Argentinian star Gerónimo Rauch will swap one period French musical for another as he leaves behind Les Misérables‘ Jean Valjean to play The Phantom Of The Opera this autumn.
The South American singer is the headline star in a major overhaul of the long-running musical’s cast that also sees Sean Palmer join the company as Raoul, Martin Ball join as Monsieur André and Claire Moore move to Her Majesty’s theatre to play Carlotta.
Ball and Moore, like Rauch, have both previously appeared in Les Misérables, playing the Thénardiers. Moore also previously starred in the original production of The Phantom Of The Opera, playing the alternate Christine. Broadway star Palmer most recently starred in the UK in the Olivier Award-winning production of Crazy For You.
They are joined in the cast change, which takes place on 2 September, by Andy Hockley, Jacinta Mulcahy, Cat Lane, Olivia Brereton and Harriet Jones. Current Christine and Piangi, Sofia Escobar and Jeremy Secomb, continue in the production.
Rauch will join performers including Marcus Lovett, John Owen Jones, Ramin Karimloo and Michael Crawford to don the West End’s most iconic mask and take on the role of the murderous maestro who presides over a reign of terror at the Paris Opera House and takes ingénue Christine Daaé as his protégé.