Joshua Andrews and Adam Spiegel are delighted to announce the premiere of an original British musical Fat Friends. The much loved TV drama has been adapted for the stage by prolific writer Kay Mellor and with original music by Nicholas Lloyd Webber, Fat Friends will open at Leeds Grand Theatre on 7 November 2017.
Following this four week run in Mellor’s home city, Fat Friends is set to embark on an extensive UK tour in 2018, with full tour dates and venues to be announced in due course. Designed by Bretta Gerecke with musical supervision, orchestrations and arrangements from Simon Lee, Fat Friends The Musical, sees the nation’s favourite group of dieters reunited as this new show bursts on to the stage. The award-winning Jodie Prenger will lead a star company in the beloved role of Kelly Stevenson with further casting to be announced.
Packed full of warmth, life and weight loss, this brand new stage show reunites our favourite foodie friends in an original musical bulging with hopes, humour and heart. Join the infamous group of loveable characters as they are put through their Zumba paces at their local branch of Super Slimmer’s by the lovelorn Lauren whilst Kelly fantastises about fitting into the wedding dress of her dreams. Fat Friends offers a generous serving of hilarious fun with a sprinkle of romance on top!
Fat Friends hit television screens in October 2000, following the lives of a group of overweight friends as they struggle with the absurdities of modern dieting. Running for five years on ITV, the show starred Alison Steadman, Sheridan Smith and Lisa Riley and launched the careers of James Corden and Ruth Jones. Written by Kay Mellor, the show was nominated for multiple awards including the BAFTA for Best Drama Series.
Kay Mellor said, ‘About once or twice a week I get asked if Fat Friends is going to come back on the television. I’m always flattered that people loved the characters and premise. It ran for four series with a Christmas special and although I felt it had run its course on television, I always secretly thought there could be a musical using those characters and looking at weight. It’s such a topical subject matter, more so today than ever. Everybody you meet is on some kind of diet or knows someone on a diet. The musical is funny and sad with a big story and some meaty and memorable songs. I’m blessed to have the opportunity to work with Nick Loyd Webber who absolutely gets my characters and world. Together I think we’ve created something rather unique. I’m absolutely delighted and thrilled for the premier of Fat Friends The Musical to be held at Leeds Grand Theatre. Not only is Leeds my home town, but it’s where I set the television series and the stage musical. I love Leeds with a passion and the people of Leeds inspire me every day, so it fills me with pride to know that the musical will be seen by the people of Leeds before it goes on a national tour in 2018.’
Nicholas Lloyd Webber added, ‘It’s been such a treat to collaborate with Kay on Fat Friends. The musical world of the show is bright