Will Young, Jonny Labey and Zizi Strallen will lead the cast of Baz Luhrmann’s Strictly Ballroom the musical when it opens at London’s Piccadilly Theatre in 2018.
Will Young will play the brand new role of band leader, Wally Strand. Currently performing as Emmcee in Kander and Ebb’s Cabaret which is touring the UK, Will was the original winner of ITV’s Pop Idol and has become of the UK’s most popular and successful music artists.
Jonny Labey makes his West End debut in the leading role of Scott Hastings, the maverick ballroom dancer torn betwen his passion and his pride. Jonny was the winner of ITV’s Dance, Dance, Dance, played Paul Coker in Emmerdale and starred in the film Soft Lad.
Zizi Strallen plays Fran, the fledgling dancer who par tners with Scott and catches his eye following his fall from grace. Zizi has just finished playing the title role in the UK tour of Mary Poppins and is currently performing in Follies at the National Theatre.
The cast includes Michelle Bishop (Thoroughly Modern Milly, Sunset Boulevard) as Pam Short, Ivan De Freitas (Jesus Christ Superstar, Aladdin) as Merv, Gabriela Garcia (In The Heights, Ghost) as Vanessa Cronin, Charlotte Gooch (Top Hat, Dirty Dancing) as Tina Sparkle, Richard Grieve (Neighbours, Emmerdale and Priscilla Queen of the Desert) as Les Kendall, Liam Marcellino (Cabaret, Miss Saigon) as Wayne Burns, Stephen Matthews (The Lion King, The Producers) as Doug Hastings, Fernando Mira (ENO, Victorian State Opera) as Rico, Eve Polycarpou (Villa Thalia, In The Heights) as Abuela, Lauren Stroud (Top Hat, Hairspray) as Liz Holt & Gary Watson (Fings Ain’t Wot They Used T’Be, A Chorus Line, Jersey Boys) as Ken Railings.
The cast also includes Chris Bennett, Chrissy Brooke, Hannah Fairclough, Selina Hamilton, Christopher D Hunt, Luke Jackson, Justin-Lee Jones, Robin Kent, Jacob Maynard, Leanne Pinder, Tinovimbanashe Sibanda & Dale White.
Strictly Ballroom the musical is based on Baz Luhrmann’s acclaimed film of the same name which takes a darkly comic yet deeply heartfelt look at the seeminly glitzy world of Professional Ballroom Dancing.
The production originated in Australia where it was created by Baz Luhrmann and Catherine Martin. Drew McOnie (whose dazzling choreography for In the Heights earned him the 2016 Olivier Award) will direct and choreograph the West End premiere, with a book by Baz Luhrmann and Craig Pearce.
Strictly Ballroom The Musical is produced by Global Creatures the team behind Walking With Dinosaurs – The Arena Spectacular, Muriel’s Wedding The Musical and the Broadway-bound King Kong and Moulin Rouge! The Musical.
