West End stars come together for a workshop presentation of Footballers' Wives - The Musical
Theatre news
PRODUCERS of Footballers’ Wives – The Musical have assembled a cast of West End stars for a workshop presentation as the new musical, based on the iconic TV series and featuring 23 original songs, moves towards a full production.
A musical comedy noir, Footballers’ Wives – The Musical has a book by Maureen Chadwick, co-creator of the original TV series, and music and lyrics by Kath Gotts (also co-creators of Bad Girls – The Musical)
Based around the first TV series, it follows the fall and rise of super-bitch Tanya Turner – captain’s wife and old school femme fatale – as she struggles to keep her marriage afloat to footballer and lothario, Jason Turner, amidst groupies, meddling club chairmen, deception, betrayal and murder.
It’s 2002. Premier League Football is the new Rock ‘n’ Roll, and Earls Park FC wives are living it to the max. These WAGs have the designer gear, the palatial homes, the flash cars and the handsome superstar husbands – and the press pack on their kitten heels at every turn.
Footballers’ Wives – The Musical contains scenes of an adult nature and absolutely no football, along with disastrous hen and stag nights, a fairy tale wedding, deception, betrayal, Catholic guilt, and murder – plus a surprisingly happy ending.
Cast for the London showcase on Friday, November 22, 2019 features:
Simon Bailey as Jason (Raoul in The Phantom of the Opera and Liam in I Can’t Sing! The X-Factor Musical, both West End).
Natasha J. Barnes as Donna (Fanny Brice in Funny Girl, West End and tour, Anna in Spring Awakening, West End and Charlotte Brontë in Wasted).
Norman Bowman as Frank (42nd Street, Sky Masterson in Guys and Dolls and Mack Sennett in Mack and Mabel).
Liam Doyle as Kyle (Sam Wheat in Ghost, Tony in West Side Story, Fiyero in Wicked, Warner in Legally Blonde and Kurt in Heathers the Musical).
Alice Fearn as Tanya (Elphaba in Wicked, Nancy in Oliver!, Renee in Dirty Rotten Scoundrels and Rapunzel in Into The Woods).
Emma Hatton as Chardonnay (Eva Peron in Evita and Elphaba in Wicked).
Emmanuel Kojo as Ian (Joe in ShowBoat – UK Theatre Award Nomination – Best Supporting Performance – Jud Fry in Oklahoma! – UK Theatre Award Nomination – Best Supporting Performance – and Girl from the North Country).
Wendi Peters as Nurse Dunkley (Mrs Baskin in Big the Musical and Martha Watson in White Christmas, both West End and national tours of Salad Days, Quartet, Wonderland and Oh What a Lovely War).
Dean John Wilson as Salvo (Aladdin in Disney’s Aladdin, The King and I, both West End, and Cruel Intentions).
Produced by Big Broad Productions, musical director is Gemma Hawkins and music associate is Tom Kelly.
Footballers’ Wives ran for five seasons on ITV, from 2002 – 2006. In that time, it became award-winning, must-see TV – with accolades from the likes of Germaine Greer, Simon Hoggart and Mark Lawson. It was sold around the world and also ran on BBC America, where it became its highest rated show among adults 18-34.