Oliver! musical casts unlikely Fagin

The couch potatoes among you will have heard of the BBC's current Saturday night singing and dancing extravaganza I'd Do Anything, and those of you that haven't, it's what Graham Norton has been getting up to since leaving Channel 4. The programme is the latest attempt at casting top West End roles with unknowns, all overseen by theatrical demi-gods Lord Andrew Lloyd Webber and Sir Cameron Macintosh.

Having selected a Maria for The Sound of Music and a Joseph for erm, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat, they have now set their sights on finding a suitable cockney sparrow to show a bit of ankle as Nancy and a ~~stage school brat~~ fresh-faced youngster to play Oliver for the new production of Lionet Bart's Oliver! But before any of that happens (the TV show has only just started), news comes that the central role of Fagin has already been cast and you'll never guess who it is.

Rowan Atkinson! Sure, we could have built up the reveal more and perhaps given you some juicy clues to the performer's identity, but we thought we'd just blurt it out. Yes, the rubber-faced comedian that brought us Edmund Blackadder, hammed it up as Mr. Bean and tried to become a movie star with Johnny English has signed up to tread the boards in this most hyped of shows.

Speaking to the BBC, Atkinson said: "I had been thinking for some time about returning to the stage and the idea of the role of Fagin, which has long intrigued me." But for those naysayers among you who doubt that the comic has the theatrical chops for such a part - Atkinson has played the role once before, in his son's school production. Book your tickets now!

Flickr image from AngelM's photostream.

Written by Katie on 27 Mar 2008 3:30 PM. Permalink