LESLEY JOSEPH
TO JOIN NEW CAST OF
THE AWARD-WINNING MUSICAL CALENDAR GIRLS
BY GARY BARLOW AND TIM FIRTH
Lesley Joseph will join the new cast for the UK & Ireland Tour of Gary Barlow and Tim Firth’s musical comedy, CALENDAR GIRLS The Musical, based on the true story, the film and the award-winning play.
Lesley will play Jessie from 23 April in Southend, until 10 August in Eastbourne when Ruth Madoc returns to the role.
Although perhaps best known for playing Dorien Green in the ITV sitcom Birds of a Feather, alongside Pauline Quirke and Linda Robson, Lesley has a wealth of theatrical experience to her credit. Most recently she starred as Frau Blücher in Mel Brooks’ Young Frankenstein at the Garrick Theatre, a role which earned her an Olivier Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress in a Musical.
Lesley’s other notable theatre credits include Miss Hannigan in Annie (West End and UK Tour), Chris in the play of Calendar Girls (UK Tour), The Vagina Monologues (West End and UK Tour), and Kathleen in Sir Peter Hall’s production of Home (Theatre Royal Bath).
On television, Lesley played Rachel Culgrin in ITV’s Night and Day for nearly two years. Other TV appearances include Rumble with Brian Glover, Easy Money, Spywatch, Minder, Roots, and The Knowledge to name a few. She played Green Beryl in Channel 5’s series The Secret of Eel Island, and guest starred as Erica in BBC’s The Slammer.
Lesley has also appeared in scores of light entertainment shows. She had a regular spot as glamour correspondent on GMTV, and presented ITV’s Wish You Were Here…?. In 2016, Lesley was partnered with Anton du Beke on BBC’s Strictly Come Dancing.
Lesley joins the previously announced cast starring Sarah Jane Buckley (Blood Brothers and Kathy Barnes inHollyoaks) as Annie, Sue Devaney (the soon to be seen new Russell T. Davies series Years and Years, Jane inDinnerladies, Liz Harker in Casualty, Debbie Webster in Coronation Street and Rosie in the musical Mamma Mia!) as Cora, Julia Hills (Doctor Kemp in Broadchurch, Annabelle Shrivener in The Archers) as Ruth, Judy Holt (Cold Feet, Scott & Bailey) as Marie and Lisa Maxwell (panellist on Loose Women, Tracey Donovan in Hollyoaks,Samantha Nixon in The Bill and various roles in The Les Dennis Laughter Show and The Russ Abbot Show) as Celia. The new cast will make their debut at Cliffs Pavilion, Southend, on 23 April 2019.
Rebecca Storm will continue to play Chris.
Karen Dunbar will return to play Cora when the production visits Glasgow’s King’s Theatre from 11-22 June.
Also in the cast are Phil Corbitt as John, Ian Mercer as Rod, Sebastian Abineri as Colin, Alan Stocks as Denis, Derek Elroy as Lawrence, Pauline Daniels as Lady Cravenshire, Ellie Leah as Miss Wilson, Danny Howker as Danny, Isabel Caswell as Jenny and Tyler Dobbs as Tommo.
The critically acclaimed and award-winning production played a six-month London season at the Phoenix Theatre in 2017, and, before that, this musical comedy played sold-out seasons in Leeds and Manchester.
Gary Barlow and Tim Firth grew up in the same village in the North of England and have been friends for 25 years. With Take That, Gary has written and co-written 14 number one singles, has sold over 50 million records worldwide and is a six times Ivor Novello Award winner. Tim has won the Olivier Award and UK Theatre Award for Best New Musical, and the British Comedy Awards Best Comedy Film for Calendar Girls.
CALENDAR GIRLS THE MUSICAL is inspired by the true story of a group of ladies, who decide to appear nude for a Women’s Institute calendar in order to raise funds to buy a settee for their local hospital, in memory of one of their husbands, and have to date raised almost £5million for Bloodwise. This musical comedy shows life in their Yorkshire village, how it happened, the effect on husbands, sons and daughters, and how a group of ordinary ladies achieved something extraordinary.
Bloodwise, the UK’s specialist blood cancer charity, will continue to receive monies from this production.
CALENDAR GIRLS The Musical is directed by Matt Ryan and designed by Robert Jones, with comedy staging by Jos Houben, movement by Lucy Hind and casting by Sarah Bird.
Website: www.calendargirlsthemusical.com
Facebook: @thegirlsmusical
Twitter: @thegirlsmusical
2019 TOUR SCHEDULE
23 – 27 April Cliffs Pavilion, Southend* 01702 351135
30 April – 11 May Wales Millennium Centre* 02920 636464
14 – 25 May Grand Opera House, Belfast* 02890 241919
28 May – 8 June Birmingham Hippodrome* 0844 338 5000
11 – 22 June Glasgow King’s Theatre* 0844 871 7648
www.atgtickets.com/kings-theatre
25 June – 6 July Theatre Royal, Nottingham* 0115 989 5555
9 July – 20 July Bristol Hippodrome* 0844 871 3012
23 July – 3 August Theatre Royal Plymouth* 01752 267222
6 – 10 August Congress Theatre, Eastbourne* 01323 412000
17 – 21 September Bournemouth Pavilion 0844 576 3000
24 – 28 September Wolverhampton Grand 01902 42 92 12
1 – 5 October New Wimbledon Theatre 0844 871 7646
www.atgtickets.com/new-wimbledon-theatre
8 – 12 October Royal & Derngate Northampton 01604 624811
15 – 19 October Blackpool Opera House 0844 856 1111
www.wintergardensblackpool.co.uk
22 – 26 October Ipswich Regent Theatre 01473 433100
29 October – 2 November Chester Storyhouse 01244 409113
5 – 9 November Theatre Royal Bath 01225 448844
12 – 23 November Chichester Festival Theatre 01243 781312
*Lesley Joseph dates