Birmingham Repertory Theatre Announces Cast And Creative Team For The World Premiere Of Joe DiPietro’s WHAT’S NEW PUSSYCAT?
FULL CAST AND CREATIVE TEAM ANNOUNCED FOR BRAND NEW MUSICAL, WHAT’S NEW PUSSYCAT? AND FIRST LOOK REHEARSAL VIDEO RELEASED
THE CAST WILL INCLUDE DOMINIC ANDERSEN IN THE LEAD ROLE OF TOM JONES
BASED ON HENRY FIELDING’S NOVEL THE HISTORY OF TOM JONES AND FEATURING THE ICONIC HITS OF SIR TOM JONES, WHAT’S NEW PUSSYCAT? WILL PLAY AT BIRMINGHAM REP FROM 8 OCT - 14 NOV
TICKETS ARE ON SALE NOW
Today the full cast and creative team has been announced for the highly anticipated, brand new musical, What’s New Pussycat? An exclusive first look video and images of the cast in rehearsals have also been released today.
Freely inspired by the novel The History of Tom Jones, A Foundling, this romantic musical comedy reimagines Fielding’s classic tale in London’s swinging sixties and sets the story to the iconic hit music of Sir Tom Jones. Written by the Tony Award winning Joe DiPietro (Memphis The Musical), with a stellar creative team including director Luke Sheppard and legendary choreographer Dame Arlene Phillips, get ready for music, mods and rocking romance when the show enjoys its world premiere at The REP from 8 October - 14 November.
The cast will include Dominic Andersen as Tom Jones, Bronté Barbé as Mary Western, Ashley Campbell as Mr Partridge, Julius D’Silva as Lord Allworthy, Rebekah Hinds as The Girl in the Polka Dot Dress, Harry Kershaw as William Blifil, Kelly Price as Lady Bellaston and Melanie Walters as Mrs Western. Tom Francis, Naomi Katiyo, Lemuel Knights, David Mairs-McKenzie, Lisa Mathieson, Fallon Mondlane, Jena Pandya, Nathan Rigg, Owen Saward and Carrie Willis will make up the ensemble.
The full creative team has also been announced today. The show will be directed by Luke Sheppard, whose most recent production – the acclaimed & Juliet – has taken the West End by storm and won 3 Olivier Awards and 6 Whatsonstage Awards. He will be joined by choreographer and former Strictly Come Dancing judge, Dame Arlene Phillips DBE. The full world class creative team includes; Matt Brind (Musical Supervisor/Orchestrator); Jon Bausor (Set Design); Janet Bird (Costume Design); Akhila Krishnan (Video Design); Gareth Owen (Sound Design); Howard Hudson (Lighting Design); Annelie Powell CDG (Casting Director); Dale White (Associate Choreographer); Priya Patel Appleby (Assistant Director); and Josh Sood (Musical Director).
What’s New Pussycat? is set to the soundtrack of Sir Tom Jones’ greatest hit songs: Green, Green Grass of Home, It’s Not Unusual, Leave Your Hat On, Delilah, Mama Told Me Not To Come, Sex Bomb and, of course, What’s New Pussycat?
Presented by Birmingham Repertory Theatre in association with Flody Suarez, Joshua Andrews and Stuart Galbraith from Kilimanjaro Theatricals. Donna Munday will Executive Produce.
Listings
8 October – 14 November
Tickets from £17.50
0121 236 4455
Please note there is a transaction fee of £2.50 on all payment types. This covers administration costs and enables us to provide a dedicated booking service. This charge does not apply to transactions under £10, group bookings over 50 and school group bookings. We also waive this charge if you are a REP Friend. Please talk to a member of The REP box office team if you require further information.
For bookings with access requirements or any other queries, please email with your ticket request and a contact number and a member of our box office team will get back to you.
