Casting has been revealed for the touring production of the hit musical Hairspray which will begin its second major UK and Ireland tour in Cardiff on 16 August 2017.
Comedian and actor Norman Pace [pictured left] will play Wilbur Turnblad, while Rebecca Mendoza makes her professional debut playing Tracy Turnblad.
Matt Rixon (Edna Turnblad), Brenda Edwards (Motormouth Maybelle) and Layton Williams (Seaweed) all reprise their roles in the production.
Further cast members include: Gina Murray, Jon Tsouras, Edward Chitticks, Aimee Moore, Annalise Liard-Bailey, Monifa James, Shay Barclay, Ben Darcy, George Hinson, Jordan Laviniere, Graham MacDuff, Lindsay McAllister, Tracey Penn and Freya Rowley. Lauren Concannon, Melissa Nettleford and Emily-Mae Walker will play The Dynamites.
The production of the multi-award winning show will visit more than 30 venues on its return trip around the country which will last until the early summer of 2018.
Layton Williams returns to the touring production of Hairspray. Picture: Vivienne Vincent
Hairspray is directed by Paul Kerryson, with choreography by Drew McOnie, musical direction by Ben Atkinson, set and costume design by takis, lighting design by Philip Gladwell and sound design by Ben Harrison.
The tour will follow its opening run at the Wales Millennium Centre in Cardiff with dates in Dartford, Dublin, Blackpool, Sunderland, Glasgow, Birmingham, Leicester, Buxton, Belfast, Aylesbury, Carlisle, Bradford, Guildford, Plymouth, Southampton, Sheffield, Aberdeen, Nottingham, Bristol, Edinburgh, Inverness, Manchester, Milton Keynes, Liverpool, Hull, Llandudno, Canterbury and Southend.
Based on the 1988 film of the same name which starred Divine and Ricki Lake by cult filmmaker John Waters, the musical has music and lyrics by Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman and a book by Mark O’Donnell and Thomas Meehan.
Hairspray originally opened to rave reviews on Broadway in 2002 and subsequently won eight Tony Awards. The production opened in London at the Shaftesbury Theatre in 2007 and won four Laurence Olivier Awards including Best New Musical. Proving to be an international success, Hairspray has also opened in South Africa, Japan, South Korea, China and Dubai.
Hairspray is produced by Goucher and Laurence Myers, Tom O’Connell Productions Ltd, Just for Laughs Theatricals, Gale King Productions, Gary Brown and the Curve Theatre Leicester.
Angela Thomas
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