Theatre – Full casting announced for MAMMA MIA! UK & International Tour including RCH Nottm in March 2020

Full casting announced for the

MAMMA MIA! UK & International Tour

Full casting has been announced for the sensational feel-good musical MAMMA MIA! which comes to the Royal Concert Hall Nottingham from Tuesday 24 March to Saturday 4 April 2020 as part of its UK & International Tour celebrating 20 years since MAMMA MIA! premiered in London in April 1999. Sharon Sexton (Donna Sheridan), Sarah Harlington (Alternate Donna), Nicky Swift (Rosie), Helen Anker (Tanya), Rob Fowler (Sam Carmichael), Daniel Crowder (Harry Bright), Jamie Kenna (Bill Austin), Emma Mullen (Sophie Sheridan), Toby Miles (Sky), Marie Finlayson (Ali), Mariella Mazzilli (Lisa), James Willoughby Moore (Pepper), Eamonn Cox (Eddie) and Matthew Ronchetti (Father Alexander) will star in the production from 24 March to 4 April 2020.

Completing the cast are Taylor Bridges, Ambra Caserotti, Martin Dickinson, Billy Downes, Katie Dunsden, Matt Kennedy, Lewis Kidd, Emma Odell, Blair Robertson, Kaine Ruddach, Ellie Rutherford, Chiara Sparkes, Amy Thiroff, Cameron Vear, Sarah Wilkie and Robert Knight.

From West End to global phenomenon, MAMMA MIA! is Judy Craymer’s ingenious vision of staging the story-telling magic of ABBA’s timeless songs with a sunny, funny tale of a mother, a daughter and three possible dads unfolding on a Greek island idyll.

To date, it has been seen by over 65 million people in 50 productions in 16 different languages. In 2011 it became the first Western musical ever to be staged in Mandarin in the People’s Republic of China. MAMMA MIA! became the 8^th longest running show in Broadway history where it played a record-breaking run for 14 years. MAMMA MIA!continues to thrill audiences in London’s West End at the Novello Theatre where it celebrated its 20^th Anniversary on 6 April 2019.

Produced by Judy Craymer, MAMMA MIA! The Movie became the highest grossing live action musical film of all time upon its release in 2008. A second film, MAMMA MIA! HERE WE GO AGAIN, opened in July 2018 and is the most successful live musical movie sequel of all time.

Sharon Sexton plays Donna Sheridan. Training: DIT’s Conservatory of Music and Drama. Theatre includes: Sharon originated the role of Sloane in Bat Out Of Hell The Musical (The Manchester Opera House, The London Coliseum, The Ed Mirvish Theatre Toronto & Dominion Theatre) for which Sharon won a West End Wilma Award for Best Actress in a Musical. Further theatre credits include The Commitments (The Palace Theatre), Billy Elliot (Victoria Palace) for which she was nominated for What’s On Stage for best understudy Conchita in Copacobana (UK Tour), Nancy in Oliver!, Lucy in Jekyll and Hyde, Lily St Regis in Annie, Reno Sweeney in Anything Goes (National Concert Hall Dublin), Kate in Girls Night The Musical (National Tour), Kathleen in the one woman show A Fit Wife For A Revolutionary (The London Irish Centre and Smock Alley Dublin), Surfia in IKEANO (Olympia Theatre, National Tour), Collagen in Anglo The Musical (Bord Gais Theatre), Fairy Godmother in Cinderella (The Gaiety Theatre), Yellow Girl in Shout The Musical, the title role of Calamity Jane and Jane Eyre The musical in Dublin and Somewhere Under the Rainbow (UK Tour and Edinburgh Fringe Festival), for which she won best actress award in the IDGTF. Workshops include: Angela in Angela’s Ashes The Musical, Norah in Himself and Norah, Laura in She Loves You. Concerts include: For the past 6 months Sharon has been touring with highly successful Vision of You concert series, whose title comes from the debut album of the same name, recorded and released by Sharon and her partner Rob Fowler in 2018. As a solo singer Sharon has performed on PBS America as part of Irish The Musical, filmed at the Wexford Opera House, with the National Concert Orchestra for Derek Mooney show, recorded at The Bord Gais Theatre. Other credits include: Sharon is one half of the sketch duo Sexton and O Connor whose original work has appeared on RTE television.

Sarah Harlington plays Alternate Donna. Training: Arts Educational Schools, London. Theatre includes: Ensemble in MAMMA MIA! (International Tour), Lady of the Lake inSpamalot (Mercury Theatre and UK Tour), Kate Monster/Lucy the Slut in Avenue Q (UK Tour), Sally in Girlfriends (Union Theatre, London), Serena Katz in Fame (UK Tour), Twyla in When Midnight Strikes (Upstairs at the Gatehouse, London), Sister Act (UK Tour), Hair (European Tour), Princess Jasmine in Aladdin (Sheffield Lyceum and Towngate Theatre) and Mary in The Human Comedy (Young Vic, London). Television includes: The Sound of Musicals. Workshops include: Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown.