Cast biographies
Dominic Andersen has just filmed the lead in Glow and Darkness and Robin Hood in The Adventures of Marion, and is extremely excited to be heading back to the theatre to play ‘Tom Jones’ in What’s New Pussycat? Previous Theatre credits include Sebastian Valmont in Cruel Intentions; Rocky Horror in The Rocky Horror Show (Playhouse, West End); Sky in Mamma Mia and Ram Sweeney in Heathers (Theatre Royal Haymarket).
Bronté’s Barbé’s work in theatre includes Ado Annie in Oklahoma at Chichester; starring as Carole King in the first UK tour of the musical Beautiful; Jane in the concert version of Girlfriends at the Bishopsgate Institute; Nadine in Drew McOnie’s production of The Wild Party at The Other Palace; Little Match Girl in Striking 12 at the Union Theatre; Helen/Vinnie in The Donkey Show (Proud London); and Princess Fiona in the UK tour of Shrek, and Little Red Riding Hood before this. She started performing at a very young age in her hometown of Macclesfield. In 2010 she was selected as one of the final 10 in Andrew Lloyd Webber’s search for Dorothy - Over the Rainbow. Other credits include: Years & Years (BBC); Call the Midwife (BBC); Sharon in Cool Rider - The Grease 2 concert (Lyric Theatre, West End) and cast recording; Momentous Musicals UK Tour; Penny Pingleton in Hairspray (Kuala Lumpur/Singapore); and the role of Megan in the But I'm a Cheerleader workshop directed by Jerry Mitchell.
Ashley Campbell’s theatre credits include Company (Gielgud, West End); The Rat Pack, Live From Vegas (Theatre Royal Haymarket); Much Ado About Nothing (Shakespeare’s Globe); Macbeth, The Rover, The Two Noble Kinsmen (The Royal Shakespeare Company); Robin Hood (Theatre Royal Stratford East); Sunny Afternoon (Harold Pinter Theatre; The Color Purple (The Menier Chocolate Factory); Gutted (Theatre Royal Stratford East); Street Scene (Théâtre Du Châtelet Paris & The Gran Teatre Del Liceu Barcelona); The Colored Museum (Talawa); Five Guys Named Moe (Theatre Royal Stratford East); Tick, Tick, Boom! (Union Theatre); Little Fish (Finborough); Jack And The Beanstalk (The Barbican); The Rat Pack (UK, European And American Tours); High Heel Parrot Fish (Theatre Royal Stratford East); Bomb-mitty Of Errors (New Ambassadors Theatre - West End); Fame (UK Tour, Victoria Palace Theatre West End); Little Shop Of Horrors (Zoo Nation); Carmen Jones (Old Vic); Carousel (Royal National Theatre); Regina (Scottish Opera). Television includes Coronation Street (ITV); Call The Midwife (BBC); Bridgerton (Netflix); Father Brown (BBC); Doctors (BBC); Scott and Bailey (ITV); Hollyoaks, Hollyoaks Later (Lime Pictures); Ultimate Force: Violent Solutions (ITV); William and Mary (ITV); The Mysti Show (BBC); From Bard To Verse (BBC3); Holby City (BBC); Film includes Mamma Mia: Here We Go Again!; Jermaine and Elsie (Winner: Best Drama Award At Portobello Film Festival 2017); Crossroad, Circles (Boys On Film); Jam Radio Mogadishu (BBC Radio 4).
