The forthcoming stage adaptation of 1935 dance musical film Top Hat will transfer to the West End in spring 2012 following a UK tour.
The show, which will star Tom Chambers and Summer Strallen in the roles made famous by tap-dancing king and queen Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers, will premiere in Milton Keynes this August and tour the UK throughout autumn 2011. No dates or venue have yet been confirmed for the London run.
Based on the RKO motion picture, Top Hat has been adapted for the stage by Howard Jacques and Matthew White, who also directs. The story centres on Jerry Travers (Chambers), a famous American tap dancer who arrives in London to appear in his first West End show. There he meets the girl of his dreams, Dale Tremont (Strallen) and follows her across Europe in an attempt to win her heart.
The stage show will include numbers from Irving Berlin’s score for the film, including Cheek To Cheek and Top Hat White Tie And Tails, along with 10 numbers from Berlin’s back catalogue including the well-known Let’s Face The Music And Dance.
Chambers is no stranger to the dance floor, having won the 2008 series of Strictly Come Dancing with his professional partner Camilla Dallerup. Previous to that he was best known for BBC hospital drama Holby City, and he has since returned to television drama, appearing in Waterloo Road.
Strallen was most recently seen in Love Never Dies at the Adelphi theatre, earning an Olivier Award nomination for her performance. A West End regular, Strallen’s previous work includes The Sound Of Music at the London Palladium, The Drowsy Chaperone at the Novello theatre and The Boy Friend at the Regent’s Park Open Air theatre.
The pair is joined in Top Hat by Martin Ball (Les Misérables, Wicked) and Richard Afonso (We Will Rock You) along with Vivien Parry and Stephen Boswell.
CB