Michael Ball

GEORGE

Michael Ball is Britain’s leading musical theatre star, a double Olivier Award-winning, Grammy nominated, multi-platinum recording artist and a hugely popular radio and TV presenter. For over 30 years he has been at the top of his game, starring in musical theatre productions in the West End and on Broadway, winning critical acclaim, a devoted following and awards for his stage work and recording career.

Michael’s theatre include Edna Turnblad in Hairspray (ENO/Coliseum), Javert in Les Misérables – The Staged Concert (Gielgud Theatre) Anatoly in Chess (ENO/Coliseum), Mack in Mack and Mabel (Chichester/UK Tour), Sweeney Todd in Sweeney Todd (West End) for which he won the Olivier Award for ‘Best Actor in a Musical’, Edna Turnblad in Hairspray (Original West End Cast) for which he won the Olivier Award for ‘Best Actor in a Musical’, Kismet (English National Opera), Patience (New York City Opera), The Woman in White (West End/Broadway), Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (West End), Passion, The Phantom of the Opera, Aspects of Love (West End/Broadway) and creating the role of. Marius in Les Misérables (Original West End Cast). His television credits include the Victoria Wood BBC TV film, That Day We Sang, opposite his Sweeney Todd co-star, Imelda Staunton.

Michael has a successful radio broadcasting career which includes his own show, The Michael Ball Show on BBC Radio 2 on Sundays. He is also a popular TV presenter – he has hosted The Michael Ball Show on ITV1, his first TV travelogue, Wonderful Wales on Channel 5 and most recently an Easter Sunday special for the BBC.

He regularly tours the UK as a concert artist and has sold millions of albums over the last 30 years; he’s performed in Australia, China, USA, Japan and, in 2007, made his BBC Proms debut: An Evening with Michael Ball at the Royal Albert Hall which marked the first time a musical theatre star had been given a solo concert at the Proms. In 2016 he released Together, a collaborative effort with close friend and singer Alfie Boe, that featured performances of classic songs. The album became the UK’s best-selling album of 2016 and beat the likes of Little Mix and The Rolling Stones to the Christmas No.1 spot. Ball & Boe then released Together Again which brought the pair yet another No.1 album in 2017, and Back Together which landed them the No.2 spot in the Official Albums Chart. In 2020, Michael and Alfie released their first festive album Together at Christmas featuring both old favourites and originals. Thanks to their latest release ‘Together in Vegas’, which entered the UK album chart at No.3 in October 2022, they have now sold over 1.5 million albums in the UK, received two Classic Brit Awards, sold out two headline arena tours and presented three ITV Specials! During the various U.K. lockdowns, Michael started to pen new material — inspired by his work for charity and community (such as his interview and duet with the late Captain Sir Tom Moore) the result was We Are More Than One, an album more personal than ever before. After learning how to write and record remotely, every track had an inspiring story to tell.

His debut novel, The Empire, was published in Autumn 2022 and became a Sunday Times Bestseller.

Laura Pitt-Pulford

ROSE

Nominated for the 2016 Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actress in a Musical for her performance as Millie in Seven Brides for Seven Brothers at the Open Air Theatre, Regent’s Park.

Theatre Credits include:Jane in The Witches of Eastwick in concert (Sondheim Theatre); Louise in Gypsy – A Musical Fable, In Concert (Alexandra Palace); Marlene in Piaf (Nottingham Playhouse/Leeds Playhouse); Trina in Falsettos (The Other Palace); Sheryl Hoover in Little Miss Sunshine (Arcola); Natasha/Pamela in Flowers For Mrs Harris (Sheffield Crucible & Chichester Festival Theatre);Melanie in The Gronholm Method (Menier Chocolate Factory); Charity Barnum in Barnum (Menier Chocolate Factory); Nell in Nell Gwynn (ETT, Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre & UK Tour); Anna in Platinum (Hampstead Theatre); Violet in Side Show (Southwark Playhouse); Nancy in Oliver! (Leicester Curve); Jean in The Smallest Show on Earth (UK Tour); Milly Bradon in Seven Brides for Seven Brothers (Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre – 2016 Olivier Nomination); Young Phyllis in Follies in Concert (Royal Albert Hall); Petra in A Little Night Music in Concert (Palace Theatre); Maria in The Sound of Music (Leicester Curve); Woman in Marry Me A Little (St. James Theatre); Falconer in The Light Princess (National Theatre); Mabel in Mack & Mabel (Southwark playhouse); Snake in The Little Prince by Nick Lloyd Webber (Lyric Theatre, Belfast); Lucille in Parade (Southwark Playhouse); Sarah Brown in Guys & Dolls (UK Tour); Betty Schaefer in Sunset Boulevard (The Comedy Theatre, West End & The Watermill Theatre)

Television Credits include: EastEnders (BBC); Mallory Towers (BBC); Emmerdale (ITV): Casualty(BBC);(Unforgotten (ITV); The Split (BBC); Free Rein (Netflix); Father Brown (BBC).”

Jamie Bogyo

ALEX

Training: Royal Academy of Dramatic Art

Theatre: Jamie made his professional debut in 2021 playing the leading role of Christian in the West End production of Moulin Rouge: The Musical (Piccadilly Theatre).

As Playwright and Screenwriter: Safe Space (Rada Festival – London Production in 2024); Macho; Intimacy, Fantasy and Pornography; and The Great Whitehopes.

Danielle de Niese

GIULIETTA

Hailed by the New York Times Magazine as ‘Opera’s Coolest Soprano’, Danielle de Niese has been thrilling audiences worldwide from the Metropolitan Opera to Covent Garden and La Scala. But before all this, she won an Emmy Award as a TV host at 16 and made her Broadway debut at 18 in Les Miserables.  Now, coming full circle, having garnered rave reviews for her West End debut as Aldonza alongside Kelsey Grammer in Man of La Mancha, and wide recognition as a highly respected multi genre artist, she returns to her roots in musical theatre. She has recorded 4 solo albums exclusively for Decca/Universal, performed at Carnegie Hall with rapper LL Cool J, and with pop star Mika for ITV plus headlined the BBC global broadcast of “Last Night of the Proms” singing a Julie Andrews medley for the Sound of Music 50th Anniversary, at Hyde park and Royal Albert Hall. She reopened the Sydney Opera House on New Year’s Eve breaking box office records in the musical theatre production of Lehar’s The Merry Widow as Hanna Glawari, and most recently starred in the highly acclaimed film version of Poulenc/Cocteau’s one-woman show La Voix Humaine (Trademark Films) for BBC Two.

Anna Unwin

JENNY

Training: The Arts Educational School London

TV Credits: Locked Up Abroad (National Geographic), Doctors (BBC)

Theatre Credits: Alice in Alice in Wonderland QE2 Dubai, Cinderella at Newark Palace Theatre, Mrs Vernon Williams Cry Baby ArtsEd London.

Workshop Credits: Ella in Never Gonna Give You Up (ATG) Adele in Magician’s Elephant (Royal Shakespeare Company)

Music: Lead Vocalist of Arts International Jazz quartet (Nice, Milan), Anna is so excited for the release of her own original music in 2023 and loves singing in her Church Worship band on a Sunday.

Aspects of Love marks Anna’s West End Debut. She feels so blessed to be a part of such a wonderful musical and would like to thank everyone who helped to get her here!