Full cast confirmed for In The Willows

Metta Theatre and Exeter Northcott Theatre present
FULL CASTING CONFIRMED FOR 
THE NEW MUSICAL

IN THE WILLOWS

Olivier Award-winning actor Clive Rowe MBE to play Mr Badger

The X Factor’s Seann Miley Moore joins the cast as Duck

Featuring deaf street dancer Chris Fonseca & Let It Shine’s Matt Knight

Music video for Easy Life released

Full casting has been confirmed for the UK tour of In The Willows: the explosive brand new musical retelling of The Wind In The Willows, from the award-winning Metta Theatre. Olivier award-winning actor, ‘the nation’s favourite pantomime dame’, and star of BBC’s The Story of Tracey BeakerClive Rowe will star as Mr Badger, while X Factor favourite Seann Miley Moore (Duck) and Let It Shine performer Matt Knight (Chief Weasel) join the cast.

The production opens at the Exeter Northcott on 22 February 2019, touring the UK until 1 June, with a press night on Thursday 21 March at the Belgrade Theatre, Coventry.

With spectacular street dance choreographed by the award-winning Rhimes Lecointe (Associate choreographer for Zoo Nation, and Artistic Director of Boudicea), the production will also star deaf street dancer Chris Fonseca. In The Willows will incorporate British Sign Language (BSL) into the choreography for aunified experience for D/deaf and hearing audiences alike. There will also be audio description available for all performances across the tour.

Mole’s first day in ‘The Willows’. Her classmates look a bit scary. Surely Mr Badger will look out for her, as streetwise Rattie, rich kid Toad and cheeky Otter teach her the ways of The Riverbank. But when Toad gets locked up for joyriding, the Weasel Clan break into his (lily)pad. It’s now only a matter of time before Chief Weasel reveals Mole’s dark secret…

This classic story is brought leaping into the twenty first century. Featuring ballads, beats and backflips, this new musical will be fun for the whole family.

 Olivier-award winner Clive Rowe MBE has had an illustrious career on stage and screen; best-known to family audiences for his role as ‘Norman “Duke” Ellington in BBC Children’s drama The Story of Tracy Beaker, Clive’s extensive stage credits include Me and My Girl (Chichester), Guys and Dolls (NT and West End), Chicago(Adelphi), The Light Princess (NT), Kiss Me Kate (Chichester and Old Vic), and many appearances in panto, particularly at the Hackney Empire.

Originally from Sydney Australia, Seann Miley Moore stole the nation’s heart as a finalist on the UK’s X-Factor. Mentored by Radio 1’s Nick Grimshaw, he received a standing ovation for his rendition of Queen’s The Show Must Go On. Since then, Seann has toured globally, recently released his second EP 4TrackBitch and last year, with a triumphant return to his home town, sang his original song & Pride anthem We In Luv at the Sydney Gay & Lesbian Mardi Gras. Seann’s fearless sense of style and self-expression has inspired many. So much so that he found himself on the cover of the UK’s Gay Times and was chosen as a representative of Missguided’s International Fashion Campaign Keep Being You.

After suffering meningitis, street dancer Chris Fonseca was made deaf in both ears from a very young age. He dances with the use of a Cochlear Implant in one ear, and the sensation of musical vibrations through his body. In 2010, Chris joined the all deaf dance group, Def Motion. In 2014, he joined Studio 68 dance training academy as a teacher and choreographer. He is now a solo dancer.

In The Willows will also be reaching out to young performers across the country to appear onstage in the production at their local theatre. Beginning with a free dance workshop from leading dancer Sheila Attah – open to beginners and performers with access needs – successful performers aged 17-25 will have the chance to perform onstage alongside some of the country’s leading musical performers.

The production will also be encouraging D/deaf performers to apply, given the production’s inclusion of British Sign Language (BSL) into the choreography. The audition process will take place at selected regional workshops, detailed at: www.mettatheatre.co.uk/workshops

FULL CASTING

Victoria Boyce as Mole

Abiola Efunshile as Owl

Chris Fonseca as Otter

Treasure Iyamu as Twitchy Rabbit

Harry Jardine as Toad

Matt Knight as Chief Weasel

Zara Macintosh as Rattie

Seann Miley Moore as Duck

Katherine Picar as Bitchy Rabbit

Clive Rowe as Badger

Victoria Boyce makes her professional debut, having trained at the The Royal Central School of Speech and Drama.

Abiola Efunshile’s stage credits include: Dynamite Swing in Hairspray (UK & Ireland Tour), 50th anniversary production of Hair (Vaults Theatre), Hero (Theatre Royal Stratford East), Dua Lipa (Dancer BRIT Awards 2018), Jax Jones (Dancer- Capital Jingle Bell Ball 2018) and Dancer in Four Corners Dance Company (dir- Dean Lee).

