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Full Cast Announced
The producers of HAIRSPRAY are delighted to announce full, all star casting for the show that will embark on its first ever tour of the UK and Ireland this year.
Olivier Award winner Michael Ball, who originated the role of larger than life heroine ‘Edna Turnblad’ in the London production, will open the tour at the Wales Millennium Centre in Cardiff on Wednesday 7 April 2010 (previews from 30 March), before dates across the UK. Popular entertainer Brian Conley and TV drama star Michael Starke will then alternate the role of ‘Edna Turnblad’ with Michael Ball throughout the tour*. Versatile comedian and actor Les Dennis, Micky Dolenz and Nigel Planer will alternate playing Edna’s husband, loveable joke shop owner ‘Wilbur Turnblad’. *Casting per venue detailed below.
Danny Bayne, who won ITV’s Grease is the Word will play ‘Corny Collins’, winner of GMTV’s Search for Troy in High School Musical 2 Liam Doyle will take on the role of ‘Link Larkin’ and Laurie Scarth will play ‘Tracy Turnblad’. Other cast will include Sandra Marvin as ‘Motormouth Maybelle’, Gillian Kirkpatrick as ‘Velma Von Tussle’ and Wayne Robinson as ‘Seaweed’, Emma Dukes as ‘Penny Pingleton’, Clare Halse as ‘Amber Von Tussle’ and Seliza Sebastian as ‘Little Inez’.
Michael Ball is Britain’s leading musical theatre star and a multi-platinum selling recording artist. With his top rated BBC Radio 2 show, Michael Ball’s Sunday Brunch, and his regular concert tours Michael has won critical acclaim and the hearts of a fiercely loyal public. He has starred in productions on both sides of the Atlantic including The Phantom of the Opera, Les Misérables, Aspects of Love, Passion, The Woman in White and Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and made his debut with the New York City Opera in 2005 in Gilbert & Sullivan’s Patience. Michael has presented a number of his own high profile television shows including his Michael Ball Christmas Special, An Evening With Michael Ball and he is a regular guest presenter of ITV1’s This Morning and BBC1’s Lottery shows. The tour also marks the first stage of a closer working relationship between the star and producers, Stage Entertainment. This will involve developing new work and roles both onstage and in a production capacity for Michael in the future. Plans include a major musical revival in 2011.
Brian Conley is one of the UK’s biggest entertainment stars with credits spanning musicals, television, film, comedy and variety. Career highlights include multiple series of The Brian Conley Show for ITV, regular appearances at The Royal Variety Show, television comedies The Grimleys and Time After Time and lead roles in hit musicals The Music Man, Me & My Girl, Jolson and Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, as well as many sold out comedy and music tours and pantomimes.
Liverpool born actor Michael Starke is best known for his role as ‘Thomas "Sinbad" Sweeney’ in popular soap Brookside, which he played for 16 years. He was also a series regular playing ‘Kenneth Hopkirk’ in Sunday night ITV1 drama The Royal. From 2007 to 2008, Michael starred in ITV1’s Coronation Street as kebab shop owner ‘Jerry Morton’. Previous stage credits include The Play What I Wrote, Anything Goes, The Rocky Horror Show, Hamlet and numerous pantomime appearances.
Les Dennis is acknowledged as one of Britain’s most popular entertainers, his career spanning television, radio, film, stage and the written word. Rising to fame on the comedy circuit Les soon found television success on comedy and variety shows as well as a hugely successful run as a game show host on Family Fortunes. He has starred in many stage productions from sell out pantomimes to plays by Shakespeare, Priestley and Ackbourn and on screen his guest star credits include New Street Law, The Bill, Holby City and Extras. As a leading man in musical theatre he has starred in Me & My Girl, Chicago and recently in the West End, Eurobeat. Les is currently starring as ‘Mr Fulton’ in the UK tour of Disney’s High School Musical 2 Live on Stage. In 2008 he published his critically acclaimed memoirs, Must The Show Go On?
Micky Dolenz first established himself as a performer at the age of ten, when under the name of Micky Braddock, he starred in his first tv series Circus Boy. He is best known for being lead singer and drummer for the 60's pop phenomenon The Monkees. From 1977 he spent 12 years in the UK as a prominent producer and director for the BBC, LWT and Central Television, as well as writing and directing the stage adaptation of Bugsy Malone (West End). He returns to the UK stage after several years of performing in various productions on Broadway.
