Matt Cardle withdraws from Falsettos musical with Joel Montague taking over

Matt Cardle has withdrawn from the UK premiere of Falsettos at The Other Palace, according to the show's Twitter channel.

The actor, who was due to play Mendel, will be replaced by Joel Montague (School of Rock) in the piece. Cardle has withdrawn due to scheduling conflicts.

He said: "I am truly sorry that circumstances beyond our control have led to my departure from Falsettos. It has been such a hard decision for us to make, as I know Tara Overfield-Wilkinson is going to deliver the most incredible show. It's a complex and exciting show and I can't wait to watch the world-class cast bring this to life at The Other Palace and urge anyone who hasn't yet bought tickets to do so before the run sells out. I for one won't miss the chance to watch it."

William Finn and James Lapine's musical will also star Natasha J Barnes (Cordelia), Daniel Boys (Marvin), Montague (Mendel), Gemma Knight-Jones (Charlotte), Laura Pitt-Pulford (Trina) and Oliver Savile (Whizzer). The child cast sharing the role of Jason will be Albert Atack, George Kennedy, Elliot Morris and James Williams.

The musical makes its European premiere at The Other Palace from 30 August until 23 November.

Directed by Tara Overfield-Wilkinson, the piece has designs by PJ McEvoy, lighting by Nic Farman, sound by Chris Whybrow, musical direction by Richard John and musical supervision by Mark Crossland.

Falsettos looks at a modern family, revolving around the life of a gay man, his wife, his lover and his soon to be bar mitzvahed son. Divided into two parts, March of the Falsettos and Falsettoland, the show was written against the backdrop of the AIDS crisis.