Trevor Nunn-directed Identical musical finds it trio of twin stars

Kyla and Nicole Fox (front in pink), Emme and Eden Patrick (back in lavender) and Sienna and Savannah Robinson (at the sides in yellow) are cast in the new musical Identical. Picture: Alastair Muir

Following a five year talent search and multiple auditions across the UK, the team behind the Trevor Nunn-directed Identical has revealed the three sets of identical twins selected to star in the new British musical which makes its long-awaited debut this summer.

Due to receive its world premiere in Nottingham from 26 July until 14 August 2022, the musical based on Erich Kästner’s best-selling 1949 novel Lottie and Lisa – the source material for the hit 1961 and 1998 films The Parent Trap – will star 12 year olds Kyla and Nicole Fox (from County Armagh), Emme and Eden Patrick (from Waltham Abbey), and Sienna and Savannah Robinson (from Bromley) as the twin girls separated at birth who swap lives in an attempt to bring their divorced parents back together.

Co-produced by Nottingham Playhouse and Kenny Wax Ltd (the producer of the Goes Wrong shows and Six), Identical features music and lyrics by George Stiles and Anthony Drewe, and a book by Stuart Paterson.

Following the Nottingham Playhouse run, the production will transfer to The Lowry in Salford from 19 August until 3 September. Further dates and venues are to be announced.

Commenting on the musical, producer Kenny Wax said: “Identical is a story about the reuniting of twins separated shortly after birth and the healing of a family which has been fractured.

“The narrative offers a powerful message for the world right now and under the directorial genius of Trevor Nunn, I have no doubt that Identical will be regarded as one of the great musicals of its generation… providing that we can consistently cast incredibly talented identical twins!”

Nottingham Playhouse’s executive director Stephanie Sirr added: “We can’t wait to create this show. It’s particularly exciting to give kids from our community the chance to work alongside world class professionals and to take part in the premiere of a newly commissioned musical.”

Nunn leads a creative team that includes choreographer Matt Cole, set designer Rob Jones, costume designer Jonathan Lipman, wig and hair designer Richard Mawbey, video designer Douglas O’Connell, lighting designer Johanna Town, sound designer Paul Gatehouse, musical supervisor Caroline Humphris, musical director Tamara Saringer, orchestrator Tom Curran, associate director (with special responsibility for children) Martha Geelan, casting director Anne Vosser, production manager Digby Robinson with children’s casting and administration by Jo Hawes and general management and marketing by Kenny Wax Ltd.

Commenting on their involvement in the project, award winning writers Stiles and Drewe said: “It’s been a delight to adapt Erich Kästner’s hauntingly beautiful and timeless tale of two identical twins separated as babies, and their wily determination to stitch their family back together. It’s a story packed with wonderful humour and characters which makes it a great canvas to become a musical and retell for a 21st century audience.”

Kästner’s 1949 book Lottie and Lisa has been the starting point for two hit Disney films. The first Parent Trap in 1961 starred Hayley Mills taking on the dual role of the twin sisters at the heart of the story with Maureen O’Hara and Brian Keith as the twins’ estranged parents. In 1998, director and writer Nancy Myers returned to the story with an updated version starring Lindsay Lohan in her feature film debut as the twins and Dennis Quaid and Natasha Richardson as their parents.

Angela Thomas