Nicky Swift plays Rosie. Training: National Youth Music Theatre, Birmingham University and The Royal Academy of Music where she received The Ian Fleming Musical Theatre Award. Theatre includes Eileen Stinkleton in Grandma Saves The Day (New Wolsey Theatre, Ipswich), Rosie in MAMMA MIA! (UK and International Tour), Shirley in Shirley Valentine (30th anniversary UK Tour), Ethel/Coach Dunbar/Betty in Footloose (UK Tour), Madame and understudied Madame Thénardier in Les Misérables (Queen’s Theatre, London), Cynthia/Aunt Mimi in Lennon (Royal Court, Liverpool), Vera Lynn in Songs for Victory (UK Tour), One Night in Istanbul (Echo Arena, Dublin Gaiety and Belfast Grand Opera House), Jack and the Beanstalk, Mother Goose, Aladdin, Dick Whittington, Sleeping Beauty and Red Riding Hood (Liverpool Everyman and Playhouse), Jellylorum in Cats(Arena Tour), Vi in The Buddy Holly Story (Upstairs at the Gatehouse, London), Alice in The Walled Garden (Brockwell Park, London), Twelfth Night, Plaza Suite, The Odd Coupleand A Slice of Saturday Night (QE Theatre Company on Cunard’s Queen Elizabeth), Elizabeth in Richard Taylor’s Whistle Down the Wind (Edinburgh Festival, Sadler’s Wells, London and West Yorkshire Playhouse), Charlie (Buxton Opera House), Creation and Warchild (National Youth Music Theatre, London), Her Benny (Liverpool Empire), David Copperfield (UK Tour), Sixteen Gobs (King’s Head, London), Habeas Corpus and City of Angels (Royal Academy of Music, London). Television includes Hillsborough, VoicesRaised, Blue Peter, Sport Relief and The Olivier Awards. Radio includes: LooseEnds and New Musicals with Stephen Sondheim (BBC Radio 2). Other credits include: Soloist alongside Dame Judi Dench in An Enchanted Evening (Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, London) and performances at charity galas at the Palace Theatre (London), Royal Albert Hall (London), the O2 Arena (London) and for HRH Prince Edward at St James’s Palace (London). Nicky works as a backing and session singer, supporting names such as Tom Jones, Lesley Garrett, Elaine Paige and Cynthia Erivo. Nicky made her Off-Broadway debut in A Broadway Diva Christmas (Julia Miles Theatre, New York).

Helen Anker plays Tanya. Training: Royal Ballet School and Doreen Bird College. Theatre includes: Tanya in MAMMA MIA! (International Tour), Miss Olson in Promises, Promises (Broadway Theatre, New York), Eliza in My Fair Lady (Guthrie Theater, Minneapolis), Guenevere in Camelot (Chanhassen, Minneapolis), The 39 Steps (Milwaukee Repertory Theatre), Mrs Mullin in Carousel (Houston Grand Opera), Georgia in Curtains (Paper Mill Playhouse, New Jersey), Radio Times (Queen’s Theatre, London), Cats (New London Theatre, London), Crazy for You (Prince Edward Theatre, London), Oklahoma! (National Theatre and Lyceum Theatre, London), Fame (Cambridge Theatre, London), Hard Times (Theatre Royal, London), Candide and On the Town (English National Opera, London), Contact (Queen’s Theatre, London), Beautiful and Damned (Lyric Theatre, London),Parade (Donmar Warehouse, London), A Chorus Line, Dames At Sea, Let’s Face the Music and Dance, The Thorn Birds, It’s a Wonderful Life and Masterpieces (regional theatres).Film includes: Ted 2, Cinderella and Oklahoma!. Television includes: Holby City, Law and Order, White Collar and The Good Wife. Also performed on four Tony Awards and at The Oscars.

