News: Lee Mead to star in Fat Friends the Musical UK and Ireland tour

Kay Mellor’s smash-hit Fat Friends the Musical is set to tour the UK and Ireland, starring West End legend Lee Mead. The tour opens at Dartford Orchard Theatre on 14 January 2022.

After a highly successful sold-out tour in 2017, the show is set to tour the nation, featuring original music by Nicholas Lloyd Webber. It will visit venues including Cardiff New, Leeds Grand, Edinburgh Festival, Dublin Bord Gais Energy Theatre, The Lowry, Salford, Southampton Mayflower, Wolverhampton Grand, Canterbury Marlowe and Newcastle, Norwich and Plymouth Theatre Royals.

This musical is based on the hit ITV show Fat Friends, starring James Corden and Ruth Jones. It reunites our favourite foodie friends as they are put through their Zumba paces at their local slimming club, whilst Kelly fantasises about fitting into the wedding dress of her dreams.

This show of hope, humour, love and weight loss, delivers a fun night out full of laughter and encourages us all, as the final song sings, to “Love Who You Are!”.

Lee Mead originally won the hearts of the nation in the BBC’s Any Dream Will Do, landing him the lead role in the West End’s Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, as well as Legally Blonde and Wicked. He has also established himself as a TV favourite on Casualty and then Holby City.

Fat Friends the Musical is created, directed and has a book and lyrics by the multi award winning Kay Mellor, with music by Nicholas Lloyd Webber, set and dostume design by Bretta Gerecke, choreography by Karen Bruce, sound by Ben Harrison, lighting by Nick Richings and orchestrations, arrangements and musical supervision by Simon Lee.

Casting by Stephen Crockett CDG for David Grindrod Associates, with additional casting by David Shaw. It is produced by Joshua Andrews and Rollem Productions.

Check out the latest theatre news.