The West End's new musical comedy and fictional X Factor spoof I Can’t Sing! has once again delayed its first preview. Initially scheduled to begin performances at the London Palladium February 27, the show, starring Olivier Award winner Nigel Harman, Cynthia Erivo and Alan Morrisey, was then scheduled to start March 1. Now producers say the first preview will "take place next week" as an “integral part of the stage mechanism for the show’s set is currently not operating correctly and this needs to be resolved before performances can begin.”
Opening night still remains set for March 26. For now.
Directed by Sean Foley, I Can’t Sing! features music by Steve Brown and a book and additional lyrics by British comic Harry Hill. The production tells the story of Chenice (Erivo), who lives in an ITV blackspot because her grandad’s iron lung interferes with the signal in her caravan—she’s the only girl in the world who has never heard of The X Factor. When she accidentally stumbles into an audition with her talking dog, she starts a journey to both stardom and love. I Can’t Sing! goes beyond the microphone and under the judges’ desk to reveal the (not necessarily accurate) story of heartache and laughter that keeps millions tuning in every week.
Along with Harman, Ervio and Morrisey, the show will also star Ashley Knight, Victoria Elliot, Simon Bailey and Billy Carter.