Lucy St. Louis plays opera singer Christine Daaé in the London production of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s The Phantom of the Opera, which resumes performances July 27 at Her Majesty’s Theatre. The casting marks the first time a Black actor has starred in the role either in London or on Broadway.
St. Louis, who has been seen in in the London productions of Motown the Musical, Beautiful The Carole King Musical and The Book of Mormon, joins Olivier Award nominee Killian Donnelly (Kinky Boots, Memphis) as The Phantom and Rhys Whitfield (Jesus Christ Superstar) as Raoul.
Rhys Whitfield, Lucy St. Louis, and Killian Donnelly
Tim Bret-Day
READ: What The Phantom of the Opera’s Open Casting Call Means for Broadway’s Return
The cast also features Saori Oda as Carlotta Giudicelli, Matt Harrop as Monsieur Firmin, Adam Linstead as Monsieur André, Greg Castiglioni as Ubaldo Piangi, Francesca Ellis as Madame Giry, and Ellie Young as Meg Giry. At some performances the role of Christine will be played by Holly-Anne Hull.
The ensemble includes Leeroy Boone, Corina Clark, Edward Court, Lily De-La-Haye, Hywel Dowsell, Jemal Felix, Erin Flaherty, James Gant, Eilish Harmon-Beglan, Emma Harris, Yukina Hasebe, Olivia Holland-Rose, Grace Hume, James Hume, Donald Craig Manuel, Jonathan Milton, Janet Mooney, Tim Morgan, Beatrice Penny-Toure, Michael Robert-Lowe, Nikki Skinner, Tim Southgate, Ashley Stillburn, Manon Taris, Anouk Van Laake, Skye Weiss, Simon Whitaker, and Karen Wilkinson.
READ: Broadway’s The Phantom of the Opera Sets October Reopening
Andrew Lloyd Webber said in an earlier statement, “I am thrilled to announce our first entirely new cast for The Phantom of the Opera in London in over 35 years. This cast includes some wonderful performers with whom I have worked in the past, such as Killian and Rhys as well as the hugely exciting Lucy St. Louis in the role of Christine Daaé. Lucy first sang for me in between lockdowns one and two, and I was utterly bewitched. I am also very proud to welcome Beatrice Penny-Toure, Andrew Lloyd Webber Foundation Arts Ed scholarship graduate, to the Phantom family in her first professional role.”
Producer Cameron Mackintosh added, “Putting the new version of the original Phantom production back into its perfect home Her Majesty’s Theatre, 35 years after its premiere, is an unexpected thrill. None of us had any idea The Phantom would be haunting the stage for so long. Although many of our brilliant original creative colleagues including Hal Prince, Maria Björnson, and Gillian Lynne are sadly no longer with us, their work lives on inspiring our new creative team to stage the Phantom afresh, as if it was a brand new production.
READ: West End Phantom of the Opera to Reduce Orchestra by Half; Broadway Production Commits to Return With Full Pit
The Phantom of the Opera has music by Lloyd Webber, lyrics by Charles Hart, additional lyrics by Richard Stilgoe, and a book by Stilgoe and Lloyd Webber, based on the novel Le Fantôme de l’Opera by Gaston Leroux.
The musical also has orchestrations by David Cullen and Lloyd Webber, music supervision by Simon Lee, production design by Maria Björnson, set design adapted by Matt Kinley with associate costume design by Jill Parker, lighting by Andrew Bridge, associate lighting design by Warren Letton, and sound by Mick Potter. The musical staging and choreography are by Gillian Lynne, recreated and adapted by Chrissie Cartwright. Originally directed by Harold Prince, this production is directed by Seth Sklar-Heyn.
The Phantom of the Opera is produced by Mackintosh and The Really Useful Group Ltd.
Take A Look Inside Rehearsal for The Phantom of the Opera in the West End
Take A Look Inside Rehearsal for The Phantom of the Opera in the West End
15 PHOTOS
Rhys Whitfield and Lucy St. Louis in rehearsal for The Phantom of the Opera
Matt Crockett
Lucy St. Louis in rehearsal for The Phantom of the Opera
Matt Crockett
Saori Oda in rehearsal for The Phantom of the Opera
Matt Crockett
Killian Donnelly in rehearsal for The Phantom of the Opera
Matt Crockett
Greg Castiglioni, Matt Harrop, Saori Oda, Rhys Whitfield, and Adam Linstead in rehearsal for The Phantom of the Opera
Matt Crockett
Rhys Whitfield in rehearsal for The Phantom of the Opera
Matt Crockett
Cast in rehearsal for The Phantom of the Opera
Matt Crockett
Lucy St. Louis in rehearsal for The Phantom of the Opera
Matt Crockett
Ellie Young and cast in rehearsal for The Phantom of the Opera
Matt Crockett
Cast in rehearsal for The Phantom of the Opera
Matt Crockett
(Updated July 27, 2021)
###[ad_2]
Originally Appeared Here