TIM RICE ANNOUNCES PRINCIPAL CAST FOR BLONDEL

- And Considers The Question, ‘How Do You Solve A Problem Like Fiona?' -

London, UK. 11 October 2006. Award winning lyricist, Tim Rice, is pleased to announce the principal cast of his new production of ‘BLONDEL’. Set in the 12th century, Blondel (rhymes with ‘fondle’) is an unfairly, in his view, unappreciated court musician. He is desperate for fame and fortune, until his realisation that there are more important things in life – honesty, bravery and Fiona, the woman he loves. Abi Finley, fresh from the BBC’s ‘HOW DO YOU SOLVE A PROBLEM LIKE MARIA’, will play ‘Fiona’ to Chris Grierson’s ‘Blondel’. Grierson has been appearing on our screens over the last year in C4’s ‘HOLLYOAKS’. Ironically, Abi will still get to go to Salzburg - the second act of BLONDEL is set there.

Commenting on the casting, Rice says, “We are delighted to have such an excellent and talented group on board. This is very much an ensemble piece, so every one if the thirteen cast members is as important as the other. We all hope to do Stephen’s wonderful music justice and I feel sure he would have enjoyed the new jokes.”

Other members of the ‘BLONDEL’ line up include; the murky Prince John - to be played by Matt Harrop (Les Miserables, My Fair Lady), the reasonably noble King Richard - played by Mark Inscoe (Beauty & The Beast, Sweeney Todd) and the ruthless Assassin will be played by Napoleon Ryan (The Seagull, Much Ado About Nothing).

Collaborating with director Patrick Wilde (This Life, As If, Monarch of The Glen and Get Real) Rice has reworked and revamped this musical, which he wrote with the late Stephen Oliver in 1983, to be shorter and even sharper than the original. BLONDEL will open at the renowned Pleasance Theatre, in north London, on November 23rd 2006.