HAIRSPRAY THE MUSICAL
UK TOUR
Directed by Paul Kerryson
Choreographed by Drew McOnie

www.hairsprayuktour.com / @HairsprayUKTour

• CAST ANNOUNCED FOR MAJOR UK TOUR OF SMASH-HIT MUSICALHAIRSPRAY
• AWARD-WINNING COMEDIAN NORMAN PACE TO STAR AS WILBUR TURNBLAD WITH MATT RIXON RETURNING AS EDNA
• RETURNING TO THE PRODUCTION, LAYTON WILLIAMS WILL PLAY THE ROLE OF SEAWEED ALONGSIDE MUSICAL THEATRE STAR BRENDA EDWARDS AS MOTORMOUTH MAYBELLE
• NEWCOMER REBECCA MENDOZA WILL MAKE HER PROFESSIONAL DEBUT AS TRACY TURNBLAD
• HAIRSPRAY WILL VISIT OVER 30+ LEADING VENUES ACROSS THE UK AND IRELAND OPENING AS THE HEADLINE SUMMER PRODUCTION AT CARDIFF’S MILLENNIUM CENTRE 

Norman Pace (ITV1’s The Hale and Pace Show) will play Wilbur Turnblad in the major UK tour of the smash hit musical Hairspray, opening at Wales Millennium Centre in Cardiff this summer. He will be joined by Matt Rixon (The Ladykillers, Around the World in 80 Days) reprising his role as Edna Turnblad, musical theatre star Brenda Edwards (Chicago, We Will Rock You, The X Factor) returning as Motormouth Maybelle and Layton Williams (Bad Education, Rent) now starring as Seaweed. Gina Murray (Chicago and Full Monty) joins the cast as Velma Von Tussle with Jon Tsouras (Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat, Crazy for You) once again playing Corny Collins; Edward Chitticks (On the Town, Mamma Mia) as Link Larkin; Aimee Moore as Amber Von Tussle; Annalise Liard-Bailey as Penny Pingleton and Monifa James as Little Inez.Rebecca Mendoza will make her professional debut as Tracy Turnblad.

Full cast includes: Lauren Concannon, Melissa Nettleford and Emily-Mae Walker as The Dynamites, Shay Barclay, Ben Darcy, George Hinson, Jordan Laviniere, Graham MacDuff, Lindsay McAllister, Tracey Penn and Freya Rowley.

Featuring the iconic music and lyrics by Academy Award, Tony and Emmy winning duo Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman, this big, bold and beautiful production is choreographed by Olivier Award-winning Drew McOnie with direction from Paul Kerryson. This 37 week tour of the much loved musical based on the 1988 film follows the phenomenally successful 2016 UK tour which played to packed out houses and received public and critical acclaim across the country in 2015/16.

It’s Baltimore 1962, where Tracy Turnblad, a big girl with big hair and an even bigger heart, is on a mission to follow her dreams and dance her way onto national TV. Tracy’s audition makes her a local star and soon she is using her new-found fame to fight for equality, bagging local heartthrob Link Larkin along the way.

Hairspray is a musical based on the 1988 film of the same name which starred Divine and Ricki Lake by cult filmmaker John Waters. With music and lyrics by Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman and book by Mark O’Donnell and Thomas Meehan, Hairspray originally opened to rave reviews on Broadway in 2002 and subsequently won eight Tony Awards. The production opened in London at the Shaftesbury Theatre in 2007 and won four Laurence Olivier Awards including Best New Musical. Proving to be an international success, Hairspray has also opened in South Africa, Japan, South Korea, China and Dubai. Following the musical’s phenomenal success on stage, a film of the musical was released in 2007 which starred John Travolta, Michelle Pfeiffer and James Marsden.

16 – 26 August 2017
Wales Millennium Centre, Cardiff 
Bute Pl, Cardiff Bay CF10 5AL
ON SALE NOW
Box Office: 029 2063 6400
http://www.wmc.org.uk/

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Park Theatre and Stop The War Coalition present

MARK RYLANCE & FRIENDS

TO INTERPRET MYTHS OF WAR

In support of Stop The War Coalition

Featuring the work of Howard Zinn, Erich Maria Remarque and more

Sunday 18^th June 2017 | Park Theatre

Mark Rylance, Kika Markham and other special friends are to present Myths of War: a series of dramatic readings that question why some wars have become sacrosanct in our collective consciousness. Asking if we can take a fresh view of history in order to end the wars of today, Mark Rylance brings to the London stage Howard Zinn’s seminal oration on the Three Holy Wars. Kika Markham reads from Erich Maria Remarque’s The Road Back. All proceeds from the readings will go to the Stop The War Coalition.

