Former Girls Aloud star Cheryl is set to make her West End debut when she joins the new cast for supernatural thriller 2:22 A Ghost Story.
The singer called the career move “a totally new and exciting experience” ahead of the production which begins a 14-week run in January.
Cheryl, 39, will be playing the character Jenny – who has previously been performed by Lily Allen and author Giovanna Fletcher – and she will star alongside Hugo Chegwin, Scott Karim and Louise Ford.
Allen was a member of the original cast in the summer of 2021 and her performances received wide acclaim, earning her an Olivier award nomination.
The current cast includes TV presenter Laura Whitmore as Jenny while Busted star Matt Willis is playing the role of Ben, the partner of Jenny’s friend Lauren.
The spooky thriller is currently at the Criterion Theatre in Piccadilly – but will be moving for its fifth season to London’s Lyric Theatre.
Cheryl is following in the footsteps of her former bandmate, Kimberley Walsh, who made her West End debut as Princess Fiona in Shrek The Musical in 2011.
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In an Instagram post, Cheryl said she was “so excited” and confirmed she would “love” playing the role of Jenny from 21 January to 23 April.
“It is a totally new and exciting experience for me so if you’re looking for a fun night out & some entertainment in your new year tickets are available now,” she wrote.
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Directed by Matthew Dunster and written by Danny Robins, the play opened in 2021 and has proven a big hit with audiences.
It follows Jenny, who believes her new home is haunted – but her husband Sam “isn’t having any of it” before the couple invite Lauren and Ben to help them find out what is happening.
Cheryl, who has dropped her previous surnames of Tweedy, Cole and Fernandez-Versini, added in a statement: “It is a brilliant role and subject matter with a very interesting plot!
“Danny Robins is such an intriguing character which is evident throughout this play and his style of writing has an odd sense of familiarity to me, being a fellow Geordie!
“I look forward to working with Matthew and the other cast members and can’t wait to get going.”
The weapons supervisor for the Western film Rust is appealing against her conviction for involuntary manslaughter over the fatal shooting of a cinematographer on set, according to court documents.
She was in charge of weapons during the production of the film in October 2021, when a Colt 45 revolver fired by actor and co-producer Alec Baldwin went off during a rehearsal.
Cinematographer Halyna Hutchins died, while director Joel Souza was injured.
A defence lawyer for Gutierrez, who is serving an 18-month sentence at a prison for women in New Mexico, filed a shortly worded appeal notice on Monday.
Her legal team has 30 days to submit detailed arguments. They previously requested a new trial following the verdict.
Gutierrez’s trial was told she unwittingly brought live ammunition to the set, where it was expressly prohibited, and failed to follow basic gun safety protocols.
During her sentencing hearing, she told the court she had tried to do her best while working on the production, despite not having “proper time, resources and staffing”.
Baldwin, who was a producer for the film as well as its star, has also pleaded not guilty to a charge of involuntary manslaughter.
He maintains he pulled back the gun’s hammer – but not the trigger – before it fired, and is set to face trial in July. He denies any wrongdoing.
The 66-year-old was originally charged in January 2023, more than a year after the shooting, but those charges were dropped a few months later. He was charged again in January this year.
His legal team has filed a motion calling for the charges to be dropped. Prosecutors responded with a 32-page documentclaiming that footage of the star on set shows he had “absolutely no control of his own emotions” and “no concern for how his conduct” affected those around him.
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Assistant director David Halls, who also faced charges, entered a plea bargain for negligent use of a deadly weapon last year, receiving a six-month suspended sentence.
Gudrun Ure, the star of hit 1980s children’s TV show Super Gran, has died aged 98.
Ure’s portrayal of Granny Smith – who gained superpowers after being struck by a magic ray – won her legions of fans across the globe.
Her death was confirmed by her niece, Kate McNeill.
Ure was born in Milton of Campsie, East Dunbartonshire, on 12 March 1926.
As an actress she starred as Desdemona in a 1951 stage production of Othello, directed by Hollywood legend Orson Welles. She also re-dubbed Suzanne Cloutier’s performance in Welles’ film adaptation.
Ure appeared in other television shows, including Casualty, Midsomer Murders, The Crow Road, The 10th Kingdom, and T-Bag and the Pearls of Wisdom.
However, it was her role in Super Gran that elevated her to cult status.
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The show, based on a series of books written by Forrest Wilson, saw Ure’s character use her powers to protect the residents of Chiselton from a series of villains, including the scheming Roderick ‘Scunner’ Campbell and his gang.
Many guest stars appeared on the programme, including George Best, Spike Milligan, Eric Bristow, Roy Kinnear and comedian Billy Connolly, who also sang the theme song.
If you know the first cardinal rule of perm maintenance and the importance of a scented resumé, you’re going to be excited about Reese Witherspoon’s latest news.
The Hollywood star has announced a prequel series to her hit 2001 film, Legally Blonde, which will premiere in 2025.
Wearing a hot pink suit and pale pink stilettos (because whoever said orange was the new pink was seriously disturbed), Witherspoon shared details on her social media channels.
The TV series will follow her character, Elle Woods, as a schoolgirl in the 1990s, before the events of Legally Blonde and its 2003 sequel.
In a video shared on Instagram, Witherspoon can be seen getting dressed and applying pink lipstick before brandishing a “top secret” scented script ahead of an Amazon Prime Video presentation to advertisers – soundtracked by Perfect Day, one of the songs from the film.
“Before she became the most famous Gemini vegetarian to graduate from Harvard Law, she was just a regular ’90s high school girl,” Witherspoon wrote. “And all of you are going to get to know her, next year on @primevideo. I’M SO EXCITED!”
Witherspoon will serve as an executive producer on the Prime Video series, which will be called Elle.
Legally Blonde followed sorority girl Elle Woods as she surprised friends, family and teachers by gaining admittance to Harvard Law School – in pursuit of a boyfriend who had broken up with her.
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But during her studies, she showed she had the makings of a highly capable – and murder-trial-winning – lawyer.
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Elle will be produced by Witherspoon’s Hello Sunshine company, which is now a part of Candle Media, and was previously responsible for shows including Daisy Jones And The Six.