Tony nominee Kelsey Grammer is set to play the central role of Edward Bloom in a new London production of the 2013 Broadway musical Big Fish, beginning performances at the West End's Other Palace Theatre on November 1 for a run through December 31. Nigel Harman will direct.
The musical, based on the 1998 novel by Daniel Wallace and Tim Burton's 2003 film, features a book by screenwriter John August and a score by Andrew Lippa. It follows a frustrated son who is trying to determine the fact from fiction in his dying father's life.
Emmy-winning Cheers and Frasier star Grammer, who most recently appeared on Broadway in Finding Neverland, will be joined by Laura Baldwin as Edward's wife, Sandra, Matt Seadon-Young as his son, Will, with Frances McNamee as Josephine Bloom, Forbes Masson as Amos/Don, Jamie Muscato as Edward, Landi Oshinowo as Witch/Jenny Hill, Dean Nolan as Karl and George Ure as Zaki. Additional cast members will include Sophie Linder-Lee, Gemma McMeel and Jonathan Stewart.
The Broadway production of Big Fish was helmed by Susan Stroman and starred Norbert Leo Butz as Edward Bloom with Kate Baldwin as Sandra and Bobby Steggert as Will. It played a brief 98-performance run at the Neil Simon Theatre.