First casting has been announced for the eagerly-anticipated Royal Shakespeare Company’s musical version of David Walliams’ best-selling The Boy in the Dress which will debut in Stratford-upon-Avon this Christmas season.
Featuring music by Robbie Williams and his long-time songwriting partner Guy Chambers, Walliams’ successful debut novel is being transformed into a stage musical by playwright and actor Mark Ravenhill, with direction by the RSC’s artistic director Gregory Doran.
The cast will include Rufus Hound (The Wind in the Willows, London Palladium, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, Savoy Theatre) who will return to the RSC to play Dennis’ Dad. Irvine Iqbal (Broken Wings, Theatre Royal, Haymarket, Mr Stink, UK tour) will make his RSC debut as shopkeeper Raj. One of the stars of the RSC’s 2018 original musical Miss Littlewood, Natasha Lewis, will return to play the mother of Dennis’ best friend Darvesh, while RSC associate artist Forbes Masson (Little Shop of Horrors, Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre) will play headmaster, Mr Hawtrey.
Commenting on the casting news, director Doran said: “It is tremendous to welcome such a talented cast of new and established RSC company members to our new musical production of The Boy in the Dress, particularly one with such a strong background of excellent musical theatre performances and first-class comic talent.
“The cast join an already impressive line-up of UK and international creatives, including comic writer, performer and beloved children’s book author David Walliams and chart-topping songwriters Robbie Williams and Guy Chambers. I am excited to work together with them over the coming weeks to bring this life-affirming, funny story to the RST stage.”
Describing the development of the show, Ravenhill said: “I first came across The Boy in the Dress when I was playwright in residence at the Royal Shakespeare Company back in 2012. I remember thinking that it was such a gripping, entertaining and life-affirming story with all the ingredients of a great stage show.
“The Royal Shakespeare Company has a fantastic track record of producing family shows so when David suggested making his novel into a musical, I thought, let’s go for it!
“Creating and commissioning new work is very much at the heart of the RSC’s mission, and a musical collaboration of this kind is the perfect celebration of all of that energy, talent and generosity coming together to create, what will hopefully be a really fantastic theatre experience for audiences of all ages.”
Discussing their involvement in the project, Williams and Chambers added: “We’re beyond excited to be working with the RSC on our first musical theatre collaboration. We are both big fans of David’s books, so when he approached us about writing the soundtrack to a new musical version of The Boy in the Dress for the RSC, we were genuinely delighted. There’s a real freshness, cheekiness and heart to David’s writing which we’ve worked really hard to capture in the music. It’s been a really exciting and rewarding journey and we can’t wait to share the show with audiences when it premieres in Stratford-upon-Avon this winter.”
Due to receive its world premiere from 8 November 2019 until Sunday 8 March 2020, the production will be designed by Robert Jones, with choreography by Aletta Collins, lighting by Mark Henderson and sound by Paul Groothuis.
Commenting on the latest chapter in his creation’s story, Walliams said: “I’m delighted to be working with the Royal Shakespeare Company to bring this, my first children’s novel, to the stage. It’s now 10 years since The Boy in the Dress was first published and we’ve come a long way in that time. Ultimately, I wanted to write a story that encouraged people to recognise that difference can be celebrated, that it’s ok to be yourself.
“I’ve always loved musicals and, somehow, I’d always imagined this book to be made into a musical so to be working with the RSC, Mark Ravenhill and song-writing partners Robbie Williams and Guy Chambers on this new production feels like a dream collaboration.”
Angela Thomas
Readers may also be interested in:
INTERVIEW: ‘Doing a musical has always been on my wish list’: Mark Ravenhill chats about adapting The Boy in the Dress for the RSC
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