Steps star Lee Latchford-Evans is the latest addition to the cast for the second leg of the UK touring production of the award-winning musical & Juliet.
The pop singer turned musical theatre artist whose credits include playing Teen Angel in Grease in the West End will alternate the role of Lance with TV medic and former Strictly contestant Dr Ranj Singh. Singh will play the role in Wimbledon, Dublin, Bradford, Birmingham, Sheffield and Cardiff with Lee performing in Bristol, Aberdeen, Leicester, Woking, Milton Keynes, Nottingham, Southend, Stoke, Newcastle and Truro.
They will appear alongside current cast members Gerardine Sacdalan as Juliet, Lara Denning as Anne, Sandra Marvin as Angélique, Jack Danson as Romeo, Kyle Cox as Francois, and Jordan Broatch as May. As recently announced, Strictly’s 2015 champion turned musical theatre lead Jay McGuiness will join the & Juliet company to play Shakespeare when the production reaches the Bristol Hippodrome (15-25 January 2025). He will remain in the role until the Nottingham Theatre Royal (14-19 April 2025).
The cast also includes Harriet Caplan-Dean as Eleanor, Alexander Kranz as Lennox, Andile Mabhena as Augustine/Dance Team, Liam Morris as Richard, Psalms-Nissi Myers-Reid as Lucy/Alternate Juliet, Michael Nelson as Henry, Toni Paise as Violet, Katie Ramshaw as Nell/Lady C Rosie Singha as Judith, Aaron Shales as Gregory/Dance Team, Nia Stephen as Imogen and Samuel Wilson-Freeman as Fletcher/resident director and dance captain.
Directed by Luke Sheppard, & Juliet uses the most iconic pop songs written by prolific pop hit writer Max Martin over the last three decades along with new song ‘One More Try’, to accompany a re-imagined Juliet who finds a way past her doomed romance with Romeo by embarking on a whirlwind trip to Paris. The musical also features the characters of Shakespeare and Anne Hathaway who take opposite sides in Juliet’s battle to change her story and discover life after Romeo.
Boasting a story by David West Read, & Juliet features arrangements of Martin’s chart-topping songs by Grammy Award-winning orchestrator Bill Sherman. The triple Olivier Award-winning production features choreography by Jennifer Weber, set design by Soutra Gilmour, costume design by Paloma Young, lighting design by Howard Hudson, sound design by Gareth Owen, video and projection design by Andrzej Goulding, hair, wig and make-up design by Suzy Bennett and additional arrangements and orchestrations by Dominic Fallacaro with casting by Stuart Burt.
Swedish-born songwriter and producer Martin, first made his mark in the 1990s with hits including Britney Spears’ ‘Hit Me Baby One More Time’, Bon Jovi’s ‘It’s My Life’ and The Backstreet Boys’ ‘I Want It That Way’. More recently, Martin has written or co-written hits for today’s biggest stars including Adele, Ellie Goulding, Kelly Clarkson, Usher, Taylor Swift and Pink.
The musical made its North American debut at the Princess of Wales Theatre in Toronto in 2022 ahead of its Broadway premiere. The Australian production opened in Melbourne in February 2023 before heading to Marina Bay Sands in Singapore last summer. The production returned to Australia last December opening in Perth before opening in Sydney in February this year. A US tour launched in September.
Angela Thomas
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