Emma Williams, Jonny Fines, Ray Shell, Ian McIntosh and Jessica Daley head the cast of An Officer and a Gentleman—The Musical which opens at Leicester’s Curve before going on a UK and Ireland tour.
Nikolai Foster, Curve’s artistic director who directs the show, said, “Douglas Day Stewart wrote An Officer and a Gentleman in response to his time serving in the American Air Force and the challenges he faced during training.
“It’s a visceral, uncompromising and ultimately tender portrait of these personal experiences and the lives of folk living near the training facility in the early 1980s.
“We’re proud to have assembled such an accomplished company of actors led by Emma, Ray, Jonny, Ian and Jess to realise this beautiful portrait of working-class lives.
“Officer will certainly be a memorable moment in our theatre’s tenth birthday year.”
Emma Williams plays Paula Pokrifki. She played Helen Walsingham in Cameron Mackintosh’s revival of Half A Sixpence and Maureen in the stage version of Mrs Henderson Presents, both at the Noël Coward Theatre in 2016.
Jonny Fines is Zack Mayo, the role made famous by Richard Gere in the 1982 film. He played Rooster in Annie at the Piccadilly Theatre in 2017.
Ray Shell who takes the role of Foley created the roles of Rusty in Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Starlight Express in 1984 and Nomax in Five Guys Named Moe in 1990.
Ian McIntosh will play Sid Worley. He was nominated for an Olivier Award for his portrayal of Barry Mann in the West End production of Beautiful – The Carole King Musical.
The cast also includes Jessica Daley (Lynette Pomeroy), Keisha Atwell (Casey Seegar), Andy Barke (Louis Perryman), Darren Bennett (Byron Mayo), James Darch (Troy), Nathanael Landskroner (Craig), George Ioannides (Eduardo Cortez), Joe Maxwell (Fin Hooper), Corinna Powlesland (Aunt Bunny), Rachel Stanley (Esther Pokrifki), Maisey Bawden, David Burrows, Vanessa Fisher, Aimee Hodnett, Kieran McGinn and Rhys Whitfield.
Choreography is by Kate Prince and musical supervision by Sarah Travis. Set and costume designer is Michael Taylor. Orchestrations are by George Dyer. Lighting designer is Ben Cracknell, sound designer Tom Marshall and video designer Douglas O’Connell.
An Officer and a Gentleman—The Musical opens at Curve on Friday 6 April and runs until Saturday 21 April. Press night will be Thursday 19 April. It then tours to Leeds Grand Theatre, Southampton Mayflower Theatre, the Swan, High Wycombe, Birmingham Hippodrome, Liverpool Empire Theatre, Dublin Bord Gáis Energy Theatre, Sheffield Lyceum, Newcastle Theatre Royal, Cardiff Wales Millennium Centre, Edinburgh Playhouse, Milton Keynes Theatre, Nottingham Theatre Royal, Bristol Hippodrome, the Marlowe Theatre, Canterbury, Manchester Opera House, Plymouth Theatre Royal, Ipswich Regent Theatre, Bradford Alhambra Theatre and Glasgow King’s Theatre until 15 September.