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Conley & Stardust Headline Chitty Cast, 14 Weeks

From 15 March 2005, Brian Conley (pictured) and Alvin Stardust will star in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang for a limited 14-week season at the West End’s London Palladium.

Conley replaces Jason Donovan in to the role of inventor Caractacus Potts while Stardust takes over from former Boyzone pop star Stephen Gately as the evil Childcatcher (See News, 2 Aug 2004). Also from 15 March, Jo Gibb will permanently take over from Scarlet Strallen as Truly Scrumptious.

Conley is well known for his TV appearances in The Brian Conley Show, The Grimleys and Time After Time. He has previously appeared on the West End in Me and My Girl and Jolson, in which he played the title role. Stardust made his name as a musician in the 1970s, his best known hit being “My Coo Ca Choo”. Stardust continues to tour as a musician in shows like Phantom of the P’Opera and Rocking Around the Xmas Tree. He’s just had a pantomime stint in Aladdin at the New Theatre Hull.

Chitty Chitty Bang Bang is adapted by Jeremy Sams with original music by the Sherman brothers. It's directed by former Royal Shakespeare Company artistic director Adrian Noble, choreographed by Gillian Lynne and designed by Whatsonstage.com Award winner Anthony Ward. The original children's book, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, was written by Ian Fleming.

The £6.2 million musical, based on the famous 1968 children's film, is currently taking bookings up to 4 September 2005 at the London Palladium. A Broadway production will open at New York’s Hilton Theatre (formerly the Ford Center for the Performing Arts) in April 2005.

- by Hannah Kennedy

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