“Hope can only come if you have some historical perspective”

Howard Zinn

Howard Zinn was an American historian, playwright, and famed anti-war activist who wrote more than twenty books about the Civil Rights Movement, US labor history and the stupidity of war. Erich Maria Remarque was a German novelist and screen writer, famous amongst other things for the classic antiwar novel All Quiet on the Western Front about soldiers’ experiences of World War One.

Melli Marie, Creative Director of Park Theatre, said: “As a theatre, it is important for us to create the space for all conversations to take place, no matter how uncomfortable, controversial or unpopular. We believe that by bringing Howard’s work to light at Park Theatre we are giving our audience a chance to think about this global issue from a personal perspective.”

Lindsey German, Convenor of Stop the War, said: “Howard Zinn was a great writer and historian of the 20th century who spent his life opposing wars and the militarised societies that give rise to them. His body of work is a enduring reminder that it is ordinary people who suffer in wars. We face a choice between further wars, involving the use of ever more catastrophic weapons of mass destruction, which will cause untold misery to millions, or the creation of a society based on peace, justice and cooperation. The Stop the War Coalition is committed to campaigning to end these wars. We must do everything we can to end them.”

Mark Rylance has been an actor since 1976. He is best known for his artistic direction of Shakespeare’s Globe and for playing Rooster Byron in Jerusalem (Royal Court Theatre), Thomas Cromwell in Wolf Hall (BBC), the BFG in The BFG (Walt Disney Studios) and Colonel Abel in Bridge of Spies (20^th Century Fox).

Leeds Grand Theatre – 30 May to 8 July 2017.

Mamma Mia – here we go to Leeds for the first time ever.  Entering the theatre on the blue carpet the heat from the packed auditorium made us all feel as if we were really on a Greek Island.  And how can you fail to be entertained by a show that warns patrons of a nervous disposition that the show contains platform boots and white lycra.

The story – a captivating yet hilarious tale of family and friendship set on a Greek island is instantly enchanting whilst the iconic music and lyrics prove not just beautiful, but utterly relatable.  That’s mainly thanks to the brilliant Abba songs, well sung and cleverly used, not just shoehorned in – The Name of the Game becomes a father/daughter song, and Does Your Mother know is a high energy dance number with a lot of laughs.

On the day before her wedding to Sky (Phillip Ryan), it transpires that Sophie (Lucy May Barker) has invited all three of her potential fathers to watch her marry.  She shares the news with her best friends Ali (Fia Houston-Hamilton) and Lisa (Blaise Conlangelo) who are both appalled she read her mother’s diary and intrigued with what they find out.

Sophie’s mother Donna (Helen Hobson) is unsurprisingly shocked to discover her three past lovers – Harry (Jamie Hogarth), Bill (Christopher Hollis) and Sam (Jon Boydon) – in her taverna, the day before the wedding of the daughter they didn’t know existed.  She shares her anger, fear and confusion with best friends and band mates Rosie (Gillian Hardie) and Tanya (Emma Clifford)

This show is full of strong women and the strong relationships they have:  Mother and Daughter is covered through the tear inspiring song Slipping Through My Fingers, and friendship via Dancing Queen.  Hobson’s rendition of Winner Takes It All is a gut wrenching, emotional powerhouse of a performance which deserved the applause it received

The set is simple but versatile with only a few moves turning it from beach bar, church, taverna and bedroom. The lighting is various shades of blue to represent the sun and sea and day and night.

Its a camp, boisterous, cheesy and exuberant show, filled with laughter and moments of great poignancy but by the end of the show the audience was up on its feet, singing and dancing to the encore version of Dancing Queen and Waterloo, whilst confetti was launched over the audience.   With an array of sequined lycra, platform boots, ABBA melodies and an infectious story – this is a production that pulls out all the stops.

In Leeds until 8 July and on tour around the UK – grab your daughter, grab yours friends or go alone and make friends there – one of the best nights out you’ll have this year