Michael Ball and Lucy St. Louis Join Lineup For MY FAVORITE THINGS: THE RODGERS & HAMMERSTEIN 80TH ANNIVERSARY CONCERT

The Rodgers & Hammerstein Organization announced that two-time Olivier Award winner Michael Ball and West End sensation Lucy St. Louis will also headline the previously announced My Favorite Things: The Rodgers & Hammerstein 80th Anniversary Concert. Tickets are available now.

 

They join the previously announced television, film and stage actor Daniel Dae Kim; Emmy, two-time GRAMMY and six-time Tony Award winner Audra McDonald; Olivier Award nominee Julian Ovenden; Tony, GRAMMY and Critics Choice Award nominee Ashley Park; Tony Award winner Aaron Tveit; Olivier Award nominee Marisha Wallace; and two-time Tony, two-time Golden Globe and Emmy Award nominee Patrick Wilson.

 

Featuring a 40-piece orchestra, the gala will be presented for two performances only on Tuesday, 12 December, at London's newly restored Theatre Royal Drury Lane – the same venue that premiered the original West End productions of Rodgers & Hammerstein's Oklahoma!, Carousel, South Pacific and The King and I.

 

Directed and staged by Tony Award-winning director and choreographer Christopher Gattelli, the celebration of the historic partnership of Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II will feature the Rodgers & Hammerstein Concert Orchestra, conducted by Simon Lee, along with a West End chamber choir, dance ensemble and surprise guest appearances. Artist lineup subject to change.

 

Tickets are currently on sale at RH80Concert.com.

About Michael Ball

Michael Ball is Britain's leading musical theatre star, a double Olivier Award-winning, GRAMMY nominated, multi-platinum recording artist and a hugely popular radio and TV presenter. For over 30 years he has been at the top of his game, starring in musical theatre productions in the West End and on Broadway, winning critical acclaim, a devoted following and awards for his stage work and recording career. 

Michael's theatre credits include George in Aspects of Love (Lyric Theatre), Edna Turnblad in Hairspray (ENO/Coliseum), Javert in Les Misérables – The Staged Concert (Gielgud Theatre), Anatoly in Chess (ENO/Coliseum), Mack in Mack and Mabel (Chichester/UK Tour), Sweeney Todd in Sweeney Todd (West End) for which he won the Olivier Award for Best Actor in a Musical, Edna Turnblad in Hairspray (Original West End Cast) for which he won the Olivier Award for Best Actor in a Musical, Kismet (English National Opera), Patience (New York City Opera), The Woman in White (West End/Broadway), Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (West End), Passion, The Phantom of the Opera, Aspects of Love (West End/Broadway) and creating the role of Marius in Les Misérables (Original West End Cast). His television credits include the Victoria Wood BBC TV film, That Day We Sang, opposite his Sweeney Todd co-star Imelda Staunton. 

Michael has a successful radio broadcasting career which includes his own show, The Michael Ball Show, on BBC Radio 2 on Sundays. He is also a popular TV presenter. He has hosted The Michael Ball Show on ITV1, his first TV travelogue Wonderful Wales on Channel 5, and most recently an Easter Sunday special for the BBC. 

He regularly tours the UK as a concert artist and has sold millions of albums over the last 30 years; he's performed in Australia, China, USA, Japan and, in 2007, made his BBC Proms debut with An Evening with Michael Ball at the Royal Albert Hall, which marked the first time a musical theatre star had been given a solo concert at the Proms. In 2016 he released Together, a collaborative effort with close friend and singer Alfie Boe, that featured performances of classic songs. The album became the UK's best-selling album of 2016 and beat the likes of Little Mix and The Rolling Stones to the Christmas No.1 spot. Ball & Boe then released Together Again which brought the pair yet another No.1 album in 2017, and Back Together which landed them the No.2 spot in the Official Albums Chart. In 2020, Michael and Alfie released their first festive album Together at Christmas featuring both old favourites and originals. Thanks to their latest release Together in Vegas, which entered the UK album chart at No.3 in October 2022, they have now sold over 1.5 million albums in the UK, received two Classic Brit Awards, sold out two headline arena tours and presented three ITV Specials!  

During the various U.K. lockdowns, Michael started to pen new material. The result was We Are More Than One, an album more personal than ever before. After learning how to write and record remotely, every track had an inspiring story to tell. 

His debut novel, The Empire – published in Autumn 2022, became a Sunday Times Bestseller and he recently released his first ever memoir titled Different Aspects.  

About Lucy St. Louis

Lucy St. Louis trained at Laine Theatre Arts. She can currently be seen playing the role of Glinda in Wicked at the Apollo Victoria Theatre in the West End. She most recently played Christine Daaé in The Phantom of the Opera at Her Majesty's Theatre, for which she won the Black British Theatre Award for Best Actress in a Musical. Both castings hold huge significance throughout theatre history as Lucy broke boundaries in being the first Black actress to play Glinda in the West End and the first Black actress ever to play Christine Daaé in the West End or on Broadway. 

Theatre credits include Guenevere in Camelot (London Palladium), Antonia and U/S Aldonza/Dulcinea in Man of La Mancha (English National Opera), Diana Ross in the Original London Cast of Motown the Musical (Shaftesbury Theatre) for which she won Best Actress in a Musical at the International Achievement Recognition Awards, Little Eva/Shirelle in the Original London Cast of Beautiful: The Carole King Musical (Aldwych Theatre), U/S and played Nabulungi in the Original London Cast of The Book of Mormon (Prince of Wales), U/S Sarah in Ragtime (Regents Park Open Air Theatre), Tiger Lily in Peter Pan (Venue Cymru, Llandudno and Hawth Theatre, Crawley) and Ultimate Broadway (Shanghai Culture Square Theatre). 

Film credits include Beauty and the Beast (Walt Disney Pictures) and Lavvie in Cosmic Rhapsody (Animation). Workshops include Clocks:1888 The Greener and Warhol, and the notable solo recording “Bliss” for the Silent Twins movie. 

Lucy regularly appears in concerts and live appearances on screen and around the UK. Recent events include The Queens Platinum Jubilee (BBC), Magic at the Musicals (Royal Albert Hall), The Show Must Go On (The Palace Theatre), The Jonathan Ross Show (ITV), Tonight at the London Palladium (ITV), Britain's Got Talent (ITV) and All-Star Musicals (ITV). 

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