FORMER Busted star Matt Willis will appear in the hit romantic musical comedy Waitress when it arrives in Southampton in May.
He will return to the cast as Dr Pomatter in the show, which is at Mayflower Theatre from May 24 to 28.
Waitress tells the story of Jenna, an expert pie maker in a small town, who dreams of a way out of her loveless marriage. A baking contest in a nearby county and the town’s new doctor may offer her a chance at a new life, while her fellow waitresses offer their own recipes to happiness. But Jenna must find the courage and strength within herself to rebuild her life. This beautiful musical celebrates friendship, motherhood, and the magic of a well-made pie.
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Matt Willis is best known as the bassist and co-vocalist of the double Brit Award-winning band Busted, who have released four No1 UK singles, two platinum albums and sold over four million albums in the UK.
In 2006, Willis won the sixth series of the ITV reality series I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here!, and later went on to co-present the ITV2 spin-off show with his wife Emma. In 2014, Willis played the role of Garth Stubbs in the revived ITV sitcom Birds of a Feather and Luke Riley in the BBC One soap opera EastEnders.
No stranger to the musical theatre stage, his West End credits include ‘Fiyero’ in Wicked, ‘Nick Hurley’ in Flashdance and ‘Bob Cratchit’ in A Christmas Carol.
He joins Chelsea Halfpenny, of Byker Grove, Emmerdale and Casualty fame, as Jenna. Chelsea recently made her West End debut as ‘Judy Bernly’ in 9 to 5 The Musical.
Waitress is based on the 2007 movie written by Adrienne Shelly. Music and lyrics are written by Grammy award-winning, singer-songwriter Sara Bareilles.
With a book by Jessie Nelson, direction by Tony-award winner Diane Paulus and choreography by Lorin Latarro, Waitress has garnered multiple awards and nominations in both America and the UK, receiving acclaim from both audiences and critics alike.
The show has appeared on Broadway, in the West End and on tour in North America, Japan, Australia and Holland.
Tickets are on sale at mayflower.org.uk or 02380 711811.
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