Chris Ellison will play Magwitch in Great Expectations at Blackpool Opera House
The Bill hard-man Chris Ellison will take on the pivotal role of the convict Magwitch in the Blackpool Opera House’s Christmas musical production of the classic Great Expectations.
The television favourite will join former soap and pop star Adam Rickitt who will play the central character of Pip alongside musical theatre regulars Maureen Nolan as Miss Haversham and Helena Blackman as Estelle.
Produced by Peter Frosdick who also produced the venue’s A Christmas Carol last festive season, the show will run from Saturday 10 December until Saturday 7 January 2017.
Commenting on the casting, Frosdick said: “I am delighted we have secured Chris, Adam, Maureen and Helena for these incredibly important roles in Great Expectations. All have fantastic experience and I am confident they will bring something very special to their respective roles.
“Great Expectations is a wonderful story and absolutely fantastic musical which I am delighted to be producing for Blackpool Opera House.”
Best known for his role as DI Burnside in ITV’s long-running crime show The Bill, Ellison has worked extensively in film, television and theatre. He has previously played Magwitch and another classic Dickens character, Bill Sykes, in the West End.
Adam Rickitt will take on the role of Pip
Rickitt who rose to fame as a young actor playing the role of Nick Tilsley for the first time in 1997 and for a further two years in 2002, also had a brief career as a pop star before moving into musical theatre with roles in the UK tour of Rent and various West End productions.
Nolan’s first taste of fame came as part of the Nolan Sisters, in recent years the singer has enjoyed success as a musical theatre actress in shows including Blood Brothers, Mum’s The Word and The Naked Truth. She is currently appearing in the UK tour of Footloose: The Musical which will also play the Blackpool venue in September.
Currently starring in the hit show Titanic, rising stage star Blackman was one of the finalists on Andrew Lloyd Webber’s first BBC talent search How Do You Solve a Problem Like Maria?
Announcing the casting details, Blackpool Winter Gardens’ managing director Michael Williams said: “We are really looking forward to what promises to be a fantastic production of Great Expectations this winter.
“It is always a pleasure to welcome Maureen Nolan back to the Winter Gardens and we also look forward to welcoming Chris, Adam and Helena here too.”
Angela Thomas
www.wintergardensblackpool.com
SHARE THIS POST:
Comments are closed.