''Cilla The Musical'' is a jukebox musical written by

Jeff Pope Jeff Pope is a British television producer and screenwriter who co-wrote the film '' Pierrepoint'' and the television drama '' The Fattest Man in Britain'' and who won a BAFTA in 2006 for the drama '' See No Evil: The Moors Murders''.

based on the early career and music of

Cilla Black Priscilla Maria Veronica White (27 May 1943 – 1 August 2015), better known as Cilla Black, was an English singer and television presenter. Championed by her friends the Beatles, Black began her career as a singer in 1963. Her singles "A ...

and Pope's 2014 ITV drama biopic of the same name.

Production

Original UK tour (2017–18)

Produced by

Bill Kenwright William Kenwright (4 September 1945 – 23 October 2023) was an English theatre and film producer. He was also the chairman of Everton Football Club for nearly two decades, from 2004 until his death in 2023. Early life Kenwright was born in ...

and Laurie Mansfield, the production opened at the

Liverpool Empire Theatre The Liverpool Empire Theatre is a theatre on the corner of Lime Street in Liverpool, England. The playhouse, which opened in 1925, is the second one to be built on the site. It has the largest two-tier auditorium in the United Kingdom and can ...

from 7 September 2017 before touring the UK, starring Kara Lilly Hayworth as

Cilla Cilla is an English female given name, originally the diminutive form of Priscilla and less frequently Drusilla (name), Drusilla. People * Cilla Black (1943–2015), English singer, actress and entertainer * Cilla Fisher (born 1952), ex-member of ...

and

Andrew Lancel Andrew Lancel (born Andrew Watkinson) is an English television and theatre actor, producer and director. He is best known for his appearance as Dr. Andrew Collin in ''Cardiac Arrest'', his role as DI Neil Manson in ''The Bill'' and Frank Fost ...

Brian Epstein Brian Samuel Epstein ( ; 19 September 1934 – 27 August 1967) was an English music entrepreneur who managed the Beatles from 1961 until his death in 1967. Epstein was born into a family of successful retailers in Liverpool, who put hi ...

. The production was directed by Kenwright and Bob Tomson, choreographed by Carole Todd, set and costume designed by Gary McCann, lighting designed by Nick Richings, sound designed by Dan Samson, wigs designed by Richard Mawbey, with Scott Alder as musical director and Gary Hickeson as musical producer and orchestral arrangement. The production was scheduled to begin another from September 2020 at the

, starring

Sheridan Smith Sheridan Caroline Sian Smith (born 25 June 1981) is an English actress and singer. She came to prominence after playing a variety of characters in sitcoms, including '' The Royle Family'' (1999–2000), ''Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Cri ...

reprising her role as Cilla from the TV series, however it was cancelled due to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

. On 29 November 2020 at the

Royal Variety Performance The ''Royal Variety Performance'' is a televised variety show held annually in the United Kingdom to raise money for the Royal Variety Charity (of which King Charles III is life-patron). It is attended by senior members of the British royal ...

, Smith performed " Anyone Who Had A Heart" and "

You're My World "You're My World" is a cover of Italian ballad originally recorded in 1963 as "Il mio mondo" ("My World") by Umberto Bindi, who co-wrote the original version with Gino Paoli. Subsequently, an English version was commissioned, and the lyrics wer ...

" from the musical, opposite

who was due to reprise the role of

Musical numbers

* " Anyone Who Had a Heart" * " Alfie" * "

Something Tells Me (Something's Gonna Happen Tonight) "Something Tells Me (Something's Gonna Happen Tonight)" is a song by English recording artist Cilla Black, released in 1971. Background Written by songwriters Roger Greenaway and Roger Cook, "Something Tells Me (Something's Gonna Happen Tonight) ...

" * "

Twist and Shout "Twist and Shout" is a 1961 song written by Phil Medley and Bert Berns (later credited as "Bert Russell"). It was originally recorded by The Top Notes, but it did not become a hit in the record charts until it was reworked by the Isley Broth ...

" * "

California Dreamin' "California Dreamin" is a song written by John and Michelle Phillips in 1963 and first recorded by Barry McGuire. The best-known version is by the Mamas & the Papas, who sang backup on the original version and released it as a single in Dec ...

" *"

Cast and characters

{, class="wikitable" , + !Character !2017 UK tour , - !

, align="center", Kara Lilly Hayworth , - !Bobby , align="center", Carl Au , - !

, align="center" ,

, - !Big Cilla , align="center", Jayne Ashley , - !John White , align="center", Neil MacDonald , - !Johnny Hutchinson , align="center", Tom Dunlea , - !Pat , align="center", Billie Hardy , - !Rose Willis , align="center", Harriette Mullen , - !Pauline , align="center", Gemma Brodrick-Bower , - !

Ringo Starr Sir Richard Starkey (born 7 July 1940), known professionally as Ringo Starr, is an English musician, songwriter and actor who achieved international fame as the drummer for the Beatles. Starr occasionally sang lead vocals with the group, us ...

, align="center", Bill Caple , - !

Paul McCartney Sir James Paul McCartney (born 18 June 1942) is an English singer, songwriter and musician who gained global fame with the Beatles, for whom he played bass guitar and the piano, and shared primary songwriting and lead vocal duties with John ...

Denny Doherty Dennis Gerrard Stephen Doherty (November 29, 1940 – January 19, 2007) was a Canadian singer, songwriter and musician. A tenor, he was a founding member of the 1960s musical group the Mamas & the Papas for which he was inducted into the Rock ...

, align="center", Joe Etherington , - !Kenny Willis , align="center", Tom Christian , - !

John Lennon John Winston Ono Lennon (born John Winston Lennon; 9 October 19408 December 1980) was an English singer-songwriter, musician and activist. He gained global fame as the founder, co-lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist of the Beatles. Lennon's ...

, align="center", Michael Hawkins , - !

Gerry Marsden Gerard Marsden MBE (24 September 1942 – 3 January 2021) was an English singer-songwriter, musician and television personality, best known for being leader of the Merseybeat band Gerry and the Pacemakers. He was the younger brother of fellow ...

, align="center", Alan Howell , - !

Adrian Barber Adrian Barber (13 November 1938 – 8 August 2020) was an English musician and producer most noted for recording the Beatles '' Live! at the Star-Club in Hamburg, Germany; 1962'', producing the Allman Brothers Band's self-titled debut album, alon ...

/ John Phillips , align="center", Jay Osborne , - !

George Harrison George Harrison (25 February 1943 – 29 November 2001) was an English musician, singer and songwriter who achieved international fame as the lead guitarist of the Beatles. Sometimes called "the quiet Beatle", Harrison embraced Culture ...

, align="center", Alex Harford , - !Daniel , align="center", Gary Mitchinson , - !Beryl / Swing , align="center", Chloe Edwards-Wood , - !

George Martin Sir George Henry Martin (3 January 1926 – 8 March 2016) was an English record producer, arranger, composer, conductor, and musician. He was commonly referred to as the "fifth Beatle" because of his extensive involvement in each of the Beatle ...

, align="center", Tom Sowinski , - ! John Gustafson , align="center", Christopher Weeks

References

2017 musicals Biographical musicals British musicals Cilla Black Cultural depictions of pop musicians Jukebox musicals Musicals based on television series Musicals set in the 20th century