HAIRSPRAY
UK TOUR
- MATTHEW RICKSON JOINS THE CAST OF THE UK TOUR OF THE SMASH HIT MUSICAL HAIRSPRAY AS EDNA TURNBLAD
- HAIRSPRAY CONTINUES ON TOUR ACROSS THE UK UNTIL MAY 2016 WITH CLAIRE SWEENEY (VELMA VON TUSSLE), PETER DUNCAN (WILBUR TURNBLAD) AND BRENDA EDWARDS (MOTORMOUTH MAYBELLE)
Matthew Rickson will join the cast of the UK tour of Hairspray as Edna Turnblad, Matthew’s first performance will on 15 March 2016 at New Victoria Theatre, Woking. This new production of the international smash hit Hairspray embarked on a major UK tour in 2015 and continues into 2016 visiting Aberdeen, Sheffield, Cambridge, Edinburgh, Inverness, Bristol, Woking, Cardiff, Norwich, Milton Keynes, Llandudno, Plymouth, Canterbury, Bromley, Stoke and Southend.
Matthew Rickson’s recent theatre credits include The Producers (Theatre Royal Drury Lane),The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe (Royal Shakespeare Company), Chitty Chitty Bang Bang(London Palladium), Cinderella (Richmond Theatre), Casa Valentina (Southwark Playhouse), The Ladykillers (New Vic Theatre & UK Tour), Around The World in 80 Days (New Vic & Royal Exchange Theatre), Aladdin (Wimbledon Theatre), See How They Run (York Theatre Royal), The Legend of King Arthur (York Theatre Royal), Aladdin (Theatre at the O2 Arena) and The Governess (UK Tour).
Matthew joins TV and stage actress and presenter Claire Sweeney (Educating Rita, Guys and Dolls) as Velma Von Tussle, Olivier Award nominated actor and much-loved Blue Peter presenterPeter Duncan (BBC1 Tumble) as Wilbur Turnblad and British singer and West End performerBrenda Edwards (Chicago, We Will Rock You, The X Factor) as Motormouth Maybelle.
Freya Sutton will continue in her role of Tracy Turnblad alongside established musical theatre performer Jon Tsouras (A Chorus Line) as Corny Collins. Dex Lee (The Scottsboro Boys) as Seaweed, Ashley Gilmour (Miss Saigon) as Link Larkin, Lauren Stroud (Wicked) as Amber,Monique Young (Top Hat) as Penny, Karis Jack (Urinetown) as Little Inez, Adam Price(Hairspray) as Male Authority Figure, Tracey Penn (Made in Dagenham) as Female Authority Figure and Layton Williams (Bad Education, Billy Elliot) as Duane.
Hairspray is directed by Paul Kerryson, with choreography by Drew McOnie and musical direction by Ben Atkinson. The show has music and lyrics by Academy Award, Tony and Emmy winning duo Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman.
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.
Hairspray is produced by Mark Goucher and Laurence Myers, Tom O’Connell Productions Ltd., Just for Laughs Theatricals, Gale King Productions, Gary Brown and Curve theatre, Leicester.
LISTINGS INFORMATION
2016 UK Tour
Hairspray
8 – 13 February
The Lyceum, Sheffield
55 Norfolk Street, Sheffield, S1 1DA
Box Office: 0114 249 6000
www.sheffieldtheatres.co.uk
15 – 20 February
Cambridge Corn Exchange
2 Wheeler Street, Cambridge, CB2 3QB
Box Office: 01223 357 851
www.cornex.co.uk
22 – 27 February
Edinburgh Playhouse
18 – 22 Greenside Place, Edinburgh, EH1 3AA
Box Office: 0844 871 7627
www.atgtickets.com/venues/edinburgh-playhouse
29 February – 5 March
Eden Court, Inverness
Bishops Road, Inverness, IV3 5SA
Box Office: 01463 234 234
www.eden-court.co.uk
7 – 12 March
Bristol Hippodrome
St Augustine’s Parade, Bristol, BS1 4UZ
Box Office: 0844 871 3012
www.atgtickets.com/venues/bristol-hippodrome
15 – 19 March
New Victoria Theatre, Woking
The Ambassadors, Peacocks Centre, Woking, GU21 6GQ
Box Office: 0844 871 7645
www.atgtickets.com/venues/new-victoria-theatre
21 – 16 March
Cardiff New Theatre
Park Place, Cardiff, CF10 3LN
Box Office: 02920 878 889
www.newtheatrecardiff.co.uk
29 March – 2 April
Norwich Theatre Royal
Theatre Street, Norwich, Norfolk, NR2 1RL
Box Office: 01603 630 000
www.theatreroyalnorwich.co.uk
4 – 9 April
Milton Keynes Theatre
500 Malborough Gate, Buckinghamshire, MK9 3NZ
Box Office: 0844 871 7652
www.atgtickets.com/venues/milton-keynes-theatre
11 – 16 April
Venue Cymru, Llandudno
Promenade, Llandudno, LL30 1BB
Box Office: 01492 872 000
www.venuecymru.co.uk
18 – 23 April
Theatre Royal Plymouth
Royal Parade, Plymouth, PL1 2TR
Box Office: 01752 267 222
www.theatreroyal.com
25 – 30 April
The Marlowe, Canterbury
The Friars, Canterbury, Kent, CT1 2AS
Box Office: 01227 787 787
www.marlowetheatre.com
2 – 7 May
The Churchill Theatre, Bromley
High Street, Bromley, Kent, BR1 1HA
Box Office: 0844 871 7620
www.atgtickets.com/venues/the-churchill-theatre-bromley
9 – 14 May
Regent Theatre, Stoke
Piccadilly, Stoke-on-Trent, ST1 1AP
Box Office: 0844 871 7627
www.atgtickets.com/venues/regent-theatre
16 – 21 May
Southend Palace Theatre
430 London Road, Westcliff-on-Sea, SS0 9LA
Box Office: 01702 351 135
www.southendtheatres.org.uk