Theatre News

Marti Pellow Fronts Jekyll & Hyde National Tour

| London's West End |

11 November 2010

Former front man of Wet Wet Wet Marti Pellow will make his return to the British stage in a new touring production of Broadway musical Jekyll and Hyde which will embark on an UK tour starting in Bromley on 20 January, with dates announced for seven months through to July 2011.

The show, which previously toured the UK from August 2004 to May 2005 with a cast led by Paul Nicholas, Louise Dearman and Shona Lindsay, was originally seen in the US in the 1980s.

The thriller, based on Robert Louis Stevenson’s gorily gothic tale about a doctor whose fight with his inner self unleashes the horror of his darkest desires on the streets of 19th-century London – was substantially revised by Leslie Bricusse (book and lyrics) and Frank Wildhorn (music) for Broadway where it ran for 1,500 performances.

Pellow’s career began in the band Wet Wet Wet which he formed with friends from school, 12 British Top Ten singles in the 80s and 90s, their 1994 single “Love Is All Around” continues to be one of the top five highest selling singles of all time. More recently he has embarked on a solo music career as well as starring in West End and tour musical productions.

His recent stage credits include playing super-slick lawyer Billy Flynn in the West End production of Chicago in 2004, followed by a stint in the role on Broadway later that year. Pellow’s other stage outings include the 2008 touring production of The Witches of Eastwick and the 21st anniversary concert presentation of Chess at the Royal Albert Hall.

The newly announced tour will start its run at Bromley’s Churchill Theatre on 20 January, playing dates in Wimbledon, Dublin, Aberdeen, Manchester, Southampton, Birmingham, Bradford, Sheffield, Bristol, Liverpool, Stoke-on-Trent, Tunbridge Wells, Norwich, Glasgow, Edinburgh, Milton Keynes, Woking, and a short run in Abu Dhabi. The tour, which may announce more dates, is currently set to end in Leeds on 30 July 2011.

The Jekyll and Hyde score includes songs such as “Someone Like You,” “A New Life,” and “This Is The Moment”. The new UK tour, which is still to announce full casting information, is produced by Bill Kenwright.