Norman Bowman & Laura Pitt-Pulford to Star in MACK AND MABEL Revival at The Southwark Playhouse, July-August

Casting has been announced for the major London revival of the Jerry Herman/Michael Stewart Hollywood musical, Mack and Mabel at Southwark Playhouse, which runs Thursday 5 July – Saturday 25 August, 2012.

Norman Bowman (Mack) was Micky Deans in the UK tour of Over the Rainbow. His major musical roles include Sky Masterson in Michael Grandage's West End production of Guys and Dolls, Tom Watson in the Donmar's Parade, Marius in Les Miserables, Sam in Mamma Mia!, Jack in George and Ira Gershwin's Lady Be Good at the Open Air Theatre, Regents Park, and Danny Zuko in Grease.

Laura Pitt-Pulford (Mabel) is currently starring as Charity in Sweet Charity (MAC, Belfast). Her other major roles include Snake in Nick Lloyd Webber's The Little Prince (Lyric, Belfast), Lucille Frank in Parade (Southwark Playhouse), Sarah Brown in Guys and Dolls (Theatre Clwyd), Lola in Copacabana (Watermill) and Betty Schaefer in Sunset Boulevard (Watermill and West End).

Jessica Martin, who starred as Mabel in the 1996 West End production of Mack and Mabel will play Lottie Ames. Jessica's recent roles include The Lady of the Lake in Spamalot and Norma Desmond in Sunset Boulevard at the Comedy Theatre.

Stuart Matthew Price (Frank) was Stix in the originAl West End cast of Shrek, and Scotty in Merrily We Roll Along and Frankie Epps in Parade, both at the Donmar Warehouse.

The rest of the company are: Richard J Hunt (Fatty Arbuckle), Jody Ellen Robinson (Ella), Steven Serlin (Mr Kessel), Peter Kenworthy (William Desmond Taylor), Anthony Wise (Eddie) and Jessica Buckby, Natalie Kent, Nikki Schofield, Ryan Gover, Paul Hutton, Jonathan Norman.

Mack and Mabel will run for an 8-week season in The Vault at Southwark Playhouse, from Thursday July 5 - Saturday August 25.

It is directed by Thom Southerland and produced by Danielle Tarento - the same creative team as last year's critically acclaimed, multi award-nominated Parade in the same venue.

Mack and Mabel, with a Book by Michael Stewart, Music and Lyrics by Jerry Herman, revised by Francine Pascal, based on an idea by Leonard Spigelgass, is set in the early days of motion pictures. It follows the tumultuous, real-life romantic relationship between movie director Mack Sennett and Mabel Normand, who became one of the biggest screen stars in the world. Told in a series of flashbacks, Sennett relates the glory days of the Keystone Studios from 1911, when he discovered Mabel and cast her in dozens of his early "two-reelers", through his creation of Sennett's Bathing Beauties and the Keystone Cops to Mabel's death from TB in 1930. The original 1974 Broadway production was nominated for 8 Tony Awards, including Best Musical.

The creative team are Director Thom Southerland, Musical Director Michael Bradley, Choreographer Lee Proud, Set & Costume Designer Jason Denvir, Lighting Designer Howard Hudson, Sound Designer Andrew Johnson and Producer & Casting Director Danielle Tarento.

Mack and Mabel is produced by Danielle Tarento in association with Southwark Playhouse.
Presented by arrangement with Samuel French Ltd.

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