A Winter's Tale - casting announced
Casting news
HELENA Blackman (as Paulina), Alastair Brookshaw (Polixines), Fra Fee (Florizel) and Pete Gallagher (King Leontes) will lead the cast of the professional world premiere of A Winter’s Tale, which runs at the Landor Theatre from Wednesday, November 7 to Saturday, December 1, 2012.
Although not a direct adaptation of one of Shakespeare’s last and most experimental plays, A Winter’s Tale is inspired by The Winter’s Tale and explores two very different lands that one day must conquer their differences through the universal themes of love, understanding and truth.
Helena Blackman, runner up in How Do You Solve A Problem Like Maria?, Andrew Lloyd Webber’s search for an actress to play Maria in his West End revival of the musical The Sound Of Music, was nominated for a TMA Award for best supporting actor for her role as Nellie Forbush in the UK number one tour of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s South Pacific.
She was also nominated for an Off West End Award for her portrayal of Gertrude Lawrence in Noel and Gertie and played leading lady Helen Fogel in Saturday Night.
She has performed and worked with composers Tim Rice, Andrew Lloyd Webber, Stiles & Drewe, Kander & Ebb and Charles Miller, has sung for the Gershwin and David Heneker families, appeared on BBC Radio 2’s Friday Night Is Music Night and featured on countless albums and recordings.
Alastair Brookshaw is best known for playing the lead role of Leo Frank in last years critically acclaimed production of Parade at the Southwark Playhouse. His other notable work includes Bed and Sofa (Finborough Theatre), Cabaret, Blood Brothers (Phoenix Theatre), The Hot Mikado (Watermill Theatre) and Notes from New York.
Fra Fee has just finished appearing in the West End production of Les Miserables understudying and playing Marius and Enjorlas and can soon be seen playing Courfeyrac in the new film version. His other notable credits include Billy in Dirty Dancing (Aldwych Theatre), Schlomo (RTE Television) and Aaron in the Silas Marner extracts recently performed at the St. James Theatre, also by Howard Goodall.
Pete Gallagher has recently played Caiaphas in the arena tour of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Jesus Christ Superstar and Reed in the critically acclaimed production of The Fix at the Union Theatre.
His other credits include Julian Woolford’s production of Oklahoma! (as Jud Fry), Harold Pinter’s Betrayal (Jerry), Moonlight and Magnolias (Victor Fleming), The Pirates of Penzance (Stephen Joseph Theatre), Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (London Palladium), Dr. Dolittle (Hammersmith Apollo), A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Forum (Regent’s Park), The Rocky Horror Show, Guys and Dolls and The Wizard of Oz.
They will be joined in the cast of A Winter’s Tale by Helen Power (Thoroughly Modern Millie, Sunset Boulevard, The Blonde Bombshells of 1943) as Ekatarina, Christopher Blades (The Phantom of The Opera, The Sound of Music, Jekyll & Hyde) as Camillo, Abigail Matthews (The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe, The Hired Man, Evita) as Perdita, Ross Barnes (Carousel, Little Shop of Horrors, Children of Eden) as Antigonus, Catherine Mort (The Hired Man, Fiddler on the Roof, Welsh Musical Theatre Singer of the Year 2009) as Emilia…
…Gareth James Healey (A Man of No Importance, A Fetus in America, Don Diovanni) as Zeki, Denis Delahunt (The Mystery of Edwin Drood, Twelth Night, Measure for Measure) as Melik, Ciaran Joyce (Torchwood, Les Miserables, The Story of Tracy Beaker) as Rob Autolycus, Rachael-Louise Miller (The Cradle Will Rock, Les Miserables, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat) as Dorcas, David Brewis, Joe McCourt, Lauren McGloan, Matthew Ronchetti and Raymond Walsh.
Read more about A Winter’s Tale.