STAGE TUBE: Jupitus, Carlisle & Clarke Join West End's HAIRSPRAY

The producers of "HAIRSPRAY" have announced that Phill Jupitus, Belinda Carlisle and Sharon D Clarke have all signed to join the cast of the hit musical, currently running at London's Shaftesbury Theatre. The new cast open on Monday 26 October, with Sunday performances beginning on Sunday 8 November.

Phill stars as larger than life heroine Edna Turnblad, who must help her big-haired, big-hearted daughter Tracy fulfil her destiny....if she can just leave the family apartment. Belinda plays Velma Von Tussle, glamorous white supremacist and controller of the local TV station, who is out to thwart Tracy's plans, and Sharon is Motormouth Mabel, celebrity DJ and owner of Baltimore's biggest set of lungs! The smash-hit award-winning musical "HAIRSPRAY" at the Shaftesbury Theatre in London recouped its entire £3.5 million capitalisation in a record-breaking 29 weeks. The show opened on 30 October 2007 to universal critical acclaim and smash hit business. At the 2008 Olivier Awards, "HAIRSPRAY" won 'Best Musical', as well as 'Best Actor in a Musical' for Michael Ball, and 'Best Actress in a Musical' for LeAnne Jones. The show has also won 'Best Musical' at the Evening Standard Awards, the Whatsonstage.com awards, the Critics Circle Awards and the Variety Club Showbiz Awards.

"HAIRSPRAY" has a book by Mark O'Donnell and Thomas Meehan, music by Marc Shaiman and lyrics by Scott Wittman and Marc Shaiman. The musical is based on the New Line Cinema film, written and directed by John Waters. The musical is directed by Jack O'Brien and choreographed by Jerry Mitchell. The scenic design is by David Rockwell, the costumes byWilliam Ivey Long, the lighting by Kenneth Posner and the sound by Steve C. Kennedy. With orchestrations by Harold Wheeler and arrangements by Marc Shaiman, the musical direction is by Lon Hoyt. The West End production of "HAIRSPRAY" is staged by the entire original Broadway creative team.

The performance schedule for HAIRSPRAY also changes this Autumn. Beginning on Sunday 8 November the show will run Tuesday - Saturday at 7.30pm, with matinees on Thursday, Saturday and Sunday at 3.00pm. Tickets, priced from £22.50 - £62.50, are available from the Shaftesbury Theatre Box Office on 0207 379 5399 or by visiting www.hairspraythemusical.com.

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