Spellbinding cast announced for world premiere of THE BOOK THIEF

Ahead of its world premiere at the Octagon Theatre Bolton from 17 September-15 October, the musical adaptation of The Book Thief has announced its cast.

Directed by the Octagon’s Artistic Director Lotte Wakeham and  choreographed by Tom Jackson Greaves, the script is penned by award-winning author Jodi Picoult and Timothy Allen McDonald, with music and lyrics by Elyssa Samsel and Kate Anderson, and musical direction, orchestrations and arrangements by Matthew Malone.

This spellbinding production is based on Markus Zusak’s worldwide best-selling novel and follows courageous  young orphan Liesel as she enters a dangerous game of book thievery in 1930s Nazi-Germany. 

The cast is led by Ryan O’Donnell (The Serpent, BBC One) as the Narrator, Jack Lord (West Side Story, Royal Exchange) as Hans Hubermann, Danielle Henry (After Life, National Theatre) as Rosa Hubermann, and Daniel Krikler (Present Laughter, The Old Vic) as Max Vandenburg. They are joined by four extraordinary young  actors; the role of Liesel will be shared by Bea Glancy and Niamh Palmer and the role of Rudy will be shared by Alfie Corbett and Charlie Murphy.

The ensemble is completed by Purvi Parmar (The Jungle Book, Chester Storyhouse), Katy Clayton (The Band, Theatre Royal Haymarket & UK Tour), Victoria Brazier (Pride & Prejudice, Grosvenor Park Open Air Theatre), Ida Regan (4 Walls, Derby Theatre), Duane Gooden (The Jungle Book, Fairfield  Halls), Andrew Whitehead (A Christmas Carol, Hull Truck Theatre) and Matthew Heywood (Zorro, Hope Mill Theatre).  

Octagon Artistic Director and director of The Book Thief, Lotte Wakeham, said: “I am  delighted that we’ve assembled such an exceptional cast for the world premiere production of  The Book Thief. We were truly amazed by the outstanding level of talent we saw throughout the  audition process and I am incredibly excited to work with this incredibly gifted company of  actors. They have outstanding theatre credentials from the West End to international touring,  and I’m also thrilled that so many of them hail from Greater Manchester – we’ve been fortunate  to draw from an extraordinary talent pool. Casting our young performers in the crucial roles of  Liesel and Rudy has also been a real joy and I think audiences will be blown away by them.

“Based on Markus Zusak’s world-wide best-selling novel, this brand-new musical promises a  spectacular theatrical experience for all, with a beautifully poignant script, sensational musical  score and a visually stunning design. Add in stellar performances from our talented cast of adults and children, The Book Thief promises to be the must-see production of this autumn.” 

For more information and to book tickets, please click here.