Harry Jardine theatre credits include: A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Lyric Hammersmith), The Secret Seven(Storyhouse), Octagon (Arcola), Shakespeare in Love (West End) and Les Misérables (West End). His film credits include: Mind The Gap (dir: Matt Holt), Dirty Boy (dir: Doug Rao), White Girl (dir: Nadia Latif), Journey’s End(dir: Saul Dibb), The Thief (dir: Esther Baker), Master of Ceremonies (dir: Toby Wharton) and In The Heart of the Sea (dir: Ron Howard).

Treasure Iyamu’s dance credits include the music videos: Shakka’s Sugar Cane, Nile Rodgers’ Sober, Maleek Berry’s Gimme Life, Smokepurpp ft Lil Pump’s Nephew, Kamile ft Louis & Kranium’s Emotional, Korede Bello’s Melanin Popping and Nipah’s Forever. She has also danced on the X Factor Final 2017, with Rak Su and Wyclef Jean.

Matt Knight’s stage credits include: Little Mermaid Circus Musical (UK Tour, Metta Theatre), Peter Pan The Arena Tour (World Biggest Panto) and The Jungle Book (2016 & 2017 UK Tour). His screen credits include: Semi Finalist – Iron Sun in Let It Shine (BBC One), Dancer in Florence Foster Jenkins (Stephen Frears), Actor / Tricker in Tip Of The Wall Script (Red Bee Media), Featured Dancer in Wiley (Music Video), Dancer / Tricker in Ant & Dec’s Text Santa Christmas Show (ITV).

Zara Macintosh’s live credits include: Twelfth Night (Shakespeare Festival, Royal Court Theatre), H20 in Pandemonium (Water and Steam Museum) and Vocalist for Collaborative Orchestra and Singers (Britain’s Got Talent/SYCO). 

Katherine Picar was an original cast member of the West End Revival of Miss Saigon at the Prince Edward Theatre, and she returned to the production for the UK and Ireland tour. As a dancer Katherine appeared in theUnited Kingdom Eurovision Music Video entry in 2015, as Ballet/Pointe Girl in Billy Elliot The Musical directed by Stephen Daldry and as a tap dancer on The One Show for Arlene Phillips.

In The Willows transforms Kenneth Grahame’s well-loved tale into a thrilling new musical, written and directed by Poppy Burton-Morgan (Jungle Book, UK & International Tour)with music from award-winning composerPippa Cleary (The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole, Chocolate Factory; Prodigy, St James Theatre) and groundbreaking Composer Keiran Merrick, set and lighting design by William Reynolds, costume design by Ryan Dawson Laight (Blak Whyte Gray, Barbican), and with choreography from Rhimes Lecointe.

After their smash hit street-dance Jungle Book and circus-musical Little Mermaid, the award-winning Metta Theatre bring you a bold new take on this much-loved classic. Metta Theatre is at the forefront of cross-art-form theatre practice, known for combining emotionally powerful performances with imaginative theatricality and striking visual style. Metta Theatre is one of the UK’s leading mid-scale touring companies – making exceptional theatre and opera that represents and celebrates the diversity of our world.

In The Willows is produced by Metta Theatre and Exeter Northcott Theatre, supported by the Arts Council Strategic Touring Fund.

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IN THE WILLOWS  – UK TOUR DATES 2019

22 February – 2 March                                                                                     Box Office: 01392 726363

Exeter, Northcott Theatre                                                                               Website: exeternorthcott.co.uk

7 – 9 March                                                                                                         Box Office: 023 9264 9000

Portsmouth, New Theatre Royal                                                                   Website: newtheatreroyal.com

20 – 23 March                                                                                                     Box Office: 024 76553055

Coventry, Belgrade Theatre                                                                            Website: belgrade.co.uk

27 – 30 March                                                                                                     Box Office: 0131 529 6000

Edinburgh, Festival Theatre                                                                            Website: capitaltheatres.com

2 – 6 April                                                                                                             Box Office: 017687 74411

Keswick, Theatre by the Lake                                                                         Website: theatrebythelake.com

9 – 10 April                                                                                                           Box Office: 01865 305305

Oxford, Oxford Playhouse                                                                                Website: oxfordplayhouse.com

16 – 20 April                                                                                                        Box Office: 01904 623568

York, York Theatre Royal                                                                                  Website: yorktheatreroyal.co.uk

24 – 27 April                                                                                                        Box Office: 01684 892277

Malvern Forum                                                                                                   Website: malvern-theatres.co.uk

1 – 4 May                                                                                                             Box Office: 01253 290 190

Blackpool, The Grand Theatre                                                                       Website: blackpoolgrand.co.uk

9 – 11 May                                                                                                           Box Office: 0844 871 7646

Wimbledon, New Wimbledon Theatre                                                        Website: atgtickets.com

22 – 26 May                                                                                                         Box Office: 01708 443333

Hornchurch, Queens Theatre Hornchurch                                                  Website: queens-theatre.co.uk

29 May – 1 June                                                                                                 Box Office: 0117 987 7877

Bristol, Bristol Old Vic                                                                                       Website: bristololdvic.org.uk