Casting for the Jermyn Street Theatre production of I Loved Lucy, running from the 2nd to the 27th February, has been announced. 

The play by Lee Tannen is a personal portrait of the comedic entertainer Lucille Ball, whose public face is well known. But what was she really like? How did she choose to live her life out of the public eye?

I Loved Lucy is based on Lee Tannen’s best-selling memoir and this production at the Jermyn Street Theatre is the UK premiere for the play. It reveals the real-life story of Lucy and what it was like to be her friend to the end.

This production will star Sandra Dickinson (A Streetcar Named Desire, Not About Nightingales) as Lucy and Matthew Bunn (The Ladykillers) as Lee. I Loved Lucy is directed by Jermyn Street Theatre’s Artistic Director Anthony Biggs (The River Line).

Many of the people who wrote about Lucille Ball never knew her and relied on others to fill in the blanks, but Lee relied on her and so he is able to paint a portrait of her life and develop audience’s understanding of her.

Lucille Ball remains to this day one of Hollywood’s most beloved stars, who will forever be remembered for her role as Lucy Ricardo in the 1950’s sitcom I Love Lucy. She went on to win four Emmys and inducted to the Television Hall of Fame in recognition for her life’s work.

Sandra Dickinson is best known for her performance as Trillian in the cult Sci-fi series the Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy and is currently the voice of Grandma Tracy in CITV’s Thunderbirds Are Go.

Lee Tannen first met Lucille Ball as a child, but they settled into a firm friendship when they were adults. It was during the last ten years of Ball’s life that Lee became a close confidant, travelling with her and entertaining her. I Loved Lucy first premiered on stage at the Laguna Playhouse in 2010.

I Loved Lucy appears at the Jermyn Street Theatre from the 2nd to the 27th February.