Former Les Misérables stars Fra Fee and David Thaxton will star alongside fellow London stage regulars Scarlett Strallen and Cassidy Jansen in the Menier Chocolate Factory’s Christmas production of Candide.
Irish actor Fee, who appeared both in the Queen’s theatre production of the French revolutionary musical and in Tom Hooper’s acclaimed movie, will play the title role in Bernstein’s musical, which follows Candide on a journey of discovery through anguish, happiness, loss and love.
Thaxton, an Olivier Award winner for his performance in the Donmar Warehouse production of Passion, plays Maximillian, the brother of Candide’s love interest Cunegonde, who will be played by his former Passion co-star Strallen, fresh from her success in A Chorus Line. Janson, who plays Paquette, has previously appeared in musicals Lend Me A Tenor, Avenue Q and Wicked.
The quartet of West End regulars are joined by antipodean musical theatre star Ben Lewis, who led the Australian production of Love Never Dies.
The quintet, which takes to the Menier’s stage for the first time on 22 November, will perform choreography by Strallen’s Singin’ In The Rain co-star Adam Cooper, and be directed by Matthew White, whose previous Chocolate Factory hits include Little Shop Of Horrors and Sweet Charity, both of which transferred to the West End.
Candide opens at the London Bridge venue following the European premiere of hit US comedy The Lyons, which begins previews next week.