Julian Clary, Paul Zerdin and Nigel Havers return to the London Palladium in Dick Whittington
Casting news
INITIAL casting has been announced for Qdos Entertainment’s London Palladium production of Dick Whittington, which runs for five weeks over the festive season – from December 13, 2017 (previews from December 9) to January 14, 2018.
Following the success of Cinderella last year, the production will see the return of Julian Clary who will play Spirit of the Bells, Paul Zerdin as Idle Jack and Nigel Havers as Captain Nigel. Further casting and creative team will be announced shortly.
Julian Clary, who played Dandini in Cinderella, began his career as a camp comic thirty years ago. His TV debut came in 1989 with ITV quiz show Trick or Treat and Channel 4’s Sticky Moments. Clary is also a best-selling author, a regular panelist on Radio 4’s Just a Minute and last year toured his one man show The Joy of Mincing.
Ventriloquist Paul Zerdin took the US by storm when he won America’s Got Talent, which was swiftly followed by his own residency at the legendary Planet Hollywood in Las Vegas. Also a household name in the UK, Zerdin has appeared on The Royal Variety Performance three times, was seen on Michael McIntyre’s Big Christmas Show (BBC1) and last year appeared as Buttons in the London Palladium’s Cinderella.
Nigel Havers is one of the country’s best known actors thanks to his roles in Chariots of Fire, Passage to India, Empire of The Sun, Don’t Wait Up and Man Child. More recently, his credits include Coronation Street, Downton Abbey, the hit BBC4 series The Life of Rock, Stop/Start for BBC Comedy Playhouse and Benidorm.
His numerous theatre credits include playing Serge in both the touring and London productions of Art, the hugely successful touring productions of Rebecca, Alan Bennett’s Single Spies and Nick Fisher’s comedy Basket Case, as well as several sell out seasons in pantomime. More recently, Havers reprised the role of Algernon Moncrieff in The Importance of Being Earnest both at the Harold Pinter Theatre and on tour in the UK, and last year played the Lord Chamberlain in the London Palladium pantomime Cinderella.
Read more about Dick Whittington.
Also at the London Palladium: the major new musical The Wind in the Willows, starring Rufus Hound as Mr Toad (June 16 to September 9, 2017).