JLS Star Aston Merrygold Will Rejoin THE WIZARD OF OZ UK Tour

JLS star Aston Merrygold will reprise his celebrated role as The Tin Man at select dates across the Wizard of Oz's UK and Ireland tour. Having recently delighted audiences and critics alike in a magical Christmas season at the Liverpool Empire, Aston rejoins the tour for dates at the Bristol Hippodrome, Bristol, 2 – 7 April; Palace Theatre, Manchester, 24 Apr – 5 May; Hippodrome Theatre, Birmingham 11 – 16 June and Wales Millenium Centre, Cardiff, 23 - 28 July 2024.

The new musical, based on the iconic story by L. Frank Baum is currently touring following an acclaimed run at the world-famous London Palladium in 2023. To book tickets and for information about specific casting at all UK and Ireland tour venues, go to www.wizardofozmusical.com.

Aston Merrygold (The Tin Man) joins previously announced principal company members performing at select dates across the tour including: award-winning comedian and musical theatre star, Jason Manford who will reprise his role as The Cowardly Lion (Manchester only), Strictly Come Dancing star Craig Revel Horwood and RuPaul's Drag Race UK winner and Dancing on Ice finalist The Vivienne as The Wicked Witch of the West with Gary Wilmot (The Prince Of Egypt, Anything Goes), Allan Stewart (Stones in His Pockets, West End, UK Tour, Toronto; STV Hello, Good Evening, Welcome) and Alex Bourne (Annie, West End, UK Tour, Toronto; Hairspray, UK Tour) as The Wizard.

Aston says: “Performing as The Tin Man was so much fun. And working with such an incredible cast was an absolute pleasure. I can't want to come back to such spectacular venues and to perform with this ridiculously talented lot again!”

Aston Merrygold became known for his incredible stage presence during his time with X Factor formed band JLS, who went on to sell out countless arena tours and sell over 10 million records, including five Number 1 hits and numerous awards. Whilst the band took a seven-year break, Aston made strides in his career appearing on the West End, Strictly Come Dancing and released his platinum debut single ‘Get Stupid' and most recently ‘Overboard' and ‘Share a Coke'. JLS made their comeback last year and performed to sold-out arenas all over the UK and Ireland.

Aston has continued to remain at the forefront of entertainment, becoming a judge on the Sky 1 talent show, Got To Dance. He was also unmasked as Robin in the Semi Finals of the 2020/2021 series of Masked Singer UK and joined the cast of CBBC's comedy drama, ‘Almost Never', playing Jordan, the new manager of ‘The Wonderland'. Most recently, Aston was a panelist on the Masked Singer Live tour across the UK and starred as Willard in Footloose the Musical last summer. At Christmas, Aston delighted packed houses and critic alike as he performed the iconic role of The Tin Man in the Liverpool Empire's festive season of The Wizard of Oz, where the tour opened.

Principal company members appearing at all venues are: Aviva Tulley (Book of Mormon, UK Tour) as Dorothy, Benjamin Yates (ITV's Emmerdale; Jersey Boys, West End) as The Scarecrow, Nic Greenshields (Love Never Dies West End; Les Misérables West End, International Tour) as The Cowardly Lion, Emily Bull (9 to 5, UK Tour; Matilda UK Tour) as Glinda The Good Witch and Abigail Matthews as Toto (Bleak Expectations, West End; War Horse, West End).

The company is completed by: David Burrows, Adam Craig, Cole Dunn, Tyler Ephraim, Olivia Kate Holding, Thomas Kalek, Sadie Levett, Kelsie-Rae Marshall, Martin McCarthy, Rose Ouellette, Fanja Parent, Alexandra Regan, Nathan Routledge and Sydney Spencer.

Craig Revel Horwood will perform as The Wicked Witch of the West at Grand Opera House, Belfast; Bord Gáis Energy Theatre, Dublin; Milton Keynes Theatre; Wales Millenium Centre, Cardiff, where the role of The Wizard will be played by Alex Bourne. Craig is joined by Allan Stewart as The Wizard at the New Victoria Theatre, Woking; Hippodrome Theatre, Birmingham; King's Theatre, Glasgow and His Majesty's Theatre, Aberdeen.

The Vivienne will appear at the Liverpool Empire as The Wicked Witch of the West alongside Alex Bourne as The Wizard, then touring to New Theatre, Oxford; Mayflower Theatre, Southampton; New Theatre, Hull; Lyceum Theatre, Sheffield; Theatre Royal, Plymouth; Bristol Hippodrome, Bristol; Theatre Royal, Nottingham; Grand Theatre, Wolverhampton and the Empire Theatre, Sunderland.

The Vivienne will be joined by Gary Wilmot as The Wizard at the following dates: Marlowe Theatre, Canterbury; Playhouse Theatre, Edinburgh; Cliffs Pavilion Southend; Theatre Royal, Norwich; Venue Cymru, Llandudno; Wimbledon New Theatre and the Alhambra Theatre, Bradford and by Allan Stewart as The Wizard at the Theatre Royal, Newcastle.

Jason Manford joins The Vivienne (The Wicked Witch of the West) and Allan Stewart (The Wizard) at the Manchester Palace for two-weeks only next spring where he will reprise his celebrated role as The Cowardly Lion. Across the rest of the tour, the role will be played by Nic Greenshields.

Join Dorothy, Toto and friends on an unforgettable adventure down the yellow brick road to the merry old land of Oz.

Featuring the iconic original score from the Oscar-winning MGM film, including Over The Rainbow, Follow The Yellow Brick Road and We're Off To See the Wizard - with additional songs from Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice - this spectacular production will be a truly magical experience for all the family.

The Wizard of Oz on tour is presented Michael Harrison, Gavin Kalin Productions, David Mirvish, Crossroads Live, Nick Thomas, Rupert Gavin and Mallory Factor, Jake Hine and Playing Field, by arrangement with the Really Useful Group Ltd.

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