Full casting has been revealed for Curve’s Christmas musical A Chorus Line, running from 3-31 December, featuring world famous dancer Adam Cooper and West End and Curve favourite Carly Mercedes Dyer.

Cooper will play Zach, the director/choreographer responsible for putting the performers through their paces in the show’s audition. Having gained acclaim for creating the lead role of the Swan/Stranger in Matthew Bourne’s production of Swan Lake – a role he also performed in the 2000 film Billy Elliot as the adult Billy – Adam is internationally renowned as a musical theatre performer, dancer and choreographer.

Carly Mercedes Dyer will star alongside him as Cassie, an auditionee and Zach’s ex-lover. Carly is currently performing in Anything Goes at The Barbican in London, and recently appeared in the Curve at Home production of The Color Purple as Shug Avery, and as Anita in the Made at Curve 2019 production of West Side Story.

The production reunites Curve’s Artistic Director Nikolai Foster and Choreographer Ellen Kane, who last worked together on the five-star Made at Curve production of West Side Story.

The cast features a host of familiar faces to Curve, including West Side Story company members Ronan Burns as Bobby Mills, Beth Hinton-Lever as Bebe Benzenheimer, Katie Lee as Kristine Ulrich and Redmand Rance as Mike Costa.

Completing the cast are Emily Barnett-Salter as Sheila Bryant, Bradley Delarosbel as Gregory Gardner, Lizzy-Rose Essin-Kelly as Diana Morales, André Fabien Francis as Richie Walters, Ainsley Hall Ricketts as Paul San Marco, Joshua Lay as Al Deluca, Kanako Nakano as Judy Turner, Hicaro Nicolai as Swing, Jamie O’Leary as Mark Anthony, Tom Partridge as Don Kerr, Rachel Jayne Picar as Connie Wong, Chloe Saunders as Val Clarke, Charlotte Scott as Maggie Winslow and Taylor Walker as Larry.

New York City. 1975. On an empty Broadway stage, 18 performers are put through their paces in the final, gruelling audition for a new Broadway musical. Only eight will make the cut. The audition takes an unexpected turn as the director, Zach, invites the performers to open up about their lives and what brought them into theatre. What follows are searing stories of ambition, childhood, shattered dreams and what it means to follow your dreams onto the stage. The emotional stakes are heightened when Zach’s ex-lover Cassie, fresh from an attempt to make it in Hollywood, wants to audition for the chorus line.

A Chorus Line will feature set design by Grace Smart, musical supervision from David Shrubsole, costumes by Edd Lindley, lighting by Howard Hudson, sound by Tom Marshall and musical direction by Tamara Saringer.

Curve’s Chief Executive Chris Stafford and Artistic Director Nikolai Foster said: “Our A Chorus Line company of actors represent the very best talent working in the UK today. Led by our terrific casting director Kay Magson, we are thrilled to have brought together this astonishingly talented group of artists who will ignite this brand-new production, giving our audiences much to celebrate this Christmas.

“Just as the original production of A Chorus Line gave voice to the incredible performers who make every show possible, this cracking company of actors will rediscover this classic musical afresh. The incomparable Carly Mercedes Dyer and majestic Adam Cooper lead an outstanding cast, who will literally blow the roof off Curve this Christmas.

“We are looking forward to welcoming our communities and audiences from across the UK for a very special Christmas at Curve, with A Chorus Line’s astonishing Marvin Hamlisch score and Ellen Kane’s heart-stopping choreography.”

A Chorus Line was created by Michael Bennett, who used real-life testimonies from chorus dancers to celebrate the lives of theatre’s unsung heroes. The musical has a book by James Kirkwood and Nicholas Dante, music by Marvin Hamlisch and lyrics by Edward Kleban.

To watch the cast in rehearsals, please see below…

Tickets for A Chorus Line at Curve are on sale now here.