"The Woman In white" major cast changes!

"The Woman In white" major cast changes!

Major cast changes have been announced in The Woman in White from 11 July 2005 at the Palace theatre.

Joining Ruthie Henshall who takes over the starring role of 'Marian', will be Damian Humbley and Alexandra Silber , both making their West End stage debuts, playing 'Walter Hartright' and 'Laura Fairlie'. Elinor Collett will play 'Anne Catherick' (aka 'the Woman in White') and Michael Cormick will play 'Sir Percival Glyde'. Anthony Andrews will continue to star as 'Count Fosco' and Edward Petherbridge as 'Mr Fairlie'.

Damian Humbley has extensive musical theatre credits in his native Australia, including "Oliver!", "The Mystery Of Edwin Drood" and "Merrily We Roll Along". Elinor Collett has previously played 'Sophie' in "Mamma Mia!" and 'Fantine' in "Les Misérables" in the West End. Michael Cormick has won awards in his native Australia, and his recent starring West End roles include 'Raoul' in "The Phantom of the Opera" and 'Wild Bill' in "Calamity Jane". Alexandra Silber comes direct to the West End from training at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama.

The Woman in White opened 15 Sep 2004, following previews from 28 Aug, to moderate notices from the popular press: MICHAEL BILLINGTON for THE GUARDIAN says, "Andrew Lloyd Webber's best score in years and Trevor Nunn's visually vibrant production can disguise the fact that this show is saddled with an impossible book." CHARLES SPENCER for THE DAILY TELEGRAPH says, "A terrible disappointment.....Yes, there are moments when Lloyd Webber comes up with the big lush romantic melodies that are his forte, though these days they tend to sound alarmingly like retreads of his own earlier work." PAUL TAYLOR for THE INDEPENDENT says, " Fluent production....I suspect The Woman In White will be haunting the West End for some time to come." NICHOLAS DE JONGH for THE EVENING STANDARD says, "So old-fashioned it deserves to be stuffed and displayed in a museum for deceased musicals... I came out humming with boredom."

The cast currently includes: Anthony Andrews (Count Fosco), Maria Friedman (Marian Halcombe), Martin Crewes (Walter Hartwright), Angela Christian (Anne Catherick - 'the Woman in White') , Oliver Darley (Sir Percival Glyde), Jill Paice (Laura Fairlie') and Edward Petherbridge (Mr Fairlie).

This new musical is freely adapted by Charlotte Jones from Wilkie Collins's Victorian thriller. It has lyrics by David Zippel and score by Andrew Lloyd Webber.

It is directed by Trevor Nunn, designed by William Dudley, with lighting by Paul Pyant and sound by Mick Potter. Dance and movement will be by Wayne McGregor and Simon Lee is the musical supervisor

A dashing young man, employed as the art tutor to two devoted sisters, is stranded at a remote railway cutting. Out of the darkness looms a woman, a mysterious figure dressed in white, desperate to share a chilling secret. He and the sisters soon find themselves trapped in a web of betrayal and greed, the victims of a seemingly flawless crime. As the plot twists and turns, low villainy vies with high romance in a world where nothing is as it first appears and where it is impossible to know who to trust.

The Woman in White tickets are on sale until 1 April 2006