Wales Millennium Centre and Theatr Clwyd
In a small way, theatre history is being made in Wales this week as the Wales Millennium Centre opens its first, very own full-scale musical Only The Brave.
Steve Marmion, artistic director of London’s Soho Theatre, directs the first musical to be produced at the venue with a cast led by South Wales–born David Thaxton and Caroline Sheen as one of the story's couples and Neil McDermott and Emilie Fleming as the other.
Thaxton's credits include an Olivier-winning performance in Sondheim's Passion. Caroline Sheen was in the original cast Mamma Mia! and The Witches of Eastwick and more recently in City of Angels.
Neil McDermott's stage credits include Shrek the Musical and La Cage aux Folles and Emilie Fleming has recently played in Les Misérables and Oliver!.
The show is written by Rachel Wagstaff and has music by Matthew Brind and lyrics by Steve Marmion from an original concept by Steve Coleman, Matthew Brind and Rachel Wagstaff.
Meanwhile Theatr Clwyd is making ready its all-Welsh Cyrano De Bergerac which opens on 14 April.
This new production of Edmond Rostand's play is translated and adapted by Anthony Burgess and has additional Welsh language poetry by poet and musician Twm Morys. The director is Phillip Breen and the musical director is Dyfan Jones.
Steffan Rhodri takes the title role with Sara Lloyd-Gregory as Roxanne and Marc Rhys as Christian.
Wayne Cater, Steven Elliott, Victoria John, Rhys Parry Jones, Daniel Llewelyn-Williams, Gwawr Loader, Sion Pritchard, Aled Pugh, Simon Holland Roberts and Dafydd Llyr Thomas complete the cast.
Rhodri's credits include Mary Stuart, Great Expectations, The Birthday Party, The Crucible, Betrayal, Dealer’s Choice, Bedroom Farce and King Lear at Theatr Clwyd and The Hairy Ape, The Mentalists and Clybourne Park amongst others.
Lloyd-Gregory's theatre credits include Sand, The Opportunity of Efficiency, Romeo and Juliet and Dirty, Gifted and Welsh. Rhys has recently played in Dracula, A Clockwork Orange, A Child’s Christmas in Wales and Alice in Wonderland.