Van Carter. She will be joined by Jennifer Saunders as Mother Superior with The Greatest Showman star Keala Settle as Sister Mary Patrick, television and stage star Lesley Joseph (Birds of a Feather, Young Frankenstein and Calendar Girls) as Sister Mary Lazarus, Clive Rowe (The Lady Killers, Kiss Me Kate) as Eddie Souther, and Lizzie Bea (Heathers Musical, Hairspray)/Sister Mary Robert.  

The cast also includes Jeremy Secomb/Curtis Jackson, Graham McDuff/Monsignor O’Hara, Tricia Deighton/Sister Mary Theresa, Lori Haley Fox/Sister Mary Martin of Tours, Tom Hopcroft/Joey, Bradley Judge/TJ, Tanya Edwards/Tina who will be joined by ensemble members Catherine Millsom, Anne Smith, Emma Ralston, Jermaine Woods, Michael Ward/Swing & Dance Captain and Caroline Bateson/Swing.

Casting for all other roles for the London performances of Sister Act in 2022, together with casting for the UK tour, will be made soon. 

Further casting for tour and Barbican run of Anything Goes

Further casting has been revealed for the upcoming tour and London run of the new Anything Goes revival, which makes a return after its award-winning opening last summer.

as previously announced West End star Kerry Ellis will lead the production as nightclub evangelist Reno Sweeney, with Dennis Lawson as Moonface Martin, Simon Callow as Eli Whitney, and Bonnie Langford as Mrs. Hope Harcourt.

Returning to the show will be Samuel Edwards (Les Misérables) as Billy Crocker, Carly Mercedes Dyer (A Chorus Line) as Erma, Nicole-Lily Baisden (The Book of Mormon) as Hope Harcourt and Haydn Oakley (A Christmas Carol) as Lord Evelyn Oakleigh with Carl Au as Luke, Trev Neo as John, Clive Hayward as Ship's Captain and Cornelius Clarke as Ship's Purser.

The ensemble will include Jessica Buckby, Natalie Chua, Eamonn Cox, Jacob Fisher, Selina Hamilton, Maddie Harper, Eu Jin Hwang, David Kar-Hing Lee, Billie-Kay, Sammy Kelly, Anna McGarahan, Perry O'Dea, Tom Partridge, Christopher Short, Jack Wilcox and Alexandra Wright and swings Josh Barnett, George Beet, Gabrielle Cocca and Emily Ormiston.

The show has added a number of weeks to its London run and will now commence performances from Saturday 25 June rather than Friday 15 July. It opens on tour at Bristol Hippodrome on 11 April before visiting Liverpool, Edinburgh, Dublin and Manchester.

Full casting for Regent's Park Open Air Theatre's 101 Dalmatians.

Casting is now complete for the Regent's Park   production of 101 Dalmatians which is directed by Timothy Shreader and runs from 12 July  - 28 August 2022

Kate Fleetwood (The Wheel of Time) will take on the villainous role of Cruella de Vil, having  been attached to the project pre-pandemic.

Dalmatians Pongo and Perdi will be puppeteered by Danny Collins (Pongo Voice), Emma Lucia (Perdi Voice), Yana Penrose (Perdi Head) and Ben Thompson (Pongo Head).

They are joined by (in alphabetical order) Jamil Abbasi (Ensemble), Stuart Angell (Captain Head), George Bukhari (Jasper), Sonya Cullingford (Ensemble), Jade Davies (Swing), Karen Fishwick (Danielle), Joseph Fletcher (Ensemble), Taofique Folarin (Swing), Courtney George (Ensemble), Tash Holway (Swing and Dance Captain), CJ Johnson (Ensemble), Kody Mortimer (Ensemble), Simon Oskarsson (Swing), Tom Peters (Captain Voice), Eric Stroud (Dominic), Jonny Weldon (Casper), and Grace Wylde (Madam Doué).

Buy tickets for 101 Dalmatians

Titanic the Musical to tour next year

Maury Yeston and Peter Stone's Titanic the Musical is heading out on  a 10th anniversary UK tour kicking off at the Churchill Theatre in Bromley on 16 March 2023

Directed by Thom Southerland and produced by Danielle Tarento, Steven M Levy and Vaughan Williams in association with Southampton's Mayflower Theatre, the piece explores the lives and aspirations of the passengers and crew onboard, when the Titanic infamously sank on 15 April 1912 and over 1,500 lives were lost. The original Broadway production took home five Tony Awards including Best Musical.

The creative team will also include set and costume designer David Woodhead, lighting designer Howard Hudson, and sound designer Andrew Johnson, with musical staging by Cressida Carré and new musical arrangements by Ian Weinberger.

