British stage and screen stars Lesley Sharp and Marc Warren are to join former X-Factor star Diana Vickers in the upcoming West End revival of The Rise And Fall Of Little Voice.
The headlining trio are joined in the dark comic drama, which runs at the Vaudeville theatre from 8 October, by Rachel Lumbert and James Cartwright.
Sharp is to play Mari, the drunken, overbearing mother from whom Little Voice escapes to her bedroom to listen to her late father’s records and perfect impersonations of divas including Judy Garland, Edith Piaf and Shirley Bassey. Warren takes the role of Ray Say, Mari’s current boyfriend and working men’s club impresario who hears Little Voice’s singing and thrusts her into a spotlight of which she is terrified.
Last seen in London starring in the National Theatre production of Harper Regan, Sharp is best known for her screen roles in series including Clocking Off, Common As Muck, Afterlife and Bob And Rose, and in films Vera Drake, From Hell, The Full Monty and Rita Sue And Bob Too.
Warren is also most easily recognisable for his television performances, which include playing Danny Blue in BBC con drama Hustle, Dominic Foy in State Of Play and Martin Grantham in Mutual Friends. He has more recently taken to the stage in Leicester, where he starred in Martin McDonagh’s The Pillowman.
Vickers, who follows in the footsteps of Jane Horrocks by playing the talented, timid Little Voice, was thrust into the spotlight during the 2008 series of The X-Factor and has taken a break from recording her debut album to star in the London production.
Nica Burns, who is producing The Rise And Fall Of Little Voice, commented: “With this wonderful play, you have to find your Little Voice first. To find someone of the right age – just 18 – who is as special as Diana Vickers is a gift. Having found our perfect Little Voice, I was delighted that the outstanding actress Lesley Sharp agreed to play her mother Mari and the charismatic actor Marc Warren, Ray Say. When Marc and Lesley first walked on stage together, the chemistry between them was instant. This is a terrific play and a great night out.”
The Laurence Olivier Award-winning show, written by Jim Cartwright, premiered at the National Theatre in 1992 before transferring to the Aldwych theatre. It was released as a film in 1999, when it received a clutch of award nominations, winning Michael Caine a Golden Globe for his performance as Ray Say.
MA