Entertainment favourite Les Dennis will return to the role of Wilbur Turnblad when the eagerly-anticipated London Coliseum production of Hairspray the Musical begins performances on 21 June 2021.
The stage and screen star whose varied career has taken him from the Northern club circuit to the RSC stage in Stratford-upon-Avon via the cobbles of Coronation Street, will step in to the production following the departure of original Wilbur Paul Merton. Merton had been due to make his West End debut in the production. However, the delay caused by the pandemic has forced the popular comedy star to leave the production due to ‘long-standing scheduling commitments’.
Dennis (The Addams Family, UK tour, Chicago, Adelphi Theatre), who previously played Wilbur on tour, will join Michael Ball as he steps back into his Olivier Award-winning role as Edna Turnblad in the new production from the original award-winning creative team of director Jack O’Brien and choreographer Jerry Mitchell.
Running until 29 September, Ball’s reprise performance as the flamboyant character which delivered the star his first Olivier Award, will also star Lizzie Bea (Kinky Boots, UK tour) as Tracy Tunblad with Dreamgirls’ Marisha Wallace following her co-starring role in the original West End cast of Waitress by stepping into the role of Motormouth. Former EastEnder Rita Simons will follow her recent run in Everybody’s Talking About Jamie by taking on the role of Velma Von Tussle and Grantchester’s Jonny Amies will play Link Larkin.
The company includes: Georgia Anderson, Kimani Arthur, Dermot Canavan, Lori Haley Fox, Mari McGinlay, Ashley Samuels, Michael Vinsen, Imogen Bailey, Pearce Barron, Jordan Benjamin, Joel Cooper, Luke George, Christopher Gopaul, Bradley Judge, Winny Herbert, Lily Laight, Madeleine Lawton, Holly Liburd, Will Luckett, Mireia Mambo, Kody Mortimer, Robyn Rose, Tinovimbanashe Sibanda, Kibong Tanji, Amy West and Natalie Woods.
Produced by Adam Spiegel Productions and Fiery Angel, the production features costume design by William Ivey Long, set design by David Rockwell with casting by Jill Green.
Based on the 1988 film of the same name which starred Divine and Ricki Lake by cult filmmaker John Waters, the crowd-pleasing musical boasts music and lyrics by Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman and book by Mark O’Donnell and Thomas Meehan.
With Harvey Fierstein starring as Edna, Hairspray debuted to rave reviews on Broadway in 2002 and subsequently won eight Tony Awards including Best Musical and the leading actor award for Fierstein.
Premiering in London at the Shaftesbury Theatre in 2007, the show won four Laurence Olivier Awards including Best New Musical and the Best Actor Award for Ball.
The production ran for two and a half years, closing in March 2010, but the beat carried on with the show hitting the road for a tour featuring Ball, alternating with Brian Conley and Michael Starke.
A production featuring direction by Paul Kerryson and choreography by Drew McOnie launched at Leicester Curve in 2015, and returned in 2017 for a successful tour that ended in August 2019. The UK and Ireland touring production is also due to re-launch in June.
Angela Thomas
SHARE THIS POST:
Comments are closed.