Julius’ D’Silva’s extensive theatre credits include: The Producers (Manchester Royal Exchange), The Cherry Orchard (Bristol Old Vic/Manchester Royal Exchange), Baz Luhrmann’s Strictly Ballroom (West Yorkshire Playhouse & Toronto), Made In Dagenham (Adelphi Theatre), Eternal Love (Shakespeare’s Globe/ETT/UK Tour), Anne Boleyn (Shakespeare’s Globe/ETT), Macbeth (Shakespeare’s Globe), Oliver! (Theatre Royal Drury Lane), Aristo (Chichester Festival Theatre). As part of the Royal Shakespeare Company’s Histories Ensemble 2006 – 2008 directed by Michael Boyd (Laurence Olivier Awards for Best Company Performance, Best Revival and Best Design 2009) Henry IV parts 1 & 2 , Henry V, Henry VI part 1, Henry VI part 2, Henry VI part 3, Richard III. Also for the RSC, Great Expectations (RSC/Cheek By Jowl), Dog In The Manger, Tamar’s Revenge, House of Desires and Pedro the Great Pretender. Other theatre work includes The Wax King (LSW), As You Like It (BAC), The Importance of Being Earnest (Insomniac Limited), Tess of the D’Urbevilles (Greenwich Studio), The Tempest (Edinburgh Festival), Measure of Measure (Rome), Noises Off (Gallery Productions), Vergil and Caesar (Oxford Playhouse), Bouncers (Burton Taylor Theatre), and Richard II at the Ludlow festival directed by Steven Berkoff. Film credits include: Notes On A Scandal, Full Circle and Endgame. Television includes The Crown (Seasons 1 & 2), The Ten Commandments, and How We Used to Live: Spanish Armada & Highlander. For radio: Jude The Obscure, Wordsworth and Coleridge: The Lyrical Ballads, The Flea by John Donne, The Horse by Rana Dasgupta, and Van Gogh: The Letters (all BBC Radio 4).
Rebekah Hinds trained at Royal Central School of Speech and Drama. Theatre credits include: Paradise (Hampstead Theatre); Much Ado About Nothing (Watford Palace); Grotty (The Bunker); Humble Boy (Orange Tree); Anita and Me (UK Tour); The Government Inspector (Birmingham Rep/Ramps on the Moon UK Tour - Olivier Award Nominated); Billy Liar (Royal Exchange); Hansel & Gretel (Simply Theatre, Geneva); Around the World (Sadler's Wells & Mint Theater, New York); The Little Prince - Concert (Savoy Theatre); Sondheim Prom (Royal Albert Hall). TV credits include: Scarborough (BBC) Trollied (Sky1); Inside no. 9 (BBC); The Syndicate (BBC); Shameless (Channel 4); Aunties (Pilot); Stains of Staines (Pilot). Film credits include: The Public Benefits (Zoom Films); Woman of the Night (Badgerboy Productions); Shandyland (Northern Stage). Radio credits include: I Heart Amy; Omega (Wireless); Animal Instinct (Audible); The Phlebotomist (BBC Radio 3).
Harry Kershaw’s theatre credits include: Mischief Movie Night (UK Tour/Vaudeville Theatre, West End); Edmond de Bergerac (Birmingham Rep & UK Tour); The Madness of George III (Nottingham Playhouse); Mischief Movie Night (UK Tour); This House (NT/Headlong UK Tour); Mischief Movie Night (Arts Theatre, West End); Peter Pan Goes Wrong (Apollo Theatre, London); The Play That Goes Wrong (Duchess Theatre); Peter Pan Goes Wrong UK Tour (Pleasance Theatre Islington); One Man Two Guvnors (Haymarket Theatre Royal); The Circle Game (David Luff Productions/Old Vic New Voices). Television credits include: Jerk (BBC 3); The Emily Atak Show (ITV 2); Peter Pan Goes Wrong (Christmas Special) (BBC); Supreme Tweeter; The Interceptor (BBC Productions); Omid Djalili's Little Cracker (Sky One); Switch (ITV 2); Cuckoo (BBC 3); Wallander (BBC); Endeavour (ITV). Film credits include Solitary Short Film; Exhibition; Unrelated; Blue Monday Short Film; Great Expectations; Skyfall; Rufus Stone Short Film; The Date Short Film.
Kelly Price is known principally for TV performances in The English Game, Netflix, and leading roles in the West End, Off-West End and prestigious regional theatres. She most recently appeared as Captain Hook in Sally Cookson’s Peter Pan and was Olivier nominated for her role in Trevor Nunn’s A Little Night Music.
