Casting for Lend Me a Tenor the Musical at Gielgud from 2 June 2011

Joanna Riding has been cast as 'Maria Marelli' in the musical comedy Lend Me a Tenor the Musical, which opens at the Gielgud Theatre 15 June 2011, following previews from 2 June - booking to 19 Nov 2011.

Joanna Riding, is currently appearing at the Gielgud Theatre in "The Umbrellas Of Cherbourg", which closes on 21 May 2011. Her other west end credits include "Billy Elliot" at the Victoria palace; "Blithe Spirit" at the Savoy in 2004; "The Witches of Eastwick" at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane in 2000.

She joins previously announced Matthew Kelly (Henry Saunders), Damian Humbley (Max), Michael Matus (Tito Merelli), Sophie-Louise Dann (Diana Divane).

The cast also includes Cassidy Janson as ' Maggie Saunders, and Gay Soper, Jane Quinn , Michelle Bishop will star as the 'Ladies of the Opera Guild', Jemma Alexander, Karen Aspinall, Natasha J. Barnes, Nick Butcher, Kelly Chinery, Sharon Eckman, Daniel Farrow, Andrew Keelan, Kara Lane, Connor McAllister, Haydn Oakley, Stephen Oliver-Webb, Ryan Pidgen, Jeremy Secomb, Emma Sewell, John Stacey, Robert Traynor, and Michelle White.

Book & lyrics by Peter Sham, music by Brad Carroll. Based on the play by Ken Ludwig.

Directed by Ian Talbot , designed by Paul Farnsworth, lighting by Tim Mitchell, choreography by Randy Skinner, sound by Terry Jardine and Nick Lidster. The Musical Supervisor is Paul Gemignani, the Musical Director is Colin Billing, and orchestrations are by Chris Walker. Produced by Martin Platt and David Elliott and Eileen & Allen Anes

It's 1934, and the world's greatest tenor Tito Merelli has come to Cleveland, Ohio, to save its Grand Opera Company by singing Verdi's Otello. When he is unexpectedly incapacitated, Max, the opera director's meek assistant, is given the daunting task of finding a last-minute replacement. Chaos ensues - including a scheming soprano, a tenor-struck ingénue, a jealous wife, shrimp gone bad and the Cleveland Police department.