Rob Fowler plays Sam Carmichael. Theatre includes: Falco in Bat Out of Hell (Manchester Opera House, London Colosseum & Ed Mirvish Theatre Toronto), Joe in Carmen Cubana (Theater München & German Tour), Dan in Next to Normal (Oper Dortmund), Markgraf Gerold in Die Päpstin (Musical Sommer Fulda), Dracyka in Dracula(Frankenfestspiele Röttingen), Alternate Galileo in We Will Rock You (Apollo Theater Stuttgart, Theater des Westens, Berlin), Corny Collins in Hairspray (Musical Dome Köln), Frank’n’Furter in The Rocky Horror Show (Tour), Haremhab in Tutanchamun (Festspiele Gutenstein), Jamie in The Last Five Years (Kammeroper Wien), Berger in Hair (Musical Sommer Amstetten), Chuck in Footloose (Stadttheater Klagenfurt and Musical Sommer Amstetten), Vincent Fontaine/ Teen Angel in Grease (Theater St. Gallen), Alternate Tod inElisabeth (Theater an der Wien), Jesus in the German version of Jesus Christ Superstar (German) (Vereingite Buhnen Bozen), Pilate in Jesus Christ Superstar, Max/Scat Soloist inThe Wild Party, Lover/ Pinball Lad in Tommy (Musical Sommer Amstetten), Rum Tum Tugger in Cats (Stuttgart), Caboose/Rusty/Greaseball in Starlight Express (Musical Theater Bochum) and Joe B Mauldin in The Buddy Holly Story. Other credits include: Rob was co-composer & lyricist for the band Morton, whose singles Sorry, Irish Girl & Stop Crying Your Heart Out (Oasis Cover) enjoyed great chart success. In 2012 he starred in the Voice Of Germany Arena Tour after reaching the Semi Finals of the TV show where he performed Original Song The Hurt. Together with Beat For Feet he co-wrote and recorded the official EHF FINAL4 Champions League song Do It Like Us performing it in Cologne Lanxess Arena to over 22,000 people. He has recently written his first original musical The Boy Next Door with the award-winning playwright, Stephen Clarke.

Daniel Crowder plays Harry Bright. Training: Rose Bruford College. Theatre includes: MAMMA MIA! (UK/International Tour), The Graduate (West Yorkshire Playhouse),Neville’s Island (Stephen Joseph Theatre, Scarborough), The Mousetrap (St Martin’s Theatre, London), The Potsdam Quartet (Jermyn St Theatre, London), Way Upstream (Salisbury Playhouse), Corrie! (UK Tour and New Zealand), The Duchess of Malfi (Theatre Royal, Northampton), Arthur and George (Birmingham Repertory Theatre), Lost in the Stars(Queen Elizabeth Hall, London), High Society (National Tour), The Graduate, Twelfth Night, The Madness of George III, Stig of the Dump and Seeds Under Stones (West Yorkshire Playhouse), Noël Coward Double Bill (Liverpool Playhouse), The Safari Party (Stephen Joseph Theatre, Scarborough and Hampstead Theatre), The Good Samaritan (Hampstead Theatre), Love’s Labour’s Lost, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Twelfth Night and The Merry Wives of Windsor (Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre, London), That Woman (Royal Court, London) and The Red Balloon (National Theatre, London). Film includes: Gulliver’s Travels, The Avengers and Reinventing Eddie. Television includes: The Cockfields, Coronation Street, Urban Myths: Public Enemy, The Job Lot, Ladies of Letters, Casualty, EastEnders, Doctors, Holby City, Midsomer Murders, Los Dos Bros, Randall and Hopkirk Deceased, Coronation Street and The Bill. Radio includes: How to Have a Perfect Marriage (Radio 4), Jarvis Cocker in My Lighthouse (Radio 2), Lost in the Stars (Radio 3) and The Red Balloon (Radio 4).

Jamie Kenna plays Bill Austin. Theatre includes: Little John in Robin Hood (Qdos Entertainment), Revolutions (Hull Truck Theatre), Heck Tate in To Kill a Mockingbird (Regents Park Open Air, Barbican and UK Tour), Ted in War Horse (National Theatre), Max Miller in The Cheeky Chappie (Arts Theatre and Union Theatre, London), Richard in Joking Apart, Harold Palmer in Communicating Doors, Max in Liar’s Market (Union Theatre, London), Simeon in Life of Riley (Stephen Joseph Theatre and UK Tour), Eddy/DH Lawrence in The Spirit of the Man (Nottingham Playhouse and UK Tour), Caliban/Antonio in The Tempest (Marlowe Theatre, Canterbury) and Black in The Wild Party (Union Theatre, London). Television includes: Billy Mills in Peaky Blinders, Builder in Mount Pleasant, Security Steve in Hunted: Nemesis, PC Nestor in AWOL, Tommy Morgan in Law and Order UK, Mickey Daltry in The Take, Angus in Merlin, Bob Gatting in Minder, Patrick Maguire in Silent Witness, Tommy Rose in The Bill, Tony Leeson in Doctors, Vinnie Franks inEastEnders, Smudger Smith in Heartbeat, Mr X in The Last Enemy, Man in 55 Degrees North, DC Johnstone in The London Nail Bomber and John Simms in The Message. Film includes: Little John in Robin Hood: The Rebellion, Promoter in David Brent: Life on the Road, DCI Perkins in Screwed, Jenkisn in Blitz, Jonathan in Bonded by Blood, Brian Stanton in F, Mr Arthur in Mission London, John Mulvaney in A Violent Mind, Stevie Hogan in Cass, Hack in Clubbed, Alex in Fallout, Perky in The Bank Job, Cop in Children of Men, Tony in London to Brighton, Fox in Stormbreaker, Keith in The Altogether and Big Marc in Green Street.

