(L-R top row) Emily Tierney, James Darch and Gabrielle Lewis-Dodson, (L-R bottom row) Louise Gold, Michael Smith-Stewart and Louby, one of the show’s two dog stars
Full casting has been unveiled for the eagerly-anticipated Identical ahead of the new British musical’s long-awaited debut this summer.
Directed by Olivier and Tony Award-winner Trevor Nunn, the musical story of twin girls who change places in an attempt to bring their divorced parents back together will feature Emily Tierney (Wicked, Ghost), James Darch (The Rocky Horror Show, Mamma Mia!), Gabrielle Lewis-Dodson (Pippin, The Boy Friend), Louise Gold (Fiddler on the Roof, Gypsy) and Michael Smith-Stewart (The Lion King, Rent).
The ensemble includes Rico Bakker (Hairspray, Everybody’s Talking About Jamie), David Bardsley (The Grinning Man, Billy Elliot), Hannah Cauchi (Cabaret, Top Hat), Paige Fenlon (Zorro, Pretty Woman), Rosie Glossop (Kinky Boots, Priscilla, Queen of the Desert), Dominic Adam Griffin (Cinderella, Evita), Jordan Isaac (Bring It On, Mary Poppins), Rutendo Mushonga (Message in a Bottle, The Lion King) and Ellie Nunn (The Daughter in Law, Honk!).
They will join the previously announced three sets of identical 12-year-old twins – Kyla and Nicole Fox (from County Armagh), Emme and Eden Patrick (from Waltham Abbey) and Sienna and Savannah Robinson (from Bromley) – who will share the central roles.
The musical’s other child characters will be played by Winter Jarrett Glasspool, Daisy Jeffcoate, Isabelle Larrey, Saffia Layla, Parrine Long, Helena Middleton, Kirsten Muzvuru and Poppy Pawson. The cast is completed by two new dog stars – Cairn Terrier Ness and West Highland Terrier Louby, who will share the role of Pepi.
Based on Erich Kästner’s best-selling 1949 novel Lottie and Lisa which, in turn, inspired the hit 1961 and 1998 films, The Parent Trap, Identical will receive its world premiere in Nottingham from 26 July until 14 August 2022. The production will then play a transfer run at The Lowry in Salford from 19 August until 3 September.
Produced by Kenny Wax Ltd, Gavin Kalin, Playing Field (Theatre) Limited, Kevin McCollum, Stewart F. Lane and Bonnie Comley, and co-produced with Nottingham Playhouse, Identical features music and lyrics by George Stiles and Anthony Drewe, and a book by Stuart Paterson.
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.
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
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