Joanne Clifton to star in UK tour of Flashdance this summer

Joanne Clifton will star in the upcoming UK tour of Flashdance the Musical this summer.

The Strictly Come Dancing winner will take on the role of Alex Owens in the adaptation of the 1983 film. She most recently appeared on stage as the titular charater in the UK tour of Thoroughly Modern Millie, and her previous stage roles include Face The Music and Norma Jeane the Musical. Yesterday, she announced she had quit Strictly to focus on her musical theatre career.

She will be joined by Ben Adams who will play Nick Hurley. Adams was the lead singer of pop group a1, and went on to work as a songwriter and producer. He also wrote the musical Eugenius which was performed at the London Palladium last June.

Flashdance is the story of 18-year old welder Alex who dreams of going to a prestigious dance school, and features the songs "Flashdance… What a Feeling", "Maniac", "Manhunt", "Gloria" and "I Love Rock and Roll".

The tour, which will be produced by Selladoor Productions and Runaway Entertainment opens in Glasgow on 5 August before touring to Aberystwyth, Southampton , Sunderland, Oxford, Stoke, Wimbledon, Liverpool, Blackpool, Chesterfield, Tunbridge Wells, Aylesbury, York, Birmingham, Edinburgh, Cheltenham, Cardiff, Manchester, Woking, Torquay, Bridlington Spa, Derry, Leicester, Bradford, Brighton, Nottingham, Portsmouth, Carlisle, Exeter, Canterbury, Bristol, Milton Keynes and Sheffield.

Clifton and Adams will perform on the tour from Glasgow to Birmingham (5 August to 9 December) with casting for the remaining dates to be announced.

Click here to buy tickets for the tour

Flashdance the Musical opens at the King's Theatre, Glasgow on 5 August before embarking on a UK tour.