Full Cast Announced for ONLY THE BRAVE
by Best of Theatre Staff on Thursday 18 February 2016, 10:20 am in Cast Changes and Announcements
Emilie Fleming will join the previously announced David Thaxton, Caroline Sheen and Neil McDermott to head the cast of the new British musical, ONLY THE BRAVE, premiering at the Wales Millennium Centre from 28 March to 2 April. Based on the real lives of men and women caught up in the D-Day landings, this new production will be directed by Steve Marmion, Artistic Director of London’s Soho Theatre. It will be Wales Milliennium Centre’s first production of a full-scale, original musical.
Emilie Fleming starred as Cosette in Les Misérables last year at the Queen’s Theatre in London’s West End. Before that, she appeared in Daniel Evans’s production of Oliver! at Sheffield Theatres.
Also in the cast will be Graham MacDuff (Spamalot, Carousel, Guys and Dolls, Chicago, Miss Saigon, all London’s West End), David Albury (Love Story at Union Theatre, Porgy & Bess at Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre, national tour of The Lion King), Karl Anthony Queensborough (Prince Charming in Cinderella at the Lyric Hammersmith, A Wolf in Snakeskin Shoes at the Tricycle Theatre), Helen Hobson (Bakkhai at the Almeida, Sunny Afternoon at Hampstead Theatre, Mother Abbess in The Sound of Music at Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre, Donna in Mamma Mia! at the Prince of Wales and Novello Theatres), Nikki Mae (Mamma Mia! at Novello Theatre, national tours of High School Musical 2 and Evita), Gwydion Rhys (Celyn Jenkins in Tir and Dai Jones in Cara Fi), Max Bowden (appeared in last year’s national tour of Birdsong, played Justin Fitzgerald in BBC 1’s Waterloo Road), Steffan Lloyd-Evans (Jack in Jack & the Beanstalk at Yvonne Arnaud Theatre Guildford, the national tours of Godspell in Concert and Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat), Moyo Akandé (appearing in Rachel Wagstaff’s musical Flowers for Mrs Harris directed by Daniel Evans at Sheffield Crucible in May this year, with previous credits including White Christmas at West Yorkshire Playhouse and Macbeth and Lightning Child at Shakespeare’s Globe), Thomas Aldridge (Made in Dagenham at Adelphi Theatre, The Secret Garden and Peter Pan – A Musical Adventure at West Yorkshire Playhouse and Birmingham Rep, High Society at the Shaftesbury Theatre), and Rebecca Craven (Tracy Turnblad in the Leicester Curve production of Hairspray, played Rhiannon Salt in BBC 1’s Waterloo Road).
With a book by Rachel Wagstaff, music by Matthew Brind and lyrics by Steve Marmion, ONLY THE BRAVE tells the heart-breaking and inspirational true story of two couples brought together by war, Captain John Howard (David Thaxton) and his wife Joy (Caroline Sheen), and Lieutenant Denham Brotheridge (Neil McDermott) and his wife Maggie (Emilie Fleming). This emotionally charged new musical brings to life the passion, camaraderie and courage of an incredible generation.
ONLY THE BRAVE’s original concept was by Steve Coleman, Matthew Brind, Rachel Wagstaff and Steve Marmion.
ONLY THE BRAVE is produced by Wales Millennium Centre, Soho Theatre, Daniel Sparrow Productions and Birdsong Productions.