Hope Mill Theatre, winner of the prestigious Hospital Club Award for contribution to Theatre and Performance, has announced the cast for its second in house musical theatre production. HAIR is produced by Hope Mill’s co-owners Joseph Houston and Will Whelton and, new resident producer, Katy Lipson of Aria Entertainment.
Aria Entertainment’s residency comes with a commitment to co-producing three new musicals at Hope Mill in 2017 and making Hope Mill in-house productions exclusively musical theatre.
Hair is a groundbreaking rock musical that tells the story of the tribe; a group of politically active hippies living in New York and battling against conscription into the Vietnam War.
‘Berger’ will be played by Ryan Anderson (Galileo, We Rill Rock You) and taking to the stage as ‘Hud’ will be Linford Johnson (Showboat – West End, Alice’s Adventures Underground – Les Enfants Terribles). In the role of ‘Claude’ is Robert Metson (Barricade Boys, The Sound of Music International Tour) and Laura Johnson (Grease – Magnetic Theatre) will feature as ‘Sheila’. Joining the cast as ‘Dionne’ is Shekinah McFarlane (Parade – Hope Mill Theatre, The Lion King, UK & International Tour) and Chloe Carrington (Spring Awakening – Chelsea Theatre) will play ‘Jeanie’. Playing ‘Crissy’ will be Kristen Wright (Elaine Page 50th Anniversary Farewell Tour) who will be accompanied by Liam Ross Mills (Rocky Horror Show European Tour and Ushers – The Front Of House Musical) who will take on the role of ‘Woof’.
The rest of the cast include Andrew Patrick Walker (Down to Margate – Theatre Royal Margate), Joel Burman (Xanadu – Southwark Playhouse, Legally Blonde at Kilworth House) Natalie Green (Wicked – UK Tour) and Koryann Stevens (School For Stars, CBBC, Mad On Her, UK Tour).
The newly appointed cast will join a creative team led by director Jonathan O’Boyle (Four Play, Sense of an Ending at Theatre503, The Surplus at the Young Vic and Associate Director on Mack & Mabel, The Scottsboro Boys and The Judas Kiss) musical director Gareth Bretherton (The Verb, To Love – Original London Cast at The Old Red Lion Theatre, Seasons of Larson at the Lyric Theatre, London), production designer Maeve Black’s (Narvik – Liverpool Playhouse Studio, The Nutcracker- Theatre Clwyd) and choreographer William Whelton (Our House, Union Theatre London.)
Resident producer, Katy Lipson of Aria Entertainment says “I feel incredibly honored and excited to be producing HAIR the musical at the beautiful HOPE MILL THEATRE. After the success of our first production PARADE, I can’t wait to share the iconic tribal musical HAIR with audiences new and old! It couldn’t be a more appropriate time to revive this revolutionary show.”
HAIR plays at the Hope Mill Theatre Saturday 12th November – Saturday 3rd December 2016 www.hopemilltheatre.co.uk