The tour is set to visit Newcastle Theatre Royal, Belfast Grand Opera House, Southampton Mayflower Theatre, Birmingham Hippodrome, Norwich Theatre Royal, Cardiff New Theatre, Nottingham Theatre Royal, Wycombe Swan, Hull New Theatre, Edinburgh Festival Theatre, The Orchard Theatre Dartford, The Lowry in Salford and Sheffield Lyceum in July 2023.

Further tour dates, as well as casting for the production, will be revealed soon

New London concert staging of The Witches of Eastwick

 

A concert staging production of The Witches of Eastwick will run in the West End for one night only on 20th  June at the Sondheim starring  Giles Terera (Hamilton and Avenue Q original cast,Rent) as Darryl Van Horne. Further all star casting is to be revealed.

Maria Friedman (who starred in the original production of the show, will direct the concert staging of John Dempsey and Dana P Rowe's piece, with musical staging by Stephen Mear.

The Witches of Eastwick tells the tale of the people of the little town of Eastwick. It is a town where everyone knows everything about everyone else, and it is presided over by the indomitable Felicia Gabriel. Bored with their small town lives, three women - Alexandra (Alex), Sukie, and Jane--share a desire for "all manner of man in one man" to provide excitement and variety. That man arrives, literally in a flash, in the devil-like form of Darryl Van Horne. Darryl seduces the women and teaches them powers, which they never knew they had.

 Friedman commented: "I'm so incredibly excited to be revisiting Eastwick after all these years. To be reunited with the fantastic Stephen Mear and to have the opportunity to bring this beloved musical back to London, and at the simply stunning Sondheim Theatre, for one night only is an absolute thrill and I can't wait to get started."

 Tickets are on generañ sale from 10.00 amThursday 17 March.

Full cast for tour of The Cher Show

Complete casting has just been announced for the new tour of The Cher Show. 

 

As previously announced the role of Cher will be played by Debbie Kurup, Danielle Steers and Millie O’Connell. The production features the actresses portraying Cher in three different ways throughout her iconic career, with Debbie as ‘Star’, Danielle as ‘Lady’ and Millie as ‘Babe’. Joining them will be Lucas Rush as Sonny, Jake Mitchell as Bob Mackie, Sam Ferriday as Greg Allman and Tori Scott as Georgia plus Jordan Anderton, Jasmine Jules Andrews, Carla Bertran, Catherine Cornwall, Áine Curran, Sam Holden, Samantha Ivey, Aston Newman Hannington, Ingrid Olivia, Clayton Rosa, Chay Wills and Guy Woolf.

David Hunter and Wendy Mae Brown join cast of Waitress tour

David Hunter and Wendy Mae Brown will join the cast of the UK and Ireland Tour of the romantic musical comedy tour of the WAITRESS as ‘Dr Pomatter’ and ‘Becky’ taking over from Matt Willis and Sandra Marvin. 

Wendy Mae Brown joins the production from 30 March 2022, David Hunter will appear in Llandudno from 30 March to 2 April 2022 and then from 30 May 2022.
 

They join Chelsea Halfpenny as ‘Jenna’, Evelyn Hoskins as ‘Dawn’, George Crawford as ‘Ogie’, Michael Starke as ‘Joe’ Tamlyn Henderson as ‘Earl’ and Christopher D. Hunt as ‘Cal’. The company also includes Monique Ashe-Palmer, Amelia Atherton, Donal Brennan, Aimée Fisher, Scarlet Gabriel, Nathanael Landskroner, Charlie Martin, Liam McHugh, Olivia Mitchell, Ben Morris and Brian Roland.

David Hunter reprises his role as ‘Dr Pomatter’ having originated the role in the West End production of Waitress at the Adelphi Theatre. His other West End credits include Kinky Boots, Once, One Man, Two Guvnors, Songs For A New World, Tommy and Seussical. David gained national notoriety during his time on ITV’s Superstar, competing to play the role of ‘Jesus’ in Jesus Christ Superstar. His other film and television credits include Nativity 3, Holby City and Doctors. David is also the front man of pop-rock band, Reemer.

Wendy Mae Brown’s West End theatre credits include The Book of Dust, The Lorax and Kiss Me, Kate. Her other theatre credits include To Kill A Mockingbird, Ghost The Musical, Rent and South Pacific. Her television credits include Almost Never, River, Man Down, Porters, 40 North and Casualty. Wendy’s film credits include Four Weddings and a Funeral, Your Christmas or Mine?, Last Chance Harvey and Blackbeard The Pirate. 