Its 1962, the 50s are out and change is in the air. Baltimore’s Tracy Turnblad, a big girl with big hair and an even bigger heart, has only one passion – dancing. She wins a spot on the local TV dance programme, The Corny Collins Show and, overnight, is transformed from outsider to irrepressible teen celebrity. But can a trendsetting hair-hopper like Tracy get her massively shy Mom out of the apartment, beat evil Amber to be crowned Miss Hairspray, integrate Corny’s show for good AND win the heart of local heartthrob Link Larkin, all without denting her ‘do? If anyone can, Tracy can!
The smash hit award-winning musical HAIRSPRAY at the Shaftesbury Theatre in London recouped its entire capitalisation in a record-breaking 29 weeks. The show opened in October 2007 to universal critical acclaim and smash hit business. At the 2008 Olivier Awards, HAIRSPRAY won Best Musical, as well as Best Actor in a Musical for Michael Ball. The show has also won Best Musical at the Evening Standard Awards, the Whatsonstage.com Theatregoers Choice awards, the Critics’ Circle Awards and the Variety Club Showbiz Awards. Further afield the show has played at venues around the world and won more than 40 major theatre awards.
2010 UK TOUR SCHEDULE
30 MARCH – 24 APRIL
WALES MILLENIUM CENTRE – Michael Ball and Les Dennis will be playing at this venue
08700 40 2000
www.wmc.org.uk
28 APRIL – 8 MAY
GLASGOW CLYDE AUDITORIUM – Michael Ball and Les Dennis will be playing at this venue
0844 395 4000
www.secc.co.uk
11 MAY – 29 MAY
SOUTHAMPTON MAYFLOWER – Michael Ball and Les Dennis will be playing at this venue
02380 711811
www.mayflower.org.uk
1 JUNE – 19 JUNE
WOLVERHAMPTON GRAND THEATRE – Brian Conley and Les Dennis will be playing at this venue
01902 42 92 12
www.grandtheatre.info
22 JUNE – 3 JULY
LEEDS GRAND THEATRE – Brian Conley and Nigel Planer will be playing at this venue
0844 848 2706
www.leedsgrandtheatre.com
13 JULY – 31 JULY
MANCHESTER OPERA HOUSE – Michael Ball and Nigel Planer will be playing at this venue
0844 847 2295
www.palaceandoperahouse.org.uk
3 AUGUST – 14 AUGUST
PLYMOUTH THEATRE ROYAL – Brian Conley and Les Dennis will be playing at this venue
01752 267222
www.theatreroyal.com
17 AUGUST – 4 SEPTEMBER
LIVERPOOL EMPIRE THEATRE – Michael Starke and Les Dennis will be playing at this venue
0844 847 2525
www.liverpoolempire.org.uk
7 SEPTEMBER – 18 SEPTEMBER
SUNDERLAND EMPIRE – Michael Starke and Les Dennis will be playing at this venue
0844 847 24 99
www.sunderlandempire.org.uk
21 SEPTEMBER – 9 OCTOBER
MILTON KEYNES THEATRE – Brian Conley and Les Dennis will be playing at this venue
0844 871 7652
www.miltonkeynestheatre.com
12 OCTOBER – 23 OCTOBER
OXFORD NEW THEATRE – Brian Conley and Les Dennis will be playing at this venue
0844 847 1585
www.newtheatreoxford.org.uk
25 OCTOBER – 6 NOVEMBER
BIRMINGHAM HIPPODROME – Brian Conley and Les Dennis will be playing at this venue
0844 338 5000
www.birminghamhippodrome.com
16 NOVEMBER – 27 NOVEMBER
DUBLIN GRAND CANAL THEATRE – Michael Ball and Micky Dolenz will be playing at this venue
0818 719 377
www.grandcanaltheatre.ie
30 NOVEMBER – 11 DECEMBER
BRADFORD ALHAMBRA – Michael Starke and Micky Dolenz will be playing at this venue
01274 432 000
www.bradford-theatres.co.uk
14 DECEMBER – 9 JANUARY
EDINBURGH PLAYHOUSE – Michael Ball and Micky Dolenz will be playing at this venue
0844 847 1660
www.edinburghplayhouse.org.uk
29 MARCH - 9 APRIL
ABERDEEN HIS MAJESTY'S THEATRE - Micky Dolenz will be playing this venue
01224 641122
www.boxofficeaberdeen.com
12 - 30 APRIL
BRISTOL HIPPODROME - Micky Dolenz will be playing at this venue
0844 847 2325
www.bristolhippodrome.org.uk
MORE DATES TO BE ANNOUNCED