Melanie Walter's TV credits include: Biff, Chip & Kipper; My Petasaurus; The Snow Spider; Gavin and Stacey Xmas Special; Pitching In (BBC); The Collection (Amazon Prime); Doc Martin; Ishe Hongian (Boom Pictures); Under Milk Wood (BBC); Being Human (Touchpaper Productions); Gavin and Stacey (Baby Cow); Hollyoaks (Lime Pictures); Annually Retentive (Jones The Film); Holby City (BBC); Dirty Work (BBC); Jack Of Hearts (BBC); Back Up (BBC); Dangerfield (BBC); The Healer (BBC); Gypsy Fires (Channel 4) and Tender Loving Care (BBC). Film credits include: Save The Cinema (Sky Movies); La Cha Cha (La Cha Cha Films); Heart Of Steel (Copper Films) Watcher In The Wood (Woods Watcher Ltd); The Dead Dog (Short) (Terty9 Limited); Burn Burn Burn (Burn Productions Ltd); Caring For The Recently Deceased (Short) (Stick & Rudder Films); Ex Libris (Short) (Long Arm Films); High Tide (Long Arm Films); Another Me (Fox International Productions); Resistance (Big Rich Films); Submarine (Warp Productions); Dirgelwch Yr Ogof (Nant Productions) and Rampage (Peakviewing Films). Theatre credits include: The Importance Of Being Earnest (Theatre Clwyd); Before I Leave (National Theatre Wales); The Iliad (National Theatre Wales); Sleeping Beauty (UK Productions); Cinderella (Hiss And Boo Productions); Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (UK Productions); Blue Remembered Hills (Theatr Clwyd) and Educating Rita (Swansea Grand).
Creative Team biographies
Jon Bausor is a multi-award winning stage designer. Originally trained as a classical musician, Jon retrained on the Motley Theatre Design Course in 2000. Since then he has designed extensively in dance, opera and theatre worldwide. He designed the opening ceremony of the 2012 Paralympic Games in London and the kinetic sculpture to light the flame for the 2014 Paralympic Winter Games. His theatre work is known for its large-scale visual impact and transformational concepts with strong dramaturgical narratives; from kinetic post-apocalyptic sets for musicals such as Bat Out of Hell - (London/Germany/Toronto/
Janet Bird’s theatre credits include: Talent, Guys And Dolls, Kiss Me Kate, Wizard Of Oz, Hobson’s Choice (Sheffield); Our Lady of Blundellsands (Liverpool Everyman); Milky Peaks, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, Much Ado About Nothing (Clwyd); Abigail’s Party (UK Tour); Enjoy (Bath, UK tour, West End); The Madness of George III (UK tour, West End); The Merry Wives of Windsor (Shakespeare’s Globe, US tour); A Comedy of Errors, Holding Fire (Shakespeare’s Globe); Adult Supervision (Park); Ken, Four Minutes Twelve Seconds (also Trafalgar Studios), Alphabetical Order (also UK tour), The Argument (Hampstead); Uncle Vanya (St. James); A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Regent’s Park); Mad Man (Plymouth Drum); A Taste of Honey, The Beauty Queen of Leenane, The Age of Arousal, Long Day’s Journey into Night (Edinburgh Lyceum); The BFG, Lighthearted Intercourse (Bolton); The Rise and Fall of Little Voice (Dundee); The History Boys (West Yorkshire, UK tour); Way Upstream (Salisbury), A Doll’s House (Exeter); Hay Fever (Guthrie, Minneapolis); Single Spies (Bath, UK Tour); Tell Me on a Sunday (UK Tour); Longwave, The Adventures of Woundman and Shirley (Chris Goode & Co., UK Tour); The Rocky Horror Show (UK Tour, West End).
