New British Musical The Girls To Open in January 2017

Clockwise:- Claire Machin (seated), Sophie Louise Dann, Debbbie Chazen, Michele Dotrice, Marian McLoughlin, Tim Firth, Gary Barlow, Claire Moore and Joanna Riding. Producers have announced that Gary Barlow and Tim Firth's new British Musical The Girls will begin performances at London's Phoenix Theatre on 28 January 2017. Tickets are now on sale.

The musical is based on the true story, the film and the award-winning play by Tim Firth Calendar Girls. The West End premiere follows sold-out runs at the Grand Theatre Leeds and the Lowry Salford late 2015/early 2016. See the great video with Gary and Tim below.

Unlike most other West End musicals, Producers have made a commitment to there being no Premium Rated seats, no booking fees and reduced priced previews.

The ‘Girls’ will be played by Debbie Chazen (Topsy Turvy, Psychoville) as Ruth, Sophie-Louise Dann (Bend It Like Beckham, Made In Dagenham) as Celia, Michele Dotrice (Some Mother's Do Ave Em) as Jessie, Claire Machin (Mary Poppins, Titanic, Mary Poppins) as Cora, Claire Moore (Miss Saigon, The Phantom Of The Opera) as Chris and Joanna Riding (Carousel, My Fair Lady) as Annie.

Also in the cast will be Joe Caffrey as Rod, Jeremy Clyde as Denis, John Davitt as Doctor, Soo Drouet as Brenda, James Gaddas as John, Jenny Gayner as Miss Wilson (coffee), Steve Giles as Lawrence, Maxwell Hutcheon as Colin, Shirley Jameson as Miss Wilson (tea), Marian McLoughlin as Marie, Judith Street as Lady Cravenshire and Jane Lambert, Rebecca Lewis, Victoria Blackburn and Frazer Hadfield, and introducing Josh Benson as Tommo, Ben Hunter as Danny and Chloe May Jackson as Jenny.

The Girls 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 over £4million 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.

The Girls will be directed by Tim Firth, with musical staging by Lizzi Gee, comedy staging by Jos Houben, design by Robert Jones, lighting design by Tim Lutkin, sound design by Terry Jardine and Nick Lidster, musical direction and orchestrations by Richard Beadle, with casting by Sarah Bird, and associate producer is U-Live.

The Girls will be produced by David Pugh & Dafydd Rogers and The Shubert Organization.

Bloodwise, the UK’s specialist blood cancer charity, will receive monies from this production.

BOOK TICKETS FOR THE GIRLS

https://youtu.be/MjPl6ZWcTgI