Full Casting Announced for West End Transfer of Menier Chocolate Factory's Sweet Charity | Playbill

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News Full Casting Announced for West End Transfer of Menier Chocolate Factory's Sweet Charity The previously announced Tamzin Outhwaite, who originated the title role of Sweet Charity in the Menier Chocolate Factory's revival last year, will be joined by fellow original cast members Mark Umbers, Josefina Gabrielle, Tiffany Graves and Paul J. Medford in featured roles when show transfers to the West End's Theatre Royal, Haymarket. The production begins performances April 23, prior to an official opening May 4, and is currently booking through Jan. 8, 2011.

Jack Edwards, Ebony Molina, Rachael Archer, Richard Jones, Gemma Maclean, Zak Nemorin, Richard Roe, Annalisa Rossi and Jez Unwin, all also from the original company, will return, newly joined by Kenneth Avery-Clark, Matthew Barrow, Joanna Goodwin, Alexis Owen Hobbs and Laura Scott.

The show follows the misadventures of love encountered by the gullible and guileless Charity Hope Valentine, a woman who always gives her heart and her dreams to the wrong man. It features a book by Neil Simon, music by Cy Coleman and lyrics by Dorothy Fields.

Outhwaite was last seen in the West End in Matthew Warchus' Boeing-Boeing. She has also been seen onstage in Breathing Corpses and Flesh Wound for the Royal Court. She is known on television for her roles in "Red Cap," "Hustle," "Frances Tuesday," "Hotel Babylon" and "EastEnders." Her most recent roles have been in the ITV1 drama "The Fixer" and the BBC1 drama "Paradox." Her film work includes "Cassandra’s Dream" by Woody Allen co-starring Ewan McGregor and Colin Farrell, "Back Waters" and the award-winning "Out of Control."

Umbers was recently seen on television in the re-working of "The Turn of the Screw," shown at Christmas, and the drama "Mistresses," both for the BBC. Theatre credits include Funny Girl for Chichester Festival Theatre, The Glass Menagerie at the Apollo Theatre, The Vortex for the Donmar Warehouse and My Fair Lady, Candide and The Merchant of Venice for the National Theatre. Other television credits include "Harley Street," "Foyle’s War," "Midsomer Murders," "The Merchant of Venice" and "The Scarlet Pimpernel." Film credits include Woody Allen’s "Cassandra’s Dream" and "Che: Part Two."

Gabrielle’s stage credits include Hello, Dolly! at the Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre, The 39 Steps at the Criterion Theatre, Singin' in the Rain at Sadler’s Wells and Leicester Haymarket, Oklahoma! for the National Theatre (also West End and on Broadway), The Witches of Eastwick at the Prince of Wales Theatre, Chicago at the Adelphi Theatre and Fame at the Cambridge Theatre. Graves’ stage credits include Chicago at the Cambridge Theatre, Shout! at the Arts Theatre and Cats and Sunset Boulevard in the West End.

Medford was an original company member of Five Guys Named Moe at the Lyric Theatre. Other theatre credits include Follow My Leader at Hampstead Theatre, The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe for the Royal Shakespeare Company, My One and Only at the Piccadilly Theatre and Mother Clap’s Molly House for the National Theatre. Television credits include "This Life," "EastEnders" and "Minder."

Directed by Matthew White, the production has choreography by Stephen Mear, set design by Tim Shortall, costume design by Matthew Wright, musical supervision and direction by Nigel Lilley, orchestrations by Chris Walker, lighting by David Howe and sound design by Gareth Owen. The Menier Chocolate Factory’s Sweet Charity is produced in the West End by David Babani for Chocolate Factory Productions, David Ian Productions, Theatre Royal Haymarket Productions, David Mirvish and Michael Watt.

Originally directed and choreographed by Bob Fosse, Sweet Charity premiered at Broadway's Palace Theatre in 1966, where it ran for over 600 performances, featuring Gwen Verdon as Charity. In 1967 the production opened in London at Prince of Wales Theatre, starring Juliet Prowse. The 1969 film version, also directed and choreographed by Fosse, starred Shirley MacLaine and John McMartin. In 1986 Fosse's production was revived at Broadway's Minskoff Theatre, with Debbie Allen as Charity, won four Tony Awards, and the show was seen again in 2005 in a new production directed by Walter Bobbie and choreographed by Wayne Cilento, starring Christina Applegate as Charity. It was last seen in the West End in a short-lived production at the Victoria Palace Theatre in 1998, starring Bonnie Langford.

For tickets, contact the box office at 0845 481 1870, or visit www.sweetcharitywestend.com for more details.

 
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