Matthew Brind is an international Composer, Arranger and Conductor. His work spans theatre, film, radio, television, pop and concerts. He has conducted and arranged for various orchestras including, BBC Philharmonic Orchestra, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, BBC Concert Orchestra, English National Opera, City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra, Slovak National Symphony Orchestra, Welsh Pops Orchestra and various session orchestras in London, Los Angeles and New York. Matthew has been Musical Supervisor/Musical Director on various West End musicals including Notre Dame De Paris (London Coliseum); Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown (Playhouse Theatre); Dirty Rotten Scoundrels (Savoy Theatre); Legally Blonde (Savoy Theatre) and his orchestrations have played worldwide. Matthew is orchestrator/arranger for the entertainment shows: X Factor UK; Britain’s Got Talent; America’s Got Talent and was Musical Director/Arranger for the BBC’s primetime entertainment show Tonight’s the Night. His arrangements have also been heard on the Royal Variety Show; Last Night of the Proms; National Lottery Awards; Strictly Come Dancing and Any Dream Will Do. Matthew has also composed numerous musicals. His musical, Only the Brave, played at the Wales Millennium Centre in 2016.
Howard Hudson won the Whatsonstage Award for Best Lighting for & Juliet for which he was also nominated for an Olivier award. West End credits include: 9 to 5 The Musical; Strictly Ballroom; In The Heights; Romeo & Juliet; The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole Aged 13 ¾ The Musical. Other credits include: Street Scene (Opera North); The Monstrous Child (ROH); Gaslight; Titanic; Strangers On A Train (UK Tours & International); Little Shop Of Horrors; On The Town (Regent’s Park).
Akhila Krishnan is an award-winning projection designer and creative director for moving image and immersive technology. She trained at the Royal College of Art and the National Institute of Design in India.Recent work includes The Two Character Play (Hampstead Theatre); The Knife of Dawn, Echoes at the Gate (Royal Opera House); Oliver Twist (Leeds Playhouse/Ramps on the Moon); While You Are Here (The Place/Dance East); Mamma Mia: The Party (O2 Arena); Maggot Moon (Unicorn Theatre) and UpNext (National Theatre Fundraising Gala). Forthcoming work includes What’s New Pussycat? (Birmingham Rep); Sound of Colour (Arts House Jersey); The Valkyrie, The Handmaid’s Tale (English National Opera); Syllable (Trinity Laban); Our Generation (National Theatre/Chichester Festival Theatre); The Wreckers (Glyndebourne); Oedipus Rex/Antigone (Dutch National Opera); and Good (Harold Pinter Theatre).
Gareth Owen’s theatre credits include; Olivier’s: Come From Away, Bat Out Of Hell (Nom), Memphis and Merrily We Roll Along, Top Hat (Nom) and End Of The Rainbow (Nom). Tony’s: A Little Night Music (Nom) and End Of The Rainbow (Nom). Currently: Come From Away; Diana and MJ. On Broadway; Cinderella; Back To The Future; Come From Away; Mamma Mia The Party; Joseph & The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat; & Juliet; and Prince Of Egypt. In London’s West End; Hunchback Of Notre Dame; Bat Out Of Hell; Little Mermaid; and Bronx Tale Worldwide.
Dame Arlene Phillips is a showbiz legend honoured as DBE in 2021 for her services to dance and charity; she has worked at the highest level in film, TV, theatre and arena events, as well as becoming one of Britain’s favourite television judges. As a TV judge, Arlene has starred in Over The Rainbow; So You Think You Can Dance; Strictly Come Dancing; Strictly Dance Fever; DanceX; Let’s Dance for Comic Relief (BBC). Arlene is director of new musical The Cher Show, on UK Tour from spring 2022. She was director and/or choreographer on the musicals Grease, We Will Rock You, Starlight Express, The Wizard of Oz, The Sound of Music, Saturday Night Fever, and the plays Allelujah and A Midsummer Night’s Dream at the Bridge Theatre. Events: Strictly Come Dancing – The Live Tour; Lord of the Dance; Monty Python Live at the O2; The Music of Andrew Lloyd Webber; The Manchester XVII Commonwealth Games. Choreography for television includes: A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Russell T Davies); The Royal Variety Show; The Olivier Awards. Films include Annie, The Meaning of Life and Legend with Tom Cruise. Choreography for music videos includes work with Freddie Mercury; Whitney Houston; Elton John; Queen; Diana Ross; Tina Turner; Duran Duran; Aretha Franklin; George Michael; Cliff Richard and Robbie Williams.
