Theatre News

Fountain & Rushworth Depart for Waterloo East

18 August 2010

Dougal Irvine’s musical comedy Departure Lounge will open at the new Waterloo East Theatre on 30 September 2010 (previews from 28 September) with a cast lead by Chris Fountain and Verity Rushworth. The show, which enjoyed a sell-out season at the 2008 Edinburgh Fringe and an outing at the Summer Play Festival in New York, will run for a limited season until 31 October 2010.

Rushworth recently made her West End debut as Penny Pingleton in Hairspray but will be best known to audiences of Emmerdale, having spent 10 years in the role of Donna Windsor before leaving the show earlier this year.

Fountain is best known for playing Justin Burton in Channel 4’s Hollyoaks and for his success in the 2008 season of Dancing On Ice. He was last seen on the West End as a child, appearing in Les Miserables and Sam Mendes’ production of Oliver.

They are joined in the cast by Harry Hepple, Liam Tamne and Steven Webb. Tamne can currently be seen in the West End production of Hair which closes on 4 September. His previous West End roles include cover Fiyero in Wicked and Link Larkin in Hairspray.

Webb has previously appeared in the Channel 4 series The Inbetweeners and received a nomination for Most Outstanding Newcomer at the 2003 Evening Standard Theatre Awards for his role in The Trestle At Pope Lick Creek at Southwark Playhouse.

The musical, which is Dougal Irvine‘s first, tells the story of four less than innocent 18-year-olds delayed at Malaga Airport after a week in the sun celebrating their graduation from school. Their individual memories of the holiday appear to be at odds, particularly when it comes to romance and the girl on all their minds.

During its 2008 Edinburgh Fringe run the show was nominated for all five MTM:UK awards and won the award for Best Music. Irvine was recently the lyricist on the musical Britain’s Got Bhangra, a co-production by Rifco Arts and Theatre Royal Stratford East, which has just completed a national tour. His new show, In Touch which was developed and showcased by Perfect Pitch Musicals, is currently being performed at this year’s Edinburgh Fringe by students from the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama.

For the second year in a row, Whatsonstage.com are sponsors of the MTM:UK Awards, the only prize-giving specifically dedicated to the musical genre at the Edinburgh Fringe. To find out more, and cast your vote in the new People’s Choice category, click here.