Emma Mullen plays Sophie Sheridan. Training: Royal Conservatoire of Scotland. Theatre includes: Girl in The Afflicted (National Theatre of Scotland), Snow White in Snow White and The Seven Dames (Perth Theatre), Ensemble in Sunshine on Leith (West Yorkshire Playhouse), Jean Fordham in August: Osage County (Dundee Rep), Chick Whittington in Chick Whittington (Macrobert Arts Centre) and Ensemble/Dance Captain in Chess (Edinburgh Festival Theatre). Television includes: Rosie in Shetland (ITV.BBC), Dancer in In Plain Sight (ITV) and Vocalist in The Wife (Feature Film).

Toby Miles plays Sky. Training: Arts Educational Schools, London. Theatre includes: Marius in Les Miserables (Queen’s Theatre, London) for which he was nominated for the 2018 The Stage Debut Award for Best Actor In A Musical. Credits whilst training: Adam/Felicia in Priscilla Queen of the Desert, Cabaret, Anthony in Sweeney Todd, Elyot Chase in Private Lives, David in Hay Fever, The Olivier Awards (Royal Albert Hall) and Friday Night Is Music Night (BBC).

Marie Finlayson plays Ali. Training: Laine Theatre Arts. Theatre includes: Star Track (Epsom Playhouse), Aladdin (Swansea Grand Theatre), The Laine Show (Epsom Playhouse), Time Flies – Celebrating 100 Years of the Royal Air Force (Theatre Royal Drury Lane), Jack and the Beanstalk (Belfast Grand Opera House), The Best Of… Rock Musicals (Apollo Hammersmith) and Dare To Dream (Epsom Playhouse).

Mariella Mazzilli plays Lisa. Training: Masters Performing Arts. Credits whilst training: Frenchy in Grease, Dancer for the Rugby World Cup Final, Dancer for the FA Cup Final and Dancer/Understudy Snow White (QDOS Pantomimes).

James Willoughby Moore plays Pepper. Training: Laine Theatre Arts and Arabesque School of Performing Arts. Theatre includes: MAMMA MIA! (Novello Theatre, London),Peter Pan (Swindon and Hastings); Harry in The Hired Man (Cadogan Hall, London) David in Company, Elephant’s Child in Just So and The Laramie Project (LTA Studio Theatre), Bruce and Tommy in Matilda the Musical (Cambridge Theatre).

Eamonn Cox plays Eddie. Training: Arts Educational Schools, London. Theatre includes: Eddie in MAMMA MIA! (Novello Theatre, London), Featured Ensemble/Cover The Ring Master in Barnum (Menier Chocolate Factory, London), Ensemble/Cover Robbie Hart in The Wedding Singer (UK Tour & South Korea), Ensemble/Cover Benny Southstreet in Guys & Dolls (UK Tour), Bob Cratchit in A Christmas Carol (The Castle, Wellingborough), Suitor in Seven Brides For Seven Brothers (Open Air Theatre, Regents Park) and Ensemble in Aladdin for Qdos (Lyceum, Crewe).
Other work includes: Friday Night Is Music Night (Radio 2) and Olivier Awards (2014/2015).

Matthew Ronchetti plays Father Alexander. Training: Royal Academy of Music. Theatre includes: Ensemble/ Father Alexander/ understudy Sam, Bill and Harry in MAMMA MIA! (International Tour), Radames in Aida (Minack Theatre, Cornwall), Jamie in The Last 5 Years (Lakeside Theatre, Nottingham and Tobacco Factory Theatre, Bristol), Sergeant in The Devil’s Disciple (RADA), Officer/Akash in Between Empires (Orange Tree Productions), Clifford Anderson in Deathtrap (Compass Theatre, Ickenham), Major Shelley/cover Dickon in The Secret Garden in Concert (King’s Head and Greenwich Theatres, London), Gaoler/understudy Florize in A Winter’s Tale (Landor Theatre, London) and Man 1 in Side by Side by Sondheim (Venue 45, Edinburgh).