Evita, Millie, Curious Incident, Invincible
Evita –tour starts 12 January
The Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber hit musical Evita is to tour the UK and visit some principal European cities.
Emma Hatton takes on the title role. Hatton has recently played the lead in Wicked whilst other credits include We Will Rock You and Dreamboats and Petticoats.
Italian performer Gian Marco Schiaretti makes his UK debut in the role of Che and Kevin Stephen-Jones plays Peron.
The cast is completed by Oscar Balmaseda, Sarah O'Connor, Natalie Langston, George Arvidson, Lewis Barnshaw, Jessica Ellen, Callum Fitzgerald, Kellie Gnauck, Dominic Adam Griffin, Kate Leiper, Joe McCourt, Jude Neill, Chrissie Perkins, Oliver Slade, Matias Stegmann and Yuval Zoref.
Bob Tomson and Bill Kenwright direct, choreography is by Bill Deamer.
Evita starts its tour at Churchill Theatre Bromley then visits Mayflower Theatre Southampton, Empire Theatre Liverpool, Regent Theatre Stoke-on-Trent, Playhouse Theatre Edinburgh, Bristol Hippodrome, New Wimbledon Theatre, New Theatre Oxford, The Lowry Salford Quays, New Theatre Cardiff, Grand Opera House York, Sunderland Empire, Grand Theatre Wolverhampton, Leeds Grand Theatre, Orchard Theatre Dartford, Bord Gais Energy Theatre Dublin and Winter Gardens Blackpool.
Thoroughly Modern Millie – tour starts 17 January
Strictly Come Dancing’s Joanne Clifton will star as Millie in the UK tour of Thoroughly Modern Millie, with Michelle Collins in the role of Mrs Meers, until 4 March.
Clifton's credits include Face the Music, Burn the Floor, Strictly Live Tour and Marilyn Monroe in Norma Jeane Musical. Collins's stage credits include Calendar Girls, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and Kindertransport, and she is well known for EastEnders and Coronation Street.
Joining the pair are Sam Barrett, Graham McDuff, Katherine Glover, Jenny Fitzpatrick, Catherine Mort, Damian Buhagiar, Andy Yau, Emma Housley, David Muscat, Alice Baker, Lottie Summers, Laura Marie Benson, Bobby Williams, Marios Nicolaides and Laura Wilson.
Thoroughly Modern Millie is based on the 1967 Academy Award-winning film (original story and screenplay by Richard Morris). It has a book by Richard Morris and Dick Scanlan, new music by Jeanine Tesori and new lyrics by Dick Scanlan.
The director and choreographer is Racky Plews and musical director is Robert Wicks.
Thoroughly Modern Millie opens at New Wimbledon Theatre then visits Milton Keynes Theatre, Edinburgh Playhouse, Glasgow, King’s Theatre, Birmingham, Alexandra Theatre, Liverpool, Empire Theatre, York Grand Opera House, High Wycombe Swan Theatre, Southsea King’s Theatre, Aylesbury Waterside Theatre, Brighton Theatre Royal, Dartford Orchard Theatre, Leeds Grand Theatre, Woking New Victoria Theatre, Manchester, Palace Theatre, Bromley Churchill Theatre and Bristol Hippodrome with other dates to be announced.
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time – tour starts 21 January
The Curious Incident Of The Dog In The Night-Time takes off on a second tour of the UK and Ireland from January to September whilst continuing to run in London's West End until June.
This multi–award-winning play was adapted by Simon Stephens from Mark Haddon’s best-selling novel; it is directed by Marianne Elliott.
The tour starts at The Lowry in Salford on 21 January and visits Aylesbury, Edinburgh, Leeds, Canterbury, Bath, Southampton, Nottingham, Belfast, Dublin, Cardiff, Sheffield, Oxford, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Bristol, Plymouth, Birmingham, Llandudno, Southend, Liverpool, Bradford, Aberdeen, Glasgow, Norwich and Milton Keynes.
Invincible –tour starts 24 January
There's a second tour for Torben Betts’s Invincible due to popular demand.
As before it will be directed by Christopher Harper with Alastair Whatley, Emily Bowker and Graham Brookes reprising their roles and Elizabeth Boag joining the company to play Dawn.
Invincible premièred at the Orange Tree Theatre in Richmond and transferred to St James Theatre, London in the same year. The play has been translated into Spanish and continues to tour Spain.
Invincible opens at Royal & Derngate Northampton, then visits Derby Theatre, Cast Doncaster, Lawrence Batley Theatre Huddersfield, Stephen Joseph Theatre Scarborough, Cambridge Arts Theatre, Palace Theatre Southend, Harrogate Theatre, Lichfield Garrick Theatre, Theatre Royal Brighton.