Tony Maudsley (ITV1's Benidorm) will play Edna Turnblad in the major 40-week UK tour of Hairspray which will open at Curve theatre in Leicester this autumn. He will be joined by TV and stage actress and presenter Claire Sweeney (Educating Rita, Guys and Dolls) as Velma Von Tussle, Olivier Award nominated actor and much-loved Blue Peter presenter Peter Duncan (BBC1 Tumble) as Wilbur Turnblad and British singer and West End performer Brenda Edwards (Chicago, We Will Rock You, The X Factor) as Motormouth Maybelle. Freya Sutton will reprise the role of Tracy Turnblad alongside established musical theatre performer Jon Tsouras (A Chorus Line) who will play the role of Corny Collins. Dex Lee (The Scottsboro Boys) will play Seaweed, Ashley Gilmour (Miss Saigon) will play Link Larkin, Lauren Stroud (Wicked) will play Amber, Monique Young (Top Hat) will play Penny, Karis Jack (Urinetown) will play Little Inez, Adam Price (Hairspray) will play Male Authority Figure, Tracey Penn (Made in Dagenham) will play Female Authority Figure and Layton Williams (Bad Education, Billy Elliot) will play Duane. Further casting will be announced in due course.
Starting in the 1930s right through the 1980s, a quiet shift was taking place -- family-owned farms began to slowly disappear from the American landscape. They were replaced by huge malls, housing developments, or absorbed by larger commercial enterprises. The vanishing of America's farming community serves as the inspiration for This Will All Be Yours, a play with music by playwright and former New York Times columnist Laura Pedersen. It is one of the featured plays of The Midtown International Theatre Festival, celebrating its 15th anniversary, July 14 - August 10, 2014.
The British Academy of Film and Television Arts held this year's British Academy Television Awards today, Sunday 18 May at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane. Check out the full list of winners below!
The British Academy of Film and Television Arts announced Tuesday, April 24 the nominations for its 2012 television awards. British miniseries 'Appropriate Adult,' which chronicles the real-life serial killer Fred West, leads the way with four nominations.
Hairspray announces extensive touring plans, the Tricycle reveals its black playwright season and Gary Wilmot sticks with Chicago. Miriam Zendle reports
The premiere West End cast of the smash hit multi-award winning Broadway musical Hairspray has been announced. Michael Ball will star as Edna Turnblad, Mel Smith as Wilbur Turnblad, Leanne Jones as Tracy Turnblad and Ben James-Ellis as Link Larkin . Hairspray open at the Shaftesbury Theatre on Tuesday October 30, following previews from October 11.
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