Nine musical concert unveils further casting

Exclusive: Hope Mill Theatre has announced further star casting for its new concert version of Nine, set to take place at the Lowry in Salford next year.

The concert, celebrating Hope Mill’s ninth birthday, will have two performances on Saturday 1 and Sunday 2 February 2025.

Ramin Karimloo, previously announced as Guido Contini, will be joined by Ruthie Henshall as Liliane la Fleur, Amber Davies as Stephanie, Josefina Gabrielle as Guido’s Mother, Victoria Hamilton-Barritt as Luisa, Melissa James as Claudia, Danielle Steers as Sarraghina, and Zizi Strallen as Carla.

Nine, with music and lyrics by Maury Yeston and a book by Arthur Kopit, adapted from the Italian by Mario Fratti, will be co-directed by Hope Mill founders William Whelton and Joseph Houston. The story follows movie director Guido Contini as he struggles to find meaning, purpose, and a script for his latest movie.

The musical features songs such as “Be Italian”, “Unusual Way”, and “Cinema Italiano”. Nine won the 1982 Tony Award for Best Musical and Best Original Score and was released as a movie in 2009 with an all-star cast including Daniel Day-Lewis, Nicole Kidman, Penelope Cruz, Kate Hudson, Fergie, Sophia Loren, and Judi Dench.

The production will be produced by Whelton and Rhianna Swyer for Hope Mill Theatre, with set design by Justin Williams, lighting design by Aaron Dootson, sound design by Nick Lodge, choreography by Lucie Hunt, costume design by Lorraine Parry, musical supervision by Katy Richardson, additional orchestrations and associate musical supervision by William Parker, musical direction by Joseph Clayton, video design by Matt Powell, and associate video design by Ieuan Watkins. Casting is by Jim Arnold, and key artwork design by FEAST Creative.

This follows Hope Mill Theatre’s concert version of Gypsy, starring Jodie Prenger, in February 2024, which was recently nominated for a WhatsOnStage Award for Best Concert.