Full casting for the special gala charity concert of Robert J. Sherman’s new musical Bumblescratch at the Adelphi Theatre has been revealed.
The 13-strong cast will include 12-year-old Ilan Galkoff (Matilda, Oliver!) in the lead child role of Perry joining previously announced Darren Day, Michael Xavier and Jessica Martin
The performance on Sunday 4 September at 6.30pm is in aid of Variety, the children’s charity, and is staged as part of commemorations for the 350th anniversary of the Great Fire of London, which raged in the East End for four days from 2 to 5 September 1666.
The lead child role of Perry was created in the 2013 workshop by Sebastian Croft, now a rising screen star whose current television credits include Game of Thrones (Young Ned Stark) and Penny Dreadful. Croft recently helped announce Bumblescratch’s West End premiere with an exclusive video announcement and, in June, reprised songs from the show at West End Live. He’ll be in attendance at the West End gala on 4 September to cheer on Ilan Galkoff, who he’s previously performed onstage with in Oliver! Ilan’s other credits in the West End include Elf the Musical (in which he played the son of Bumblescratch co-star Jessica Martin), Matilda, Oresteia and I Can’t Sing!
On the casting of Perry, Robert J. Sherman said: “Perry the Plague Rat was my initial inspiration for Bumblescratch and the first character I created. He’s an orphan child and a catalyst for the journey through London that the title character, Melbourne Bumblescratch (Darren Day), takes us on. For the workshop of Bumblescratch in 2013, we auditioned 50 boys; amongst the three called back were Sebastian Croft, who we later cast, and Ilan Galkoff. Ilan was terrific – he sang like an angel – but at that point he was too young. I’ve stayed in touch with his family and asked him to audition again this time. He’s now the perfect age to take on the role, plus he really looks the part of this vulnerable street urchin, is a pitch-perfect singer and a wonderful actor with an incredibly impressive CV for a 12-year-old. I can’t wait to see him play Perry.”
Other cast members announced today include Jacob Chapman, Teddy Moynihan and Cathy Read.
Jacob Chapman plays Socrates. His credits include Sunset Boulevard, Sweeney Todd (ENO), Grand Hotel (Southwark Playhouse), The Smallest Show On Earth (UK tour), We Will Rock You (Dominion) and The Mikado (Charing Cross Theatre). Teddy Moynihan plays Squabbler. He trained at Arts Educational. He will be making his professional debut in Bumblescratch. Cathy Read plays Thamesa. She recently appeared in the ensemble for Eugenius at the London Palladium.
The full ensemble includes Alistair Barron, James Dangerfield, Emma Harrold, Katie Kerr, Jessie May and Dickie Wood.
Darren Day plays Melbourne Bumblescratch. His first starring theatre role was Joseph in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat (West End and international tour). Other West End credits includeSummer Holiday, Grease and Copacabana. Touring work includes Alfie, Carousel, Great Expectations, Godspell, The Rocky Horror Show, We Will Rock You and Hello, Dolly! He has toured internationally with his solo concert show and also starred in Priscilla, Queen of the Desert (UK tour).
Jessica Martin plays Bethesda and Widow MacGregor. She recently appeared in Elf (Dominion Theatre). Other credits include Me and My Girl (Adelphi and UK tour), Mack and Mabel (Southwark Playhouse), Spamalot (UK tour), Sunset Boulevard (Comedy Theatre), Me, Myself and I (Orange Tree), South Pacific (Churchill Theatre and UK tour), Mack and Mabel (Piccadilly Theatre), Shakers (Nottingham Playhouse), The Card and Babes in Arms (Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre).
Michael Xavier plays Hookbeard. He recently played the lead role of Joe Gillis opposite Glenn Close in Sunset Boulevard (ENO/London Coliseum). He was nominated for two Olivier Awards in 2011: Best Supporting Performance in a Musical for Into the Woods (Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre) and Best Actor in a Musical for Love Story (Duchess Theatre and Chichester Festival Theatre). Other theatre credits include Show Boat(Sheffield Crucible), The War of the Roses (Rose Theatre, Kingston), Assassins (Menier Chocolate Factory), The Pajama Game (Shaftesbury Theatre), The Sound of Music (Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre), Hello Dolly!(Leicester Curve), Soho Cinders (Soho Theatre), Oklahoma! (Chichester Festival Theatre), Spamalot (Palace Theatre), The Phantom of the Opera(Her Majesty’s Theatre), My Fair Lady (Theatre Royal Drury Lane) and Miss Saigon (original UK tour).
Bumblescratch has music, lyrics and book by Robert J. Sherman, continuing the enduring legacy of his father and uncle, Robert B. and Richard M. Sherman, aka The Sherman Brothers, the songwriting duo behind childhood classics including Mary Poppins and The Jungle Book. It is directed by Stewart Nicholls, who also collaborated with Robbie Sherman on the critically acclaimed Love Birds and A Spoonful of Sherman.
Tickets for Bumblescratch are available HERE.
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