At Official London Theatre we’ve always known that musical theatre star Michael Xavier was a killer performer. Now he’s performing as a killer.
The usually so charming and sophisticated star of the London stage has joined the cast of the Menier Chocolate Factory’s latest acclaimed musical production, Assassins, replacing Broadway and Graceland star Aaron Tveit as Abraham Lincoln’s murderer John Wilkes Booth.
He’s not the only new crim in the Southwark hood either. Anna Francolini has been added to the cast of the Jamie Lloyd-directed production, replacing the outgoing Catherine Tate for two weeks as Sara Jane Moore, who tried to kill Gerald Ford.
The Stephen Sondheim musical, which runs at the hit-producing Menier until 7 March, takes a look at the select club of people who have killed a US president, or had a good stab at it, delving into how different they actually are from the rest of us.
Xavier and Francolini join a cast that also includes performer and Ghost Stories co-writer/director Andy Nyman, former Rock Of Ages star Simon Lipkin, and American actor and comedian Mike McShane.
If you haven’t already booked Assassins tickets, you may be out of luck at the current run is sold out. Your best chance of seeing Xavier and Francolini in their roles might just be these just released rehearsal shots and keeping fingers crossed for a transfer.