West End's THE LORAX Announces Full Casting, Including Simon Lipkin

The Old Vic has today announced casting for David Greig's adaptation of Dr. Seuss's The Lorax, directed by Max Webster. Simon Lipkin will play the role of the Lorax, alongside puppeteers Laura Cubitt and Ben Thompson, whilst Simon Paisley Day takes the role of the Once-ler.

Dr. Seuss's The Lorax is the third production in Matthew Warchus' opening season as Artistic Director and opens on 16th December, with previews from 3rd December, 2015.

The Old Vic has also incorporated a special concession for Dr. Seuss's The Lorax where children aged 14 and under will be given a 50% reduction on tickets priced £60 and £50 throughout the run, excluding Friday and Saturday evenings.

Inspired by Dr. Seuss's classic tale, Dr. Seuss's The Lorax tells of a moustachioed and cantankerous critter who's on a mission to protect the earth from the greedy, tree-chopping, Thneed-knitting businessman known only as the Once-ler.

Brought to the stage by The Old Vic's Baylis Director Max Webster (James And The Giant Peach, To Kill A Mockingbird, Twelfth Night), Dr. Seuss's The Lorax blends theatrical invention, songs and zany humour in a timely and vibrant Christmas show with a message that will speak to audiences of all ages.

Simon Lipkin, who plays the Lorax, trained at the Sylvia Young Theatre School and then at the Arts Educational. His past theatre credits include The Proprietor in Assassins (Menier Chocolate Factory), Touchstone in As You Like It (Southwark Playhouse), Barlow in I Can't Sing (London Palladium), Lonny in Rock Of Ages (Original West End cast), Galahad in Spamalot (Original UK and International Tour), Nicky and Trekkie Monster in Avenue Q (Original West End cast), I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change (Arts Theatre), The Wedding Singer (Original UK cast); Willard in Footloose (UK Tour); A Christmas Carol (West End); Pharaoh in Joseph And The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat (West End), Alice In Wonderland (Nuffield Theatre), Austentatious (Landor Theatre), News Revue (Canal Café) and Leopold in Never The Sinner (Kenneth Moore Theatre). TV and film credits include Doctor Who, The Bill, Casualty, The Royal Variety Performance, Children In Need, Muppets Most Wanted (Disney), The Harry Hill Movie, That Puppet Game Show and Nativity 3. He also voices characters on the Cartoon Network show The Amazing World of Gumball.

Simon Paisley Day is a British screen and stage actor and will play the Once-ler. Simon has an extensive list of film and television credits including Tommy's Honor, The Falling, Pudsey: The Movie, Family Tree, Dr. Who (Series 9), The Musketeers, Sherlock - Hound of the Baskervilles, Doc Martin (Series 5), Hustle, Being Human, Midsomer Murders, The Belsen Redeption, The Bill, The Catherine Tate Show and portraying Sir Cosmo Duff Gordon in the ITV mini-series, Titanic. On stage, Simon's theatrical credits include Urinetown, The Taming of the Shrew, Timon of Athens (Shakespeare's Globe), The Low Road (ETT / Royal Court), Twelfth Night (National Theatre), Private Lives (Theatre Royal Both), The Ugly One (Royal Court Theatre), Don't Look Now (Sheffield Theatre / Lyric Hammersmith), The 39 Steps (Fiery Angel), The Philanthropist (Donmar Warehouse), Cymbeline, Twelfth Night (Regent's Park Open Air Theatre), Anything Goes (Theatre Royal Drury Lane), Love's Labour's Lost, Anything Goes, The Coast of Utopia, Hamlet, Candide, Money and Oh What a Lovely War (National Theatre). Simon has also published two plays: Spike at Southampton's Nuffield Theatre in 2001, and Raving at Hampstead Theatre in 2013, which starred Robert Webb and Tamzin Outhwaite.

Full cast includes: Stuart Angell, Thomas Arnold, Miles Barrow, Jack Beale, Laura Cubitt, Caleb Frederick, Emily Houghton, Richard Katz, Anabel Kutay, Penny Layden, Melanie La Barrie, Carly Mercedes Dyer, Ebony Molina, Ben Thompson, Juma Sharkah, Silas Wyatt-Barke, Joe Evans and Jo Nichols.

David Greig is an acclaimed and award-winning playwright, whose work encompasses theatre, radio and film. Plays include The Events (Traverse, Scotland and Young Vic), The Strange Undoing of Prudencia Hart (Tron, National Theatre Of Scotland), Midsummer (Traverse, Soho And Tricycle), Dunsinane (RSC At Hampstead And National Theatre Of Scotland), Damascus (Traverse, Scotland And Tricycle), Outlying Islands (Traverse And Royal Court), The American Pilot (RSC), Pyrenees (Paines Plough), The Cosmonaut's Last Message To The Woman He Wonce Loved In The Former Soviet Union (Donmar Warehouse And Paines Plough) and The Architect And Europe (Traverse). Adaptations include Creditors (Donmar Warehouse), The Bacchae (Edinburgh International Festival), Tintin in Tibet (Barbican, Playhouse And UK Tour), When the Bulbul Stopped Singing (Traverse Theatre, - Amnesty International Award; Tapwater Award and Herald Angel), Caligula (Donmar Warehouse) and Peter Pan (National Theatre of Scotland, Traverse and Barbican). David wrote the book for Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (West End from 2013).

David's work for children and young people includes: The Monster in the Hall (Tag Theatre Co. Glasgow, 2010) Yellow Moon (Tag Theatre Co. Glasgow, 2006 - TMA Award for Best Show For Children and Young People 2007 and Brian Way Award for Best Children's Play 2007), Gobbo (National Theatre Of Scotland, 2006) and Dr Korczak's Example (Tag Theatre Co. Glasgow, 2001).

Max Webster is fast emerging as one of the most exciting young directors working in the UK and internationally. Current work includes the upcoming Mary Stuart for PARCO Productions in Tokyo and a re-mount of Much Ado About Nothing for Shakespeare's Globe, which will go on a world tour later this year. Other recent credits include Orlando, To Kill a Mockingbird and My Young and Foolish Heart (Manchester Royal Exchange), Opera Highlights (Scottish Opera, Tour), James and the Giant Peach and My Generation (West Yorkshire Playhouse), Twelfth Night (Regent's Park Open Air), Skewered Snails (Iron Oxide/Southbank Centre), Anna Karenina (Arcola), The Chalk Circle (Aarohan Theatre, Nepal), Sense (Southwark Playhouse), Carnival Under the Rainbow & Feast Kakulu (Hilton Arts Festival, South Africa), Mustard (Company of Angels), Finisterre (Theatre 503).

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