Initial casting has been revealed for the upcoming U.K. and Ireland tour of The Wizard Of Oz, which launches December 13 at the Liverpool Empire following the recent engagement at the London Palladium.
Leading the company will be X Factor-formed JLS band member Aston Merrygold (Strictly Come Dancing) as The Tin Man and RuPaul’s Drag Race UK winner and Dancing on Ice finalist The Vivienne as The Wicked Witch of the West. Additional casting will be announced.
Following the holiday season at the Liverpool Empire, which will continue through January 7, 2024, the production will tour to New Theatre, Oxford; Mayflower Theatre, Southampton; New Theatre, Hull; Lyceum Theatre, Sheffield; Marlowe Theatre, Canterbury; Playhouse Theatre, Edinburgh; Cliffs Pavilion, Southend; Theatre Royal, Norwich; Venue Cymru, Llandudno; Alhambra Theatre, Bradford; Theatre Royal, Plymouth; Bristol Hippodrome, Bristol; Theatre Royal, Nottingham; Theatre Royal, Newcastle; Palace Theatre, Manchester; New Victoria Theatre, Woking; Grand Opera House, Belfast; Bord Gáis Energy Theatre, Dublin; Hippodrome Theatre, Birmingham; King's Theatre, Glasgow; His Majesty’s Theatre, Aberdeen; Milton Keynes Theatre; Wales Millenium Centre, Cardiff; and Grand Theatre, Wolverhampton, before concluding its run at the Sunderland Empire in August 2024.
Based on the iconic story by L. Frank Baum, The Wizard of Oz features the Harold Arlen and E.Y. Harburg songs from the Oscar-winning MGM film with additional tunes from Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice.
Nikolai Foster (Billy Elliot The Musical, A Chorus Line) directs the production, which also has choreography by Shay Barclay, set design by Colin Richmond, projection design by Douglas O’Connell, costume and puppet design by Rachael Canning, lighting design by Ben Cracknell, sound design by Adam Fisher, creative consulting by Mark Kaufman, musical direction and supervision by George Dyer, casting by Debbie O’Brien, props supervision by Marcus Hall Props, and wigs, hair, and makeup design by Elizabeth Marini.
The Wizard of Oz tour is presented Michael Harrison, Gavin Kalin Productions, David Mirvish, Crossroads Live, Tulchin Bartner Productions, Nick Thomas, Rupert Gavin and Mallory Factor, Jake Hine and Playing Field, by arrangement with the Really Useful Group Ltd.
Visit WizardofOzmusical.com.
