It has been confirmed that theatre sensation Lucie Jones and Pussycat Dolls star Ashley Roberts will be joining the London West End cast of Waitress.
Whilst it’s been possibly one of the worst kept secrets in theatre recently, the pussycat is finally out of the bag with the official Waitress Twitter account announcing the news this morning.
Lucie will be replacing current leading lady Katharine McPhee as Jenna, who departs on June 15, whilst Ashley will be taking on the role of Dawn for a limited summer season. Both will be appearing from June 17.
Cast update ? We're so excited to announce that Lucie Jones will be starring as Jenna and Ashley Roberts will play Dawn from 17 June!
https://t.co/woXdpCXdOk #WaitressLondon ? pic.twitter.com/NL0P0BtsBQ— Waitress The Musical (@WaitressUK) May 21, 2019
Rumours surrounding Lucie’s involvement in Waitress have been rife for some time, with the actress appearing in promotional material in the States which led some to believe that she would be appearing in the Broadway production. However, just last week she made a surprise debut as Jenna at the London production whilst Katharine was on holiday, although no official announcement regarding her involvement was made until today.
Lucie first rose to fame in 2009 when she competed on The X Factor UK. She also represented the UK at the Eurovision Song Contest in 2017 with the song ‘Never Give Up on You’. Lucie is also a seasoned theatre performer with over a decade of experience. Her credits include playing Elle Woods in Legally Blonde, Emma in Ghost the Musical and Cosette in Les Miserables.
Lucie shared her delight with a heartfelt Instagram post, stating that she cannot believe her luck and that her “dreams are coming true”.
Ashley will be making her West End debut as Dawn, temporarily replacing Laura Baldwin for the summer season. Best known as being a member of the Pussycat Dolls, Ashley has appeared on numerous British TV shows, winning the hearts of the nation along the way. She was voted runner up in I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here! in 2012, which led to a starring role on Ant & Dec’s Saturday Night Takeaway and two series as a judge on Dancing On Ice. Most recently, Ashley competed on 2018’s Strictly Come Dancing, wowing the audiences week in, week out with her partner Pasha Kovalev.
Ashley tweeted two perfect pictures to share the news, including one of her in costume as Dawn, stating “Yasss to some comedy singing and dancing fun!”.
Got some sweet news! I'm going to be playing Dawn in @WaitressLondon from 17th June. Yasss to some comedy singing and dancing fun!! Can’t wait! Hope to see you there ? Book tickets here https://t.co/Tl2IedW1dM#WaitressLondon pic.twitter.com/DH4L2DeS5l
— ASHLEY ROBERTS (@ImAshleyRoberts) May 21, 2019
Led by a female creative team, Waitress follows waitress and pie-maker Jenna Hunterson who enters a pie competition in order to win a cash prize which would enable her to start a new life away from her abusive husband. The musical features an original score by 7-time Grammy nominee Sara Bareilles.
In addition to Lucie and Ashley, Waitress also stars Marisha Wallace as Becky, Peter Hannah as Earl, David Hunter as Dr. Pomatter and Shaun Prendergast as Old Joe. Additionally, the company includes Kelly Agbowu, Piers Bate, Nicole Raquel Dennis, Michael Hamway, Stephen Leask, Chris McGuigan, Olivia Moore, Nathaniel Morrison, Sarah O’Connor, Leanne Pinder, Charlotte Riby, and Mark Willshire, with Laura Baldwin returning after the summer.