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Cast: Cousins Skates on Grease, New Jersey BoysDate: 23 February 2010
With the Winter Olympics entering its final few days in Vancouver, former figure skating gold medalist Robin Cousins has announced that he will return to the West End stage next month when he joins the cast of Grease.
The 1980 Olympic champion and Dancing on Ice judge will guest star as Teen Angel for a limited season from 29 March 2010 to 19 June 2010 at the Piccadilly Theatre, taking over from Heart radio presenter Toby Anstis (See News, 7 Jan 2010).
Since retiring from the rink in 2000, Cousins has notched up theatre credits including Cats, The Rocky Horror Show (in the West End) and Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Cinderella. He has also choreographed 'ice interpretations' of The Wizard of Oz, Starlight Express and Disney’s Toy Story.
Speaking about his latest role, Cousins said: "I am very excited to return to the West End and in such a fun and vibrant show ... I am really looking forward to playing Teen Angel and joining this young and energetic cast."
Cousins joins a cast led by How Do You Solve a Problem Like Maria's Siobhan Dillon (Sandy) and former Hear’Say member Noel Sullivan (Danny). Grease is currently booking to 4 September 2010.
Two new “seasons” will join the cast of Jersey Boys as it celebrates its second London birthday at the West End’s Prince Edward Theatre on 18 March 2010.
In the Broadway import, which tells the story of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons, Jon Boydon (We Will Rock You, Grease) takes over from Glenn Carter as Tommy Devito and Eugene McCoy (Mamma Mia!, Guys and Dolls) takes over from Philip Bulcock as Nick Massi. Whatsonstage.com Award winners Ryan Molloy and Stephen Ashfield continue to star as Valli and Bob Gaudio.
The cast also features: Simon Adkins, Jayde Westaby, Mark Carroll, Jye Frasca, Charlie Bull, Michelle Francis, Tee Jaye, Stuart Milligan, Joseph Prouse, James Winter and, as the alternate Frankie Valli, Scott Monello.
Jersey Boys had its UK premiere production on 18 March 2008 (previews from 28 February) and is currently taking bookings through to 24 October 2010. The musical follows four boys on their journey from the wrong side of the tracks in the state of New Jersey to international success as pop music sensation The Four Seasons. The band wrote their own songs, invented their own sounds and sold 175 million records worldwide, all before they were 30.
Amongst their many hits included in the show are “Sherry”, “Walk Like a Man”, “December, 1963 (Oh What a Night)”, “Big Girls Don’t Cry”, “Can’t Take My Eyes Off of You”, “Working My Way Back to You” and “Who Loves You”. The musical has been written by Rick Elice and Marshall Brickman and uses the original music written by band member Bob Gaudio.
Following a four month try-out run in La Jolla, California, Jersey Boys opened in November 2005 at Broadway’s August Wilson Theater, where it’s still running. In 2006 it won four Tony Awards, including Best Musical. The West End production reunites the Broadway creative team, led by director Des McAnuff. Choreography is by Sergio Trujillo and design by Klara Zieglerova.
Jersey Boys won four 2009 Whatsonstage.com Awards: Best New Musical, Best Set Designer, Best Actor in a Musical for Ryan Molloy and Best Supporting Actor in a Musical for Stephen Ashfield. It was also named Best New Musical at last year’s Oliviers.
In other West End musical casting news:
On 8 March, John Bowe will join Don Gallagher as a newcomer to the cast of Priscilla Queen Of The Desert The Musical, this year’s Whatsonstage.com Award-winning Best New Musical, at the Palace Theatre. He takes over from Clive Carter as Bob, while Gallagher takes over Tony Sheldon as Bernadette. Jason Donovan and 2010 Whatsonstage.com Best Supporting Actor in a Musical Oliver Thornton continue to star as Tick/Mitzi and Adam/Felicia. The musical, adapted from the 1994 Oscar-winning cult Australian film about drag queens who journey across the outback in a bus, will add 3pm Sunday matinees for a summer stint from 6 June to 5 September 2010. At the Cambridge Theatre (See News, 3 Dec 2009), Ruthie Henshall has extended her current stint as murderess Roxie Hart in Chicago by two months until 14 April 2010. Meanwhile, Anna-Jane Casey and Terence Maynard return to the roles of Velma Kelly and Billy Flynn and Adam Stafford takes over as Amos Hart from 1 March. In this revival, Henshall originated the role of Roxie at the Adelphi Theatre in 1997. Chicago opened at the Cambridge (where the musical’s original London production ran for 603 performances from April 1979) on 28 April 2006, after eight-and-a-half years at the Adelphi. - by Terri Paddock & Theo Bosanquet
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