Casting is now complete for the first major London production of cult musical MOBY DICK since Sir Cameron?Mackintosh's West?End premiere in 1991 - and includes "Dancing on Ice" contestant and "Loose Women" panelist Denise Welch as the first of five celebrities voicing the Whale.
MOBY DICK plays a five-week season at the Landor?Theatre from Wednesday 27 April - Saturday 28 May. Press Night is Tuesday 3 May at 7.30pm
The cast features Tony Timberlake in the twin roles of Headmistress and Captain Ahab. Tony's West End roles include Wilbur in "Hairspray", Sir Belvedere in "Spamalot", Harold in "The Full Monty" and Thenadier in "Les Miserables".
Sarah Lark, who understudied Nancy and played the role many times in "Oliver!" at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane after being a finalist on BBC1's "I'd Do Anything" search for Nancy, star in the production. Her other West?End roles include Lucy in the 21st anniversary production of "Snoopy!", "The Witches of Eastwick", "Beautiful & Damned" and "Mamma Mia".
Debbie Kurup understudied and played the lead role of Deloris in "Sister Act" at the London?Palladium. Her other West?End roles include Velma Kelly in "Chicago", Dee Dee in "Tonight's?The?Night" and Mimi in "Rent". Michelle?Bishop has just played Marta in "Company"?at Southwark Playhouse. Her?West?End roles include "Jersey Boys" and "Fame The Musical", with "Footloose", "The?Wedding?Singer", "Saturday?Night?Fever" and?"Grease" on tour. Laura Scott's West End roles include Diana in "Sweet Charity", understudy Susan in "Desperately Seeking Susan" and understudy Mary Poppins in "Mary Poppins". Ben Evans' West End credits include cover Franki Valli in "Jersey Boys", "Lord of the Rings" and "Mamma Mia". George Ure was Boq in "Wicked" in the West End. Hannah Levane was the alternate Killer Queen in "We Will Rock You" and Keisha in "Flashdance" in the West End. Brendan Cull recently appeared as Harold "Stinker" Pinker in "By Jeeves" at the Landor. His West End roles include Abe in "Flashdance" and "Spamalot". Melanie Bright recently graduated Mountview and has appeared in the film "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire".
A mixture of high camp, music hall-style smut and outrageous double entendres, MOBY?DICK, by Robert Longden &?Hereward Kaye, sees the anarchic and nubile girls of St. Godley's Academy for Young Ladies and their unflappable headmistress trying to save their school from bankruptcy by staging Herman Melville's classic novel in the school's swimming pool.
MOBY?DICK is Directed & Choreographed by Andrew Wright, who won rave reviews for "42nd Street" at Chichester Festival Theatre, and who choreographed the Landor Theatre's recent acclaimed 15th anniversary revival of the Andrew Lloyd Weber/Alan Aykbouyrn musical, "By Jeeves". Lighting Design is by Mike Robertson, who won the 2007 Olivier Award for "Sunday in the Park with George" and was nominated for a 2010 Whatonstage.com Award for Best Lighting Design for "On The Waterfront" for Steven Berkoff (Theatre Royal, Haymarket). Set Design is by Martin Thomas, who designed "The Drowsy Chaperone"?Upstairs at the Gatehouse, winner of the 2011 What's On Stage Award for Best Off West End Production.
Moby Dick is produced by Thomas Hopkins and Danielle Tarento, the team behind the acclaimed Landor?Theatre 2010 production of "Smokey Joe's?Cafe". Hopkins also produced "Tomorrow Morning" and the 15th anniversary production of "By Jeeves" at the Landor, and "Leslie?Jordan My Trip Down The?Pink?Carpet"?in the West?End. Tarento also produced the recent production of "Company" at Southwark Playhouse.
