Further casting has been announced for the upcoming UK tour of Fat Friends the Musical.
Joining the previously announced Jodie Prenger in Nick Lloyd Webber’s musical based on Kay Mellor’s award winning TV drama will be Sam Bailey and Elaine C Smith who will be sharing the role of Betty in the production.
Fat Friends The Musical centres around the upcoming wedding of Kelly and Kevin. Kelly has dreamt about this day all her life but unbeknown to Kelly she has recently put on a lot of weight and her mother – yoyo dieter Betty – has been trying to encourage her to slim down for the big day. But headstrong Kelly is happy with her lot and her fiancé Kevin. It’s only when she can’t get into her dream wedding dress that she realises there’s a problem. When dress shop owner and hopeless romantic, Lauren, tells Kelly that they don’t make the dress in her size, Kelly uses all their savings to buy the dress anyway, even though it’s two sizes too small!
Written and directed by Kay Mellor, the production will feature choreography by Karen Bruce, set and costume design by Bretta Gerecke and sound by Gareth Owen.
Sam Bailey won the 10th series of the X Factor, reaching Christmas number one with hit single ‘Sky Scraper’. She has recently appeared in the UK tour of Chicago, playing the role of Mama Morton.
Talking about joining the cast Sam Bailey said: “I’m absolutely delighted to have been cast as Betty in Fat Friends – The Musical. I loved the show when it was on ITV and I feel so honoured to be working with such a talented group of people. I know I am going to learn so much from Kay and Nicholas and I can’t wait to start rehearsals.“
Meanwhile, she will be sharing the role of Betty with Elaine C Smith who said: “I’ve always loved Kay Mellor’s writing and work and have been a fan for years – so the chance to work on this musical version based on a TV series that I loved was just too good to miss.”
The production will open at the at Leeds Grand Theatre in November, before travelling to Bromley, Newcastle, Hull, Southampton, Sheffield, Southend, Milton Keynes, Norwich, Manchester, Nottingham, Birmingham, Dartford, Edinburgh, Cardiff, Glasgow, Bradford, Aberdeen and Blackpool.
For more information about the tour visit: http://www.fatfriendsthemusical.com/