Paul Merton Joins West End Hairspray; Full Cast Set | Playbill

International News Paul Merton Joins West End Hairspray; Full Cast Set The Tony-winning musical will play the London Coliseum ahead of a North American national tour.
Paul Merton

The complete company is set for the upcoming London revival of Hairspray. Joining the principal cast is U.K. comedian and Have I Got News for You star Paul Merton, who will make his West End debut as Wilbur Turnblad, as well as Rita Simons (Eastenders) as Velma Von Tussle and Jonny Amies (Sex Education) as Link Larkin.

As previously announced, the spring production will also star Lizzie Bea (Becoming Nancy) as Tracy, Michael Ball as Edna Turnblad (which earned him an Olivier during the original London run), and Marisha Wallace (Dreamgirls) as Motormouth Maybelle.

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Lizzie Bea and Marisha Wallace

Rounding out the company are Georgia Anderson, Kimani Arthur, Dermot Canavan, Lori Haley Fox, Mari McGinlay, Ashley Samuels, Michael Vinsen, Imogen Bailey, Pearce Barron, Jordan Benjamin, Nicholas Collier, Joel Cooper, Luke George, Christopher Gopaul, Winny Herbert, Chris Howell, Lily Laight, Hannah Grace Lawson, Madeleine Lawton, Holly Liburd, Will Luckett, Mireia Mambo, Kody Mortimer, Robyn Rose, Tinovimbanashe Sibanda, Kibong Tanji, Amy West, and Natalie Woods.

The limited engagement will begin April 23 at the London Coliseum, with opening night set for April 29. Original creatives Jack O’Brien and Jerry Mitchell reunite as director and choreographer, respectively; as recently reported, the two will also mount a North American tour of the Tony-winning musical launching in November.

The musical, based on the John Waters film, features a book by Mark O’Donnell and Thomas Meehan, music by Marc Shaiman, and lyrics by Shaiman and Scott Wittman.
 
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