Sally Ann Triplett, who has appeared in many West End musicals, is to play the lead in a new play about Judy Garland which has its première at Nottingham Playhouse.
Playwright Amanda Whittington, who hails from Nottingham, has based the drama on the autobiographical memoir of Susie Boyt who grew up under the spell of Judy Garland.
Sally Ann Triplett said, “I always knew from a very early age that I wanted to perform and my parents would sit me down in front of the telly any time an MGM film was on. So my love for Judy began a long time ago.
“It's a time in history I wish I had been born in and so it feels almost full circle to be playing the lady herself. It's a daunting task but something I’m incredibly excited about.”
A Judy Garland fan herself, Sally Ann Triplett has appeared in numerous West End productions. She played Grizabella in Cats at the New London Theatre in 1999; Miss Berta in Acorn Antiques the Musical at the Theatre Royal, Haymarket in 2005; Roxie Hart in Chicago at the Adelphi Theatre in 2006; and Donna in Mamma Mia! at the Prince of Wales Theatre in both 2009 and 2012.
Kath Rogers, director of My Judy Garland Life, said, “I’m so excited to be working on this extraordinary new play, which is a completely original take on the Judy Garland story.
“We see Judy’s life through the eyes of a young girl who seeks solace in the songs we know and love. And we’re delighted to have one of our best-loved musical theatre stars in the title role. Her joy, heart and spirit will bring Judy spectacularly to life. We’re over the moon—and the rainbow—to have her.”
My Judy Garland Life runs at the Playhouse from Friday (31 January) until Saturday, 15 February.
To coincide with My Judy Garland Life, Nottingham Playhouse in partnership with Fifth Word Theatre will be presenting another of Amanda Whittington’s plays.
Amateur Girl is a “hard-hitting, poignant yet wryly amusing play about the reality behind the fantasy business and what some people have to do to subsidise a life during the current cost-of-living crisis”.
Amateur Girl began as a 15-minute play for Woman’s Hour on BBC Radio 4. It was commissioned into a full-length play by Hull Truck Theatre in 2009.
Lucy Speed who was in both EastEnders and The Bill is cast in this one-woman show which will have its first national outing after its Nottingham première.
It runs in the Neville Studio at the Playhouse from Monday until Saturday, 3 to 8 February before touring.