Michael Harrison and David Ian are delighted to announce casting for the first-ever UK and Ireland tour of The Drifters Girl, the acclaimed new West End musical which tells the remarkable story of one of the world’s greatest vocal groups and the woman who made them.
Carly Mercedes Dyer, former star of Six the Musical and who delighted audiences with her performances as Erma in Anything Goes, will play music industry change-maker, Faye Treadwell.
Carly will star alongside Ashford Campbell (who hit UK screens in ITV’s The X Factor as member of The Risk and now continues his journey with The Drifters Girl having performed as part of the West End company), Miles Anthony Daley (Tina Turner: The Musical, Aldwych Theatre; Choir of Man, Arts Theatre), Tarik Frimpong (The Wiz, Hope Mill Theatre; Aladdin, Prince Edward Theatre) and Dalton Harris, who won The X Factor in 2018.
Today’s casting announcement also welcomes Jaydah Bell-Ricketts (A Little Princess, Royal Festival Hall; School Of Rock, Gillian Lynne Theatre) to her first touring role as Girl.
Completing the cast is Loren Anderson, Tre Copeland-Williams, Ethan Davis, Matthew Dawkins and Linseigh Green.
See www.thedriftersgirl.com for full cast biographies.
Having played to packed houses and nightly standing ovations at the Garrick Theatre in London’s West End (following a triumphant run at Newcastle’s Theatre Royal), the production recently announced a UK Tour to open in 2023, with performances beginning at the Mayflower Theatre, Southampton, on Tuesday 12th September 2023.
Following huge public demand, initial tour dates were extended through to 2024, where it now concludes in Cardiff, in May 2024. A full list of tour dates follows.
Telling the remarkable story of The Drifters, one of the world’s greatest vocal groups, and the truth about the woman who made them. Faye Treadwell is the legendary manager of The Drifters who fought for three decades alongside her husband (George Treadwell) to turn Atlantic Records’ hottest vocal group into a global phenomenon.
From the highs of hit records and sell-out tours to the lows of legal battles and personal tragedy, The Drifters Girl charts the trailblazing efforts of the world’s first African American female music manager and how she refused to ever give up on the group she loved. Thirty years and hundreds of hit songs later, there is no doubt that Faye Treadwell was and always will be, The Drifters Girl.
The Drifters Girl boasts an incredible soundtrack of some of the most famous songs in history, including Save The Last Dance For Me,Under The Boardwalk, Kissin In The Back Row Of The Movies, Stand By Me, Come On Over To My Place, Saturday Night At The Movies and many more.
The Drifters Girl, with a book by Ed Curtis, is based on an idea by Tina Treadwell and is co-created by Beverley Knight, Adam J Bernard, Tarinn Callender, Matt Henry and Tosh Wanogho-Maud. It is directed by Jonathan Church. Set design is by Anthony Ward, choreography by Karen Bruce, costume design by Fay Fullerton, lighting design by Ben Cracknell, sound design by Tom Marshall, video design by Andrzej Goulding, orchestrations by Chris Egan and Will Stuart as Musical Supervisor.
For further information, please see www.thedriftersgirl.com
THE DRIFTERS GIRL 2023 /2024 TOUR DATES
2023
Tue 12th – Sat 16th September Box Office: 023 8071 1811
Mayflower Theatre, Southampton www.mayflower.org.uk
Tue 19th – Sat 23rd September Box Office: 01603 630 000
Theatre Royal, Norwich www.theatreroyalnorwich.co.uk
Tue 26th – Sat 30th September Box Office: 0114 249 6000
Lyceum Theatre, Sheffield www.sheffieldtheatres.co.uk
Tue 3rd – Sat 7th October Box Office: 01274 432000
Alhambra Theatre, Bradford www.bradford-theatres.co.uk
Tue 10th – Sat 14th October Box Office: 0844 871 3019
Opera House, Manchester www.atgtickets.com/venues/palace-theatre-manchester
Tue 17th – Sat 21st October Box Office: 01227 787 787
Marlowe Theatre, Canterbury www.marlowetheatre.com
Tue 24th – Sat 28th October Box Office: 0844 871 7652
Milton Keynes Theatre www.atgtickets.com/venues/milton-keynes-theatre
Tue 31st October – Sat 4th November Box Office: 0116 242 3595
Curve Theatre, Leicester www.curveonline.co.uk
Tue 7th – Sat 11th November Box Office: 01702 351135
Cliffs Pavilion Southend www.thecliffspavilion.co.uk
Tue 14th – Sat 18th November Box Office: 08448 11 21 21
Theatre Royal, Newcastle www.theatreroyal.co.uk
Tue 21st – Sat 25th November Box Office: 0844 871 7645
New Victoria Theatre, Woking www.atgtickets.com/venues/new-victoria-theatre
Tue 28th November – Sat 2nd December Box Office: 01322 220000
Orchard Theatre, Dartford www.orchardtheatre.co.uk
2024
Tue 9th – Sat 13th January Box Office: 03330 096 690
Bristol Hippodrome, Bristol www.atgtickets.com/venues/bristol-hippodrome
Tue 16th – Sat 20th January Box Office: 03330 096 690
Regent Theatre, Stoke www.atgtickets.com/venues/regent-theatre/
Tue 23rd – Sat 27th January Box Office: 01492 872000
Venue Cymru, Llandudno www.venuecymru.co.uk
Tue 30th January – Sat 3rd February Box Office: 08187 19377
Bord Gais Energy Theatre, Dublin www.bordgaisenergytheatre.ie/
Tue 6th – Sat 10th February Box Office: 028 9024 1919
Grand Opera House, Belfast www.goh.co.uk
Tue 13th – Sat 17th February Box Office: 01752 267 222
Theatre Royal, Plymouth www.theatreroyal.com
Tue 20th – 24th February Box Office: 0115 989 5555
Theatre Royal, Nottingham www.trch.co.uk
Tue 27th February – Sat 2nd March Box Office: Box Office: 03330 096 690
Empire Theatre, Liverpool www.atgtickets.com/venues/liverpool-empire/
Tue 5th – Sat 9th March Box Office: 03330 096 690
New Theatre, Oxford www.atgtickets.com/venues/new-theatre-oxford/
Tue 12th – Sat 16th March Box Office: 01482 300 306
New Theatre, Hull www.hulltheatres.co.uk
Tue 19th– Sat 23rd March Box Office: 0113 243 0808
Grand Theatre, Leeds www.leedsheritagetheatres.com
Tue 26th – Sat 30th March Box Office: 03330 096 690
Empire Theatre, Sunderland www.atgtickets.com/venues/sunderland-empire/
Tue 2nd – Sat 6th April Box Office: 01224 641 122
His Majesty’s Theatre, Aberdeen www.aberdeenperformingarts.com
Tue 9th – Sat 13th April Box Office: 03330 096 690
King’s Theatre, Glasgow www.atgtickets.com/venues/kings-theatre-glasgow/
Tue 16th – Sat 20th April Box Office: 0844 338 5000
Hippodrome Theatre, Birmingham www.birminghamhippodrome.com
Tue 23rd – Sat 27th April Box Office: 0343 310 0020
Churchill Theatre, Bromley www.churchilltheatre.co.uk
Tue 30th April – Sat 4th May Box Office: 03330 096 690
Playhouse Theatre, Edinburgh www.atgtickets.com/venues/edinburgh-playhouse/
Tue 7th – Sat 11th May Box Office: 029 2063 6464
Wales Millenium Centre, Cardiff www.wmc.org.uk
