Cast announced for UK tour of Hairspray

Casting has been announced for the upcoming tour of Hairspray, which opens at Leicester Curve on 9 September 2015.

Freya Sutton will reprise her role as Tracy Turnblad, having played the part in the 2013 UK tour, with Tony Maudsley (Benidorm) as Edna Turnblad, Peter Duncan (Birdsong, Blue Peter) as Wilbur, Claire Sweeney (Educating Rita, Chicago) as Velma Von Tussle and Brenda Edwards (Chicago, The X Factor) as Motormouth Maybelle.

Jon Tsouras (A Chorus Line) will play Corny Collins, with Dex Lee as Seaweed, Ashley Gilmour as Link, Lauren Stroud as Amber, Monique Young as Penny, WhatsOnStage Awards nominee Karis Jack as Little Inez, Adam Price as Male Authority Figure, Tracey Penn as Female Authority Figure and Layton Williams as Duane.

The tour, which takes in 29 venues across 40 weeks, is directed Paul Kerryson, with choreography by Drew McOnie and musical direction by Ben Atkinson. The show has music and lyrics by Academy Award, Tony and Emmy winning duo Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman.

The musical tells the story of Tracy Turnblad, a big girl with big hair and an even bigger heart, on a mission to follow her dreams and dance her way onto national TV. Tracy's audition makes her a local star and soon she is using her new-found fame to fight for equality, bagging local heartthrob Link Larkin along the way.

Hairspray runs at Leicester Curve from 9-19 September 2015, before touring to Aylesbury (21-26 September), Northampton (28 September – 3 October), Malvern (5-10 October), Liverpool (12-17 October), Hull (19-24 October), Manchester (26-31 October), Wimbledon (2-7 November), Bradford (9-14 November), Southampton (16-21 November), Ipswich (23-28 November), Brighton (30 November – 12 December), Birmingham (14 December – 2 January 2016), Newcastle (18-30 January), Aberdeen (1-6 February), Sheffield (8-13 February), Cambridge (15-20 February), Edinburgh (22-27 February), Oxford (29 February – 5 March), Bristol (7-12 March), Woking (14-19 March), Cardiff (21-26 March), Norwich (28 March – 2 April), Milton Keynes (4-9 April), Leeds (11-16 April), Plymouth (18-23 April), Stoke (25-30 April), Bromley (2-7 May), Canterbury (9-14 May) and Southend (16-21 May).