Newsies UK Premiere at Troubadour Theatre in November

JUST ANNOUNCED: The award winning Broadway musical Newsies is to have its UK premiere in a new reimagined production performed in the round at the Troubadour Theatre in Wembley Park from 22nd November 2022 for a strictly limited season. Tickets go on sale in May.

The new London production features direction and choreography by Matt Cole, set design by Morgan Large, musical supervision, dance arrangements and musical direction by Nigel Lilley, costumes by Natalie Pryce, lighting by Mark Henderson, sound by Tony Gayle, performer flying by John Maddox for suspended iIllusions Ltd, casting by Lucy Casson, children's casting by Jo Hawes, fight direction by Rachel Bown-Williams and Ruth Cooper-Brown for RC Annie, associate choreography by Jane McMurtrie, associate musical direction by Chris Ma and production management by Lee Batty and Andy Fox for Setting Line.

Alan Menken said: "I am OVER THE MOON about Newsies opening in London!! I've been wishing and waiting for this for soooo long. I truly cannot wait!" The new run will see the cast (still to be revealed) "dance, sing, jump and fly around the street".

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tammy Faye Bakker musical to open in London in the autumn

As previously reported, James Graham is collaborating with music legend Elton John and Jake Shears of The Scissor Sisters on a musical about  the life of Tammy Faye Bakker who was an American Christian singer, evangelist, author, talk show hostess, and television personality. She initially gained notice for her work with The PTL Club, a televangelist program that she co-founded with her husband Jim Bakker in 1974. They had hosted their own puppet show series for local programming in Minnesota in the early 1970s; Messner also had a career as a recording artist. In 1978, she and Bakker built Heritage USA, a Christian theme park.

Jim Bakker was indicted, convicted, and imprisoned on numerous counts of fraud and conspiracy in 1989, resulting in the dissolution of The PTL Club. 

The musical is set to open in autumn 2022 at the Almeida Theatre on London's West End. The production is set to be directed by Rupert Goold, who previously ran  a workshop of the show in 2020.  More news to follow.

More West End stars performing at Stephen Sondheim Old Friends Gala

 Baz Bamigboye of The Daily Mail has announced  some exciting new names who have joined the cast including Rosalie Craig, Julian Ovenden, Anna Jane Casey, Janie Dee, Rob Brydon, Rob Houchen, and Gary Wilmot.

 

A star-studded line up  of musical theatre stars including performances from Bernadette Peters, Judi Dench, Imelda Staunton, Imelda Staunton, Hannah Waddingham, Elaine Paige, Judi Dench, Michael Ball, Petula Clark, Daniel Evans, Bonnie Langford, Adrian Lester, Damian Lewis, Julia McKenzie and Clive Rowe are gathering to salute the legacy of the legendary Stephen Sondheim at a gala performance called Old Friends.

The celebration  will take place on one night only on  May 3rd at the Stephen Sondheim Theatre with proceeds going to the Sondheim Foundation. 

You can  expect performances of "Send in the Clowns" from Dame Judi Dench and "Losing My Mind" from Tony-winner Bernadette Peters.The show will feature choreography by Stephen Mear with staging by Matt Bourne and Maria Friedman, and will feature a 26 piece orchestra conducted by Alfonso Casadot. The gala will be produced by Cameron Mackintosh and Delfont Mackintosh West End.

Buy tickets for Sondheim Old Friends Gala

Louis Gaunt to replace Charlie Stemp as Bert in Mary Poppins

Louis Gaunt (Sweet Charity, Oklahoma!) will take on the role of Bert In Mary Poppins from 22nd June 2022, replacing Charlie Stemp, who is set to star in Crazy For You at Chichester this summer.

The cast will  then comprise of Zizi Strallen as Mary Poppins and Louis Gaunt as Bert, Charlie Anson as George Banks, Amy Griffiths as Winifred Banks, Petula Clark as Bird Woman, Liz Robertson as Miss Andrew, Claire Machin as Mrs Brill, Jack North as Robertson Ay and Paul F      Monaghan as Admiral Boom and Bank Chairman.

Katie Cox, Rose Dawson, Megan Donovan, Sophie Hartley-Booth, Erin Hillyer, Megan Judge, Shayla McCormack, Arrabella McDermott and Maddison Thew currently alternate the role of Jane Banks with Logan Clark, Cian Eagle-Service, Oliver Gordon, George Hamblin, Charlie Murphy, Gabriel Payne, Sebastian Selwood, Noah Swer-Fox and Frankie Treadaway alternating the role of Michael Banks.

