Casting announced for The Smallest Show on Earth tour

Casting has been announced for a touring production of The Smallest Show on Earth, including Laura Pitt Pulford, Haydn Oakley and Liza Goddard.

The stage show, which has a book by Thom Southerland and Paul Alexander, contains some of Irving Berlin’s greatest songs, including "Blue Skies", "Shakin’ the Blues Away", "Let Yourself Go", "Steppin’ Out with my Baby" and "How Deep is the Ocean".

Director Thom Southerland said "Berlin’s music provides the perfect accompaniment to our 1950s story, not only in lyric, but in style and period too."

The UK tour of The Smallest Show on Earth will begin performances on Friday 25 September at the Mercury Theatre, Colchester, before playing Coventry, High Wycombe, Glasgow, Plymouth, Crewe, Swansea and Malvern.

Newly-weds Matt and Jean Spenser inherit a cinema and think their fortune is made. But the Bijou, better known as the fleapit, is the victim of a dirty tricks campaign from its rival flashy neighbour The Grand. The Bijou’s benevolent manageress Mrs Fazackalee and unreliable projectionist Mr Quill combine with Matt and Jean to outwit the opposition and restore the Bijou to its former glory.

The cast of the new musical comedy will be led by Liza Goddard (Take Three Girls, Bergerac, Grandpa in my Pocket) as Mrs Fazackalee and Brian Capron (Coronation Street, Where the Heart Is, Grange Hill) as Mr Quill. They are joined by Haydn Oakley (Matthew Spenser), Laura Pitt-Pulford (Jean Spenser), Ricky Butt (Ethel Hardcastle), Philip Rham (Albert Hardcastle), Christina Bennington (Marlene Hardcastle), Sam O’Rourke (Tom Fazackalee) and Matthew Crowe (Robin Carter), with Leo Andrew, Jacob Chapman, Matthew Dale, Nova Skipp and Leah West.

The tour begins at the Mercury Theatre, Colchester on 25 September.