Richard Fleeshman And Jenna Russell To Star In Urinetown At The St James Theatre

URINETOWN will star Richard Fleeshman (Bobby Strong), Jenna Russell (Penelope Pennywise), Cory English (Old Man Strong/Hot Blades Harry) and Jonathan Slinger (Officer Lockstock).

The cast will also feature: Katie Bernstein (Little Becky Two Shoes/Mrs Millennium), Madeleine Harland (Soupy Sue/Cladwell’s Secretary), Rosanna Hyland (Hope Cladwell), Julie Jupp (Old Woman/Josephine Strong), Mark Meadows (Senator Fipp), Joel Montague (Male Swing 1), Jo Napthine (Female Swing 2) and Matthew Seadon-Young (Robbie The Stockfish/UGC Executive 1). The role of Caldwell B. Cladwell and further casting will be announced shortly.

Jamie Lloyd is directing the production. So far this year Jamie has directed high profile West End productions of Macbeth, The Hothouse and The Pride (all for his season Trafalgar Transformed at the Trafalgar Studios) as well as The Commitments (which opened earlier this week at the Palace Theatre)

Urinetown will begin previews at the St James Theatre on 22nd February next year, before officially opening on 11th March and running until 3rd May 2014. The show has music and lyrics by Mark Hollmann and book and lyrics by Greg Kotis.  

Urinetown, which ran on Broadway between 2001 and 2004, is produced by Julian Stoneman Associates and The Araca Group with production design by Evening Standard award winner, Soutra Gilmour, choreography by Ann Yee, lighting design by Adam Silverman, sound design by Terry Jardine & Nick Lidster, orchestrations by Bruce Coughlin and musical supervision by Alan Williams.

Described as a tale of greed, corruption and revolution, Urinetown was nominated for ten Tony Awards, and won for Best Book, Best Score and Best Direction. 

 ‘In a city of the future that has been inflicted with a terrible drought, business tycoon Caldwell B. Cladwell has made his fortune through bribery and the monopolisation of all public toilets. With a brutal police force maintaining law and order, it’s not a place to get caught short! Risk it and you will be sent off to a place no one returns from - the infamous Urinetown.’

Known for playing Craig Harris in ITV’s Coronation Street, Richard Fleeshman famously created the role of Sam Wheat in both the West End and Broadway productions of Ghost The Musical. He also played Warner opposite Sheridan Smith in Legally Blonde at the Savoy Theatre. Jenna Russell is an Olivier Award winning actress. Most recently she starred in the Menier Chocolate Factory’s production of Merrily We Roll Along which transferred to the West End’s Harold Pinter Theatre.

Urinetown tickets on sale soon!

Andrew Tomlins