The full cast has been unveiled for the stage musical adaptation of Markus Zusak’s much-loved novel The Book Thief at Coventry’s Belgrade Theatre and Leicester’s Curve Theatre this autumn. Obioma Ugoala (Frozen the Musical, Hamilton) will star as Narrator alongside Mina Anwar (The Sarah Jane Adventures, The Worst Witch) as Rosa Hubermann, with Jack Lord (West Side Story, War Horse) returning as Hans Hubermann and Daniel Krikler (Jersey Boys, The Secret Life of Bees) returning to the role of Max Vandenburg.
Joining them are Storytellers Matthew Caputo ( Hamilton) as Referee, Katy Clayton (The Band) as Liesel’s Mother, Oonagh Cox (Matilda: The Musical) as Nurse, Mark Dugdale (Les Misérables) as Alex Steiner, Michał Horowicz (The Band’s Visit ) as Max’s Mother, Thomas-Lee Kidd (Beauty and the Beast) as Mayor Hermann, Anu Ogunmefun (Tina: The Tina Turner Musical) as Swing, Simon Oskarsson (A Midsummer Night’s Dream) as Swing, Corinna Powlesland (Grease) as Social Worker, Purvi Parmar ( The Jungle Book) as Barbara Steiner, Wendy Somerville (Billy Elliot) as Ilsa Hermann, Edwin Ray (Chicago) as Walter Kugler, Lee V G (Only Fools and Horses: The Musical) as Gravedigger and Russell Wilcox (The Producers) as Wolfgang Edel.
Liesel Meminger will be played by Tilly-Raye Bayer (Frozen The Musical), Mollie Casserley (The Sound of Music) and Eirini Louskou (Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat) and Rudy Steiner will be played by Thommy Bailey Vine (Matilda: The Musical), Preston Cropp (professional debut) and Oliver Gordon (Newsies).
Featuring a libretto by award-winning author Jodi Picoult (My Sister’s Keeper) and Timothy Allen McDonald (adaptor of Roald Dahl’s Willy Wonka and James and the Giant Peach), and music and lyrics by Elyssa Samsel and Kate Anderson (Olaf’s Frozen Adventure), the musical will play the Belgrade Theatre from 11-16 September before playing the Curve Theatre from 28 September until 14 October. The Coventry and Leicester runs will follow the musical’s well-received Bolton Octagon world premiere run in 2022. The production is directed by the Octagon’s artistic director Lotte Wakeham.
