Jimmy Osmond Will Be Billy Flynn in U.K. Tour of Chicago
By Mark Shenton
05 Jan 2009
Jimmy Osmond, who will make his West End debut Jan. 19, playing Teen Angel in the London company of Grease at the Piccadilly Theatre, is to continue working onstage after his six-week run there.
He'll lead the cast of a new national tour of Chicago, playing Billy Flynn, opposite Emma Barton as Roxie Hart. They will appear in the regional tour March 9-June 13.
Osmond remains the youngest performer to have had a number one single in the U.K. singles charts, when "Long Haired Lover from Liverpool" was released in 1972 when he was just nine. In 2005 he was a contestant in ITV's reality show "I'm a Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here!," finishing in fourth place. In 2006 he appeared on "All-Star Family Fortunes." He made his U.K. stage debut in Boogie Nights in Blackpool in 2004.
Barton is best known for her role as Honey Mitchell in BBC1's "EastEnders." Her other television roles include "Spooks" on BBC1 and "Secret History" on Channel 4. Previous stage roles include Peggy in The Secret Garden (RSC), Norma Cassidy in Victor/Victoria (Bridewell) and Marty in Grease (Victoria Palace Theatre).
The tour will kick off at Bradford's Alhambra Theatre (running March 9-21), then continue to Torquay's Princess Theatre (March 24-28), Sunderland's Empire (March 30-April 4), Liverpool Empire (April 6-11), York's Grand Opera House (April 20-25), Oxford's New Theatre (April 27-May 2), Stoke-on-Trent's Regent Theatre (May 4-9), Leicester's De Montford Hall (May 11-16), Edinburgh Playhouse (May 18-23), Southsea's King's Theatre (May 25-30) and Birmingham Hippodrome (June 1-13).
More dates and casting announcements are to follow. The U.K. national tour will be produced by David Ian Productions in association with Broadway producers Barry and Fran Weissler. The musical, also currently running at Broadway's Ambassador Theatre, is also currently slated to be produced in Australia, Korea, Holland and Spain. Based on the play by Maurine Dallas Watkins, it has a book by Fred Ebb and Bob Fosse, music by John Kander and lyrics by Fred Ebb. Scenic design is by John Lee Beatty, costume design by William Ivey Long, lighting by Ken Billington and sound by Rick Clarke. Musical supervision is by Rob Fisher. Chicago is choreographed by Ann Reinking in the style of Bob Fosse and directed by Walter Bobbie.
For further details, visit www.chicagothemusical.com/uktour.php
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