AT THE PALACE THEATRE, MANCHESTER

FOR TWO-WEEKS ONLY WEDNESDAY 24 APRIL – SUNDAY 5 MAY 2024

HE JOINS PREVIOUSLY ANNOUNCED

JASON MANFORD WHO REPRISES HIS CELEBRATED ROLE AS THE COWARDLY LION

THE VIVIENNE AS THE WICKED WITCH OF THE WEST

ALLAN STEWART AS THE WIZARD

AVIVA TULLEY as DOROTHY

BENJAMIN YATES as THE SCARECROW

EMILY BULL as GLINDA THE GOOD WITCH

With ABIGAIL MATTHEWS as TOTO

THE BELOVED MUSICAL COMES DIRECT FROM A SUMMER SEASON AT THE LONDON PALLADIUM

Michael Harrison and the Really Useful Group are today delighted to announce that JLS star Aston Merrygold will reprise his acclaimed role as The Tin Man at select dates across The Wizard of Oz’s UK and Ireland tour. Having recently delighted audiences and critics alike in a magical Christmas season at the Liverpool Empire, Aston rejoins the tour in Manchester at the Palace Theatre where The Wizard of Oz plays from Wednesday 24 – Sunday 5 May 2024. The new musical, based on the iconic story by L. Frank Baum is currently touring following an acclaimed run at the world-famous London Palladium in 2023, in which award-winning comedian and West End Actor, Jason Manford appeared.

In Manchester, Aston appears alongside Jason Manford who will once again perform as The Cowardly Lion following his season at the London Palladium. He plays two-weeks of dates at the Manchester Palace only. They are joined by RuPaul’s Drag Race UK winner and Dancing on Ice finalist, The Vivienne as (The Wicked Witch of the West) and Allan Stewart as The Wizard (Stones in His Pockets, West End, UK Tour, Toronto; STV Hello, Good Evening, Welcome). Principle casting is completed by: Aviva Tulley (Book of Mormon, UK Tour) as Dorothy, Benjamin Yates (ITV’s Emmerdale; Jersey Boys, West End) as The Scarecrow, Emily Bull (9 to 5, UK Tour; Matilda UK Tour) as Glinda The Good Witch and Abigail Matthewsas Toto (Bleak Expectations, West End; War Horse, West End).

The cast is completed by David Burrows, Adam Craig, Cole Dunn, Tyler Ephraim, Olivia Kate Holding, Thomas Kalek, Sadie Levett, Kelsie-Rae Marshall, Martin McCarthy, Rose Ouellette, Fanja Parent, Alexandra Regan, Nathan Routledge and Sydney Spencer.

Aston says: “Performing as The Tin Man was so much fun. And working with such an incredible cast was an absolute pleasure. I can’t want to come back to such spectacular venues and to perform with this ridiculously talented lot again!”

Aston Merrygold became known for his incredible stage presence during his time with X Factor formed band JLS, who went on to sell out countless arena tours and sell over 10 million records, including five Number 1 hits and numerous awards. Whilst the band took a seven-year break, Aston made strides in his career appearing on the West End, Strictly Come Dancing and released his platinum debut single ‘Get Stupid’ and most recently ‘Overboard’ and ‘Share a Coke’. JLS made their comeback last year and performed to sold out arenas all over the UK and Ireland.

Aston has continued to remain at the forefront of entertainment, becoming a judge on the Sky 1 talent show, Got To Dance. He was also unmasked as Robin in the Semi Finals of the 2020/2021 series of Masked Singer UK and joined the cast of CBBC’s comedy drama, ‘Almost Never’, playing Jordan, the new manager of ‘The Wonderland’. Most recently, Aston was a panelist on the Masked Singer Live tour across the UK and starred as Willard in Footloose the Musical last summer. At Christmas, Aston delighted packed houses and critic alike as he performed the iconic role of The Tin Man in the Liverpool Empire’s festive season of The Wizard of Oz, where the tour opened.

To book tickets and for information about specific casting at all UK and Ireland tour venues, go to www.wizardofozmusical.com

Join Dorothy, Toto and friends on an unforgettable adventure down the yellow brick road to the merry old land of Oz.

Featuring the iconic original score from the Oscar-winning MGM film, including Over The Rainbow, Follow The Yellow Brick Road and We're Off To See the Wizard - with additional songs from Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice - this spectacular production will be a truly magical experience for all the family.

Directed by Nikolai Foster (Billy Elliot The Musical, A Chorus Line) The Wizard of Oz has choreography by Shay Barclay, Set Designer is Colin Richmond, Projection Designer is Douglas O’Connell, Costume and Puppet Designer is Rachael Canning, Lighting Designer is Ben Cracknell, Sound Designer is Adam Fisher, Creative Consultant is Mark Kaufman, Musical Supervisor is George Dyer, casting by Debbie O’Brien, Props Supervisor is Marcus Hall Props, and Wigs, Hair and Makeup Designer is Elizabeth Marini.

The Wizard of Oz on tour is presented Michael Harrison, Gavin Kalin Productions, David Mirvish, Crossroads Live, Nick Thomas, Rupert Gavin and Mallory Factor, Jake Hine and Playing Field, by arrangement with the Really Useful Group Ltd.

Palace Theatre Manchester, 97 Oxford St, Manchester, M1 6FT, UK

For group bookings of 10 or more: call 020 7206 1174

Instagram: @palaceandopera

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