'The Woman In White, Michael Ball to play Count Fosco.

Michael Ball returns to Broadway in Andrew Lloyd Webber's musical, The Woman In White, opening on Broadway at the Marquis Theatre on the 17 Nov 2005, following previews from the 28 Oct 2005.

Michael Ball has indelibly created roles in some of the landmark London musicals of the last 20 years, including Les Miserables, Aspects of Love (in which he later made his Broadway debut) and Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. Beyond his stage work, he has enjoyed enormous success in the world of recording, with all eleven of his solo albums going gold within weeks of their release. The Woman In White marks Michael�s return to Broadway for the first time in 15 years.

The Woman In White will mark the first-ever Broadway pairing of the two leading stars of the London musical stage: Michael Ball and Maria Friedman, who will repeat her Olivier-nominated performance as Marian Halcombe. They starred together in the show for three months earlier this year in London.

The production will also feature Angela Christian (Thoroughly Modern Millie) as Anne Catherick, Jill Paice as Laura Fairlie, - both from the original London cast- along with Adam Brazier (Into the Woods) as Walter Hartright, Ron Bohmer (The Scarlet Pimpernel) as Sir Percival Glyde and Walter Charles (Aspects of Love) as Mr. Farlie.

Produced by Boyett Ostar Productions, Nederlander Presentations Inc., Sonia Friedman Productions Ltd. and The Really Useful Theatre Company Ltd. and directed by Trevor Nunn (Nicholas Nickleby, Cats, Les Miserables), The Woman In White features music by Andrew Lloyd Webber (Cats, The Phantom of the Opera), lyrics by David Zippel (City of Angels) and a book by Charlotte Jones (Humble Boy).

The Woman In White is based on Wilkie Collins's Victorian thriller. The tale begins when a dashing young man, employed as the art tutor to two devoted sisters, is stranded at a remote railway station. Out of the darkness looms a woman, a mysterious figure dressed in white, desperate to share a chilling secret. He and the sisters soon find themselves trapped in a web of betrayal and greed, the victims of a seemingly flawless crime. Together they will need all their resourcefulness and courage to outwit a hugely charismatic and ingenious villain.

The Woman In White had its world premiere at London's Palace Theatre on the 15 Sep 2004 where the show continues its run.

The London design team, William Dudley (production and video design), Paul Pyant (lighting design) and Mick Potter (sound design) will recreate their groundbreaking work for the Broadway production.

(Click here to read a review of the London production by our sister site, www.londontheatre.co.uk.)

Biogaphies:

Michael Ball (Count Fosco). Michael Ball has starred on Broadway and dominated the marquees on many of the leading West End shows for more than a decade. All of his eleven solo albums have held commanding positions in the UK charts, all rapidly going gold within weeks of their release. Michael's theatre career to date boasts roles such as Frederic in The Pirates of Penzance; Marius in Cameron Mackintosh and the Royal Shakespeare Company's production of Les Miserables at the Palace Theatre in London; Raoul in Andrew Lloyd Webber's The Phantom of the Opera at Her Majesty's Theatre in London; Alex in Andrew Lloyd Webber's Aspects of Love at the Prince of Wales Theatre, London and on Broadway; Giorgio in Stephen Sondheim's musical Passion at the Queen's Theatre, London and Count Fosco in The Woman in White. He made his Broadway debut in Aspects of Love in 1990.