Rebecca’s Derby debut in Cartwright’s Little Voice

Published: 25 October 2014
Reporter: Steve Orme

Rebecca Brierley who makes her professional debut as LV
Tracy Brabin who plays Mari
Kevin McGowan plays Ray Say

Olivier Award-winning comedy The Rise and Fall of Little Voice by Jim Cartwright, which “which mixes Northern grit with Hollywood glamour”, is the next in-house production at Derby Theatre.

Sarah Brigham, Derby Theatre’s artistic director and director of the production, said, “I'm really excited by the cast. We have a real mixture of experience and new talent from Tracy Brabin, who many people will recognise from her current role in Emmerdale, to Rebecca Brierley, who makes her professional stage debut after graduating from drama school.

“I’m pretty confident that audiences will enjoy and be charmed by this heart-warming comedy and, at times, feel as though they’re in the presence of musical legends from Judy Garland to Marilyn Monroe.”

Rebecca Brierley plays LV (Little Voice). Her credits include being a backing vocalist for Katie Melua and Alfie Boe and performing as a soloist in a concert at the London Palladium.

Tracy Brabin will play LV’s brash mother Mari. She can be seen regularly as Carole in Emmerdale and was in Simon Beaufoy’s stage adaptation of The Full Monty at Sheffield Crucible in 2013.

Kevin McGowan plays Mari’s shrewd yet slippery boyfriend Ray Say. His television appearances include Silent Witness, Coronation Street, Jonathan Creek and Waterloo Road.

Sue Vincent, who was Derilee in Channel 4’s Shameless and Aunty Margaret in Sky TV’s Mount Pleasant will play neighbour Sadie.

Tom Meredith is Billy, the friendly phone installer in whom LV confides. He has appeared in Michael Morpurgo’s War Horse at the National Theatre.

Ged McKenna is Mr Boo, the seedy nightclub owner where LV is encouraged to sing. His theatre credits include Jerome Lawrence and Robert E Lee’s Inherit the Wind at the New Vic, Newcastle-under-Lyme and Cosmic for Hull Truck Theatre.

The Rise and Fall of Little Voice will be designed by Dawn Allsopp. Musical director is George Dyer.

It runs at Derby Theatre from Friday 31 October until Saturday 22 November.

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