Jon Robyns, Niamh Perry, Jodie Jacobs and more join Landor's From Page to Stage festival

Familiar West End names including Jon Robyns, Niamh Perry, Jodie Jacobs, Kim Criswell, Sophia Ragavelas, and David Burt have all joined the second annual From Page to Stage festival, a season of new musical theatre at the Landor Theatre from 10 February to 9 March 2014.

Full cast has been announced today for this season’s showcase readings; Merman’s Apprentice, Claus The Musical and The Return of the Soldier, as well as the repertory cast for the Showcase Nights of musicals in the making. Final casting for the two headline musicals, Before The Night Is Through and The Mistress Cycle to be announced soon.

Kim Criswell will star in Merman’s Apprentice, playing on 11 and 12 February 2014. Criswell stars as Ethel Merman, the "Queen of Broadway", who takes on the responsibility of guiding a naïve child actress in her earliest years during the end of the golden age of musical theatre. Other cast members include Olivia Hallett, John Guerrasio, Nigel Richards, David Burt, Elizabeth Seal, Ted Merwood, Ben Stock, Daniel Cane, Thomas Sutcliffe, Lindsey Nicholls and Kimberley Moses.

Claus The Musical, the a tale of a boy raised by immortals deep within the constructs of a mystical forest will be shown on 14 and 15 February. The cast includes Gary Albert Hughes, Joseph Houston, Jonathan Bourne, Adam Anderson, Paul Lincoln, Kara Lane, Sophie Caton, Kirsty Marie Ayers, Kate Hume and Sasha Latoya.

The Return of the Soldier, running on 28 February and 1 March is a new musical adaptation of Rebecca West’s novella, highlighting the love triangle of Christopher, a WWI veteran. It stars Sophia Ragavelas, Gary Tushaw, Sinead Wall, Jennifer Harraghy and Jonathan Leinmuller.

The season will also see three showcase nights of musicals in development from 25-27 February, which will star Niamh Perry (Love Never Dies, Taboo), Jon Robyns (Avenue Q, Les Miserables, Spamalot), Helen Hobson (Mamma Mia!, Blood Brothers), Matthew Rixon, Jodie Jacobs (Rock of Ages, Evita), Ashleigh Gray (Wicked), Jonathan Eio and Tom Solomon (Chicago, Phantom of the Opera).

From Stage to Page is designed to highlight developing work while receiving input from it's audiences. An Arts Council grant was awarded to the festival after a successful run last year.