Annelie Powell CDG is a Casting Director for stage and screen. As Head of Casting for Nuffield Theatres Southampton from 2017 – 2020, Annelie cast The Shadow Factory; Billionaire Boy; The Audience and Fantastic Mr. Fox amongst a myriad of other shows. Annelie works prolifically with a variety of theatres on a freelance basis; with recent credits that include: Wendy And Peter Pan (Leeds Playhouse); Harm (Bush Theatre); The House Of Shades (Almeida Theatre); Romeo & Juliet (Regent’s Park). She also works in television and film; having cast for Netflix, Apple, Warner Bros, BBC and Nickelodeon amongst others.
Luke Sheppard directed the multiple award winning & Juliet and the UK premiere of In The Heights. Other credits include The Secret Diary Of Adrian Mole Aged 13 ¾ (West End); Billionaire Boy (Nuffield Theatre); Rent; Spring Awakening (Hope Mill Theatre); Peter And The Starcatcher (Royal & Derngate); Night Must Fall (Salisbury Playhouse & UK Tour); Oliver! (Watermill Theatre); Working; Casa Valentina; Next Fall (Southwark Playhouse); Jet Set Go (Jermyn Street & Theatre 503).
Josh Sood graduated from the University of Birmingham with an undergraduate degree in Music, and was tutored by Daniele Rosina in orchestral conducting. He has since been mentored by David Charles Abell and Mike Dixon. Musical Director: Errol’s Garden (UK Tour); Doctor Dolittle (UK Tour); The Fix, Duncton Wood (Union Theatre); Jerry Springer: The Opera (LOST Theatre); 3 Guys Naked From The Waist Down (Finborough Theatre); NewsRevue (Canal Cafe Theatre); I Need A Doctor: The Whosical (UK Tour); Sweeney Todd (A.E. Harris, Birmingham). Assistant/Associate Musical Director: Cats (International Tour); An Officer and a Gentleman (UK Tour); Grease (UK Tour); Dusty (Charing Cross Theatre).
Dale White’s theatre credits as a performer include: Big Deal & Cover Riff in West Side Story (Leicester Curve); Eugene & Dance Captain in Grease (UK Tour); Ensemble in Merry Widow (ENO); Ensemble in Aladdin (Hackney Empire); Dance Captain/Ensemble/Cover Scott in Strictly Ballroom at the Piccadilly Theatre, Mirvish Theatre (Toronto) and West Yorkshire Playhouse directed and choreographed by Drew McOnie and also in Jesus Christ Superstar at Regent’s Park; Ensemble/Resident Choreographer in Bugsy Malone (Lyric Hammersmith); Starlight Express (Bochum Germany); Jack and the Beanstalk (Hackney Empire). Dale has also performed at the Olivier Awards 2016 (Royal Opera House), Sunday Night at the Palladium and on The One Show.
Priya Patel Appleby is a Birmingham-born and based director. Since graduating from the University of East Anglia in 2020 with a First Class BA in Drama, she was Assistant Director for RENT at Hope Mill Theatre. Most recently, Priya assistant directed Just So at the Watermill Theatre, and directed new musical The Red Side of the Moon at the Actor’s Church in Covent Garden. Priya is delighted to be a part of the What’s New Pussycat? team, and to be bringing a brilliant new musical to her hometown.
No Comment