Bonnie Langford joins cast of 42nd Street and closing date announced

Bonnie Langford will join the cast of 42nd Street at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane, playing Dorothy Brock until the show's final curtain in January.

Langford's theatre credits include Cats, Spamalot and Chicago, and has most recently been seen on TV in EastEnders. She made her theatre debut in the West End at the age of seven in Gone with the Wind (also at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane). She will join 42nd Street on 3 September, taking over from Steph Parry.

The production has also announced a West End closing date of 5 January, after which Theatre Royal Drury Lane will close for refurbishment.

42nd Street is the revival production of the show which follows the lives of performers as they struggle to make their names on Broadway. The piece has a book by Michael Stewart and Mark Bramble, music from Harry Warren and lyrics from Al Dubin and is an adaptation of the 1932 novel and the 1933 film.

In her review, Sarah Crompton called the show 'the most sophisticated and joyful of backstage musicals'.