Death Has A New Face In James Gant and Ken Christiansen Plays Manservant Fidele in DEATH TAKES A HOLIDAY

Producers have announced details of two planned cast changes in the European première production of the musical Death Takes A Holiday at Charing Cross Theatre.

A soaring story of the preciousness of life and the overwhelming power of love, Death Takes A Holiday continmues it limited season to Saturday 4 March.

From Monday 13 February, James Gant will take over in the central role of Death from Chris Peluso, who is leaving the production as planned for the UK tour of Funny Girl. James played Etches in Titanic (at Charing Cross Theatre); Mr Bumble in Oliver! (Leicester Curve); Rohna and Zinnowitz in Grand Hotel (Southwark
Playhouse); and was cover Javert in LES MISERABLES (Queen's Theatre).

Gant's current role of manservant Fidele will now be played by Ken Christiansen, who has been shortlisted twice as Best Supporting Male Performance in the 2016 Offies for The Fix and The Rise & Fall of Little Voice.

Death Takes A Holiday, directed by Thom Southerland, has a lush, romantic score by multi Tony Award-winner Maury Yeston (Titanic, Nine) and a book by multi Tony Award-winners Thomas Meehan and Peter Stone. It is based on the 1928 Italian play of the same name, which also inspired the movie, Meet Joe Black, starring Brad Pitt.

In Northern Italy, shortly after World War One, Death disguises himself as a handsome young prince to try to understand why life is so precious and death so feared. But when he unexpectedly falls in love with a newly engaged young woman, this mysterious stranger discovers that love may in fact be stronger than death. Death Takes A Holiday was nominated for 11 Drama Desk Awards when it premièred Off Broadway in 2011.

Death Takes A Holiday also features Zoë Doano and Gay Soper, Kathryn Akin, Anthony Cable, Trudi Camilleri, Scarlett Courtney, Sophie-May Feek, Mark Inscoe, Matthew McDonald, Ashley Stillburn, Samuel Thomas, Helen Turner.

Creative team: Director Thom Southerland, Set Designer Morgan Large, Costume Designer Jonathan Lipman, Lighting Designer Matt Daw, Sound Designer AnDrew Johnson, Choreographer Sam Spencer-Lane, Musical Director Dean Austin, Casting Director Danielle Tarento.

Death Takes A Holiday is the third Charing Cross Theatre production, following Titanic and Ragtime, produced by Danielle Tarento, Steven M. Levy, Sean Sweeney and Vaughan Williams.