The ensemble comprises Yves Adang, Angeline Bell, Lydia Boulton, Alison Connell, Adam Davidson, Danielle Delys, Joseph Dockree, Charlie Donnelly, Stan Doughty, Glen Facey, Davide Fienauri, Harry Francis, Lyndsey Gardiner, Ian Gareth-Jones, Maria Garrett, Mark Goldthorp, Jacqueline Hughes, Emma Hunter, Jason Kajdi, Sam Lathwood, Jordan Livesey, Tania Mathurin, Laura Medforth, Alex Pinder, Ben Redfern, Clare Rickard, Lucie-Mae Sumner, Scott Waugh and Monique Young.

Cast change announced for Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club

The producers of CABARET at the KIT KAT CLUB in London’s West End are delighted to announce that Fra Fee will play ‘The Emcee’ and Amy Lennox will play ‘Sally Bowles’ from 21 March – 25 June 2022. 

The producers of Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club said today “We are thrilled to be welcoming the perfectly marvellous Fra Fee and Amy Lennox to our production of Cabaret. We wanted to recast these career defining roles with exceptional actors and so we’re just delighted that the stars have aligned with both Fra and Amy’s schedules.  We couldn’t have asked for a more exciting and thrilling duo to follow Eddie and Jessie.”

Fra Fee most recently starred as Kazi in the hit Disney+ series Hawkeye, set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. He created the role of Michael Carber in the award-winning play The Ferryman at the Royal Court, the Gielgud Theatre in the West End and the Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre on Broadway. His other theatre credits include Owen in Translations and Amiens in As You Like It, both at the National Theatre and the title role in Candide at the Menier Chocolate Factory. He played Courfeyac in the film of the musical Les Misérables and also appeared in the stage production at the Queen’s Theatre.

 Amy Lennox received an Olivier nomination for Best Actress in a Supporting Role in a Musical for her portrayal of Lauren in the West End production of Kinky Boots. Her other credits include Ellie in the London premiere of the David Bowie and Enda Walsh musical Lazarus. She was in the original West End cast of the musical Legally Blonde and created the role of Doralee in the original UK production of 9 to 5 The Musical.

Fra and Amy appeared together in the critically acclaimed production of The Last Five Years in Belfast.

Also joining the production on 21st March 2022 will be Omar Baroud as ‘Cliff Bradshaw’ and Vivien Parry as ‘Fraulein Schneider’. Continuing in their roles will be Elliot Levey as ‘Herr Schultz’, Stewart Clarke as ‘Ernst Ludwig’ and Anna-Jane Casey as ‘Fraulein Kost’.The cast is completed by Josh Andrews, Emily Benjamin, Sally Frith, Matthew Gent, Emma Louise Jones, Ela Lisondra, Theo Maddix, Chris O’Mara, Daniel Perry, Andre Refig, Christopher Tendai, Bethany Terry, Lillie-Pearl Wildman and Sophie Maria Wojna.

Full casting announced for Zorro the Musical at Charing Cross Theatre

Zorro the Musical penned by Stephen Clark and Helen Edmundson, featuring music by the Gypsy Kings and John Cameron, with lyrics by Clark.will be playing at the Charing Cross Theatre from 2 April to 28 May. 2022. The revival had opened for two previews before being shut by the pandemic in March 2020. This new run is the first time a production has been staged in London since its original premiere in 2008

The musical will be staged in the round and is based on the tale of the famous masked crusader featuring  Gypsy King hits including "Bamboleo" and "Baila Me".

Casting includes Ajjaz Awad (ensemble), Pete Ashmore (Don Alejandro), Amy Bastani (ensemble), Isobel Bates (ensemble), Ben Boskovic (ensemble), Matthew Bugg (ensemble), Paige Fenlon (Luisa), Alex Gibson-Giorgio (Ramon), Maxwell Griffin (ensemble), Matthew Heywood (ensemble), Jessica Lim (ensemble), Phoebe Panaretos (Inez), Jessica Pardoe (ensemble), Marc Pickering (Garcia), Benjamin Purkiss (Diego/Zorro), Stylianos Thomadakis (ensemble) and Hannah Woodward (ensemble)

The production is directed by Christian Durham with choreography by Cressida Carré, set and costume design by Rosa Maggiora, musical direction and and orchestrations by Nick Barstow, sound design by Andrew Johnson, lighting design by Matthew Haskins and fight direction by Renny Krupinski with flamenco specialist Maria Vega and accent coach Nina Zendejas. The casting director is Jane Deitch and the general manager is Chris Matanlé.

Buy tickets for Zorro the Musical