Charlotte Wakefield & Helen Hobson to Star in PICTURE PERFECT at St. James Studio, 31 May - 1 June

West End stars Charlotte Wakefield and Helen Hobson are making quite a habit of being paired together in hit musicals.They first played mother and daughter in Mamma Mia! and then Maria and Mother Abbess in the acclaimed production of The Sound of Music in Regent's Park.

Today it's announced that they will appear together once again - this time in Picture Perfect: A New Musical, a contemporary song-cycle musical that explores love and relationships using the songs of award-winning American composer Scott Evan Davis. Conceived and directed by Simon Greiff, it will get its London premiere at the St James Studio with four performances on Saturday 31 May and Sunday 1 June.

Charlotte, who was nominated for an Olivier Award for her West End debut in Spring Awakening and the Evening Standard Award for The Sound of Music, is replacing the previously announced Lucie Jones, who can't now appear in the shows due an unforeseen scheduling clash.

In a statement the producers said: "We are really sorry to lose Lucie, who has recently been cast in a fantastic upcoming project. It was important to us not stand in the way of such a career changing project and sincerely wish her the very best. Looking forward we are delighted to welcome Charlotte to the Picture Perfect family. Charlotte and Helen have a track record of appearing together in hit shows and I'm sure Picture Perfect: A New Musical is going to be another wonderful success for them."

The stunning cast is completed by Jerome Pradon, whose West End starring roles include Javert in Les Miserables, Aragorn in The Lord of the Rings and The Man in Whistle Down the Wind, and Joel Harper-Jackson, who has just appeared in the Rent 20th Anniversary tour.

Josh is graduating college and preparing to face the future - whatever that may bring! Unlucky in love, he wonders whether the right person is out there for him. Ellie, on her gap year from her law degree, wonders whether she's making the right decisions in life - both professional and personal! Harry and Elizabeth, Josh's parents, are also at a turning point in their lives - with Harry inadvertently starting an affair with a younger woman, and Elizabeth believing now is the time to finally leave her husband. Is anything 'Picture Perfect'?

Press are invited to review on either Saturday 31 May at 8.00pm or Sunday 1 June at 3.00pm.

Picture Perfect, in its earliest revue format, had previous productions in New York and LA. It has now been further developed and written for the London stage, drawing on new original material as well as work from Davis' debut 2011 recording, Cautiously Optimistic. Over the past two years, Davis' music has gained international praise. Last spring he was the recipient of a Courage in Theater Award from Musical Theater International for his musical A Powerful Day, written with autistic students at the Spectrum School in Manhattan. He is currently developing with librettist Tessa Derfner, a new musical, INDIGO, about an autistic child. He last performed in London alongside Georgia Stitt and Michael Patrick Walker in the Matcham Room at the London Hippodrome. He won the first ever Broadwayworld Award for Best Song with If We Say Goodbye, which features in Picture Perfect: A New Musical.

Simon Greiff has been developing new musicals for the stage since 2009. He has previously worked with Perfect Pitch and is an Associate for Mercury Musical Developments, the only writer-based organisation devoted to the development of new work. He recently developed and directed Payback (Riverside Studios), and represented the UK directing Stand Tall at 45th Street Theatre New York as part of the New York Musical Theatre Festival. Simon is also known for championing new writers through London Concerts and Records as part of SimG Productions / SimG Records. (www.SimGProductions.com). The Musical Director is Colin Billing.

Picture Perfect: A New Musical is produced by United Theatrical and is the third in a season of American work produced by them following the music of Broadway composer and lyricist Andrew Lippa (The Addams Family, Big Fish, The Wild Party, John and Jen) and Off-Broadway writing duo Kerrigan-Lowdermilk, both at the St James Studio. United Theatrical was founded by Stuart Matthew Price and James Yeoburn in 2012 after the success of their West End Dress Circle Benefit at Her Majesty's Theatre. Since then the company has been working on debuting, creating and nurturing the newest talent in theatre from all over the world.

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