New Rick Astley jukebox musical to open in London later this year

A new Rick Astley jukebox musical is set to hit London's West End this year, featuring a host of the pop sensation's biggest hits.

Written by Ricky Gervais, who is writing a musical production for the first time, the show will be titled Strangers to Love and will tell the story of a rule-abiding couple who are ready to fully commit to each other, but despite their aching hearts, are too shy to admit their feelings.

Announcing the musical, Gervais said: "Rick and I have known each other for so long, and we're been working on this for years. We never gave up, and we won't let you down."

The musical will star Kaiser Chiefs singer Ricky Wilson making his West End debut as Rick. Hinting at what we can expect from the show, Wilson said: "I can't wait for my character's 15-minute keytar solo."

Strangers to Love will feature all of Astley's biggest hits, such as "Never Gonna Give You Up", as well as borrowing tunes from other artists such as Adele's "Rolling in the Deep", Tina Turner's "Proud Mary (Rolling on the River)" and Limp Bizkit's "Rollin'".

The full casting and creative team is yet to be confirmed, but it's rumoured that Royale Family's Ricky Tomlinson will appear as Rick's father Rick Snr., and the production will feature choreography from Ricky Martin, fight direction from Ricky Hatton, and orchestrations from Rick Wakeman.

Click here for a world exclusive sneak peek at the show.

This article was published on 1st April 2018 as an April Fools prank. As of 3rd April 2018, all information in the above article is false.