Mack and Mabel Cast Announced

Mack & Mabel Scott Irwin Angelique Cassimatis photo by Kurt SneddonWorking Management in association with Hayes Theatre Co has announced the cast of its upcoming production of Mack and Mabel, which will play a strictly limited season at Hayes Theatre Co from 18 November 2016.

With a Book by Michael Stewart and Music & Lyrics by Jerry Herman, this dazzling musical comedy is both a poignant love story and a joyous celebration of Hollywood’s golden age, Mack and Mabel is based on the real-life tumultuous romantic relationship between early 1900s legendary filmmaker Mack Sennett and accidental starlet Mabel Normand.

Joining Scott Irwin (Helpmann Award nominee for Hairspray, High Society) and rising star Angelique Cassimatis (Little Shop of Horrors, The Rocky Horror Show) as Mack and Mabel, is Deone Zanotto (West Side Story, Broadway’s A Chorus Line) as Lottie, Stephen Valeri (First Date: The Musical) as Fatty, and Kuki Tipoki (Sweet Charity, Little Shop of Horrors) as Bauman.

The supporting cast of triple threats includes Caroline Kaspar (Chicago, Hot Shoe Shuffle), Sally Hare (Girls on Tap, Carmen), Mikayla Williams (Dance Academy, Glinda in Packemin’s Wicked) and recent graduates Shay Debney (VCA), Adam Di Martino (VCA), Jessica Voivenel (WAAPA) and Zachary Webster (Brent Street).

This 1974 musical is delivered in flashback from the point of view of Mack, who admits to two obsessions: movies and Mabel Normand. He is the struggling director in the early 20th century, when the fun of the silent screen was dominated by the hysterical chaos of The Keystone Cops and the glamour of the Bathing Beauties; a world where heroes wore capes, girls were tied to the railway tracks and it all ended with a pie in the face.

She is the girl from the deli who erupts on to the set with a sandwich delivery. Mack spots potential and Mabel becomes a star. Spanning the years from 1911 to 1938, the show charts their rise and fall, both professionally and romantically.

Awarded eight Tony Award nominations when it first opened, it features an outstanding score by Jerry Herman (Hello, Dolly!, La Cage aux Folles) including classic Broadway hits: I Won’t Send Roses, Tap Your Troubles Away, Movies Were Movies, Look What Happened to Mabel, Wherever He Ain’t and Time Heals Everything.

After the huge success of Heathers the Musical, acclaimed performer Trevor Ashley (Helpmann Award nominee for Les Miserables, Hairspray) returns to the director’s chair. “I’m excited to be directing Mack and Mabel in what is its first full professional production in Sydney,” says Ashley. “It’s a great piece, with a score written by the master of the showtune, Jerry Herman, and features so many classic songs.”

“I’m excited to see the brilliant tap numbers that Cameron Mitchell, whose clever and energetic choreography featured so heavily in Heathers, will create and for the Hayes to be transformed into a mini soundstage helping to conjure up the magic of the movies from a bygone era. Together with our fabulous designers Ross Wallace and Angela White, we’re hoping to take you back to the twenties and to the silent movies of Mack Sennett’s world.”

Director: Trevor Ashley Choreographer: Cameron Mitchell Musical Director: Bev Kennedy Lighting Designer: Gavan Swift Sound Designer: Neil McLean Set Designer: Ross Wallace Costume Designer: Angela White

Mack and Mabel
Hayes Theatre Co, 19 Greenknowe Avenue, Potts Point
Season: 18 November – 18 December 2016 (previews: 18 – 24 November)
Information and Bookings: www.hayestheatre.com.au

Image: Scott Irwin and Angelique Cassimatis star in Mack and Mabel – photo by Kurt Sneddon