World Premiere of Andrew Lloyd Webber's CINDERELLA set for 25 August 2021
by Best of Theatre Staff on Friday 23 July 2021, 2:46 pm in Theatre News
The Really Useful Group today announce that, after a period of enforced closure, the world premiere of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Cinderella will be on Wednesday 25 August. With music by Andrew Lloyd Webber, written by Academy Award winning Emerald Fennell (Best Original Screenplay Oscar in April 2021) and with lyrics from David Zippel, the brand new musical will resume performances at the Gillian Lynne Theatre on Wednesday 18 August. Previews initially began on Friday 25 June 2021, before another period of closure due to Covid-19 isolation protocols.
Carrie Hope Fletcher leads the new production as title character Cinderella, with Ivano Turco as Prince Sebastian and Victoria Hamilton-Barritt playing The Stepmother. Rebecca Trehearn is The Queen, Georgina Castle and Laura Baldwin, as Cinderella’s stepsisters Marie and Adele, Gloria Onitiri plays The Godmother and Caleb Roberts is Prince Charming.
The production is a complete reinvention of the classic fairytale, written by and based on an original idea from Emerald Fennell, the Oscar winning writer of the recently released, critically acclaimed film Promising Young Woman, and scriptwriter/Executive Producer of the of international smash hit Killing Eve. As an actress she is known to millions as Patsy in the BBC’s Call The Midwife and as Camilla Parker Bowles in the Netflix hit The Crown.
Cinderella has a brand new score from Andrew Lloyd Webber and lyrics by David Zippel, a multi-award winner for Broadway productions including City of Angels, The Goodbye Girl, The Woman in White and Liza at the Palace, as well as for work on film including Disney’s Hercules and Mulan, both of which received Oscar nominations.
The full company also includes Michael Afemaré, Lydia Bannister, Michelle Bishop, William Bozier, Lauren Byrne, Sophie Camble, Tobias Charles, Vinny Coyle, Nicole Deon, Jonathan David Dudley, Dominic Adam Griffin, Michael Hamway, James Lee Harris, Leah Harris, Kate Ivory Jordan, Kelsie-Rae Marshall, Georgina Onuorah (who will play the role of Cinderella at certain performances), Andy Rees, Alexandra Waite Roberts, Sam Robinson, Giovanni Spano, Lauren Stroud, Georgia Tapp and Matthieu Vinetot.
The production reunites legendary composer Andrew Lloyd Webber with director Laurence Connor and choreographer JoAnn M Hunter, who previously worked on the Olivier Award winning international hit School of Rock and the recent, sold out production of Joseph & the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat at The London Palladium, which returns to the venue this Summer.
The creative team also includes Designer, Gabriela Tylesova (Sweeney Todd, Love Never Dies), Sound Designer, Gareth Owen (& Juliet, Come From Away),Lighting Designer, Bruno Poet (Tina: The Musical, Billie Eilish at Steve Jobs Theatre) and Co-Musical Supervisor, John Rigby (The King and I, The Phantom of the Opera).
Ahead of Cinderella’s arrival at the Gillian Lynne Theatre, LW Theatres has carried out internal upgrade work to the building including the addition of more toilets and refurbishment to areas of the auditorium and Front of House, as well as adopting measures to welcome back audiences safely.