British stage and screen actor Alan Morrissey will audition for Simon Cowell in the wacky X Factor musical I Can’t Sing!, slated to premiere February 27, 2014, in the West End. Opening night is set for March 26 at the London Palladium. Morrissey joins previously announced Olivier winner Nigel Harman as infamous X Factor judge Simon Cowell and Cynthia Erivo as competition hopeful Chenice. Morrissey will play Max, an X Factor contestant who falls in love with his competitor.
Morrissey's London theater credits include Romeo and Juliet at Shakespeare’s Globe, Solstice at the Royal Shakespeare Company, Horse Marines at the Drum at Theatre Royal and Salad Days at Bristol Old Vic. His film and TV credits include The League of Gentlemen’s Apocalypse, Holby City, Land Girls, Endeavour and Doctors.
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.
I Can’t Sing! features choreography by Kate Prince, design by Es Devlin, lighting design by Jon Clark, sound design by Gareth Owen and musical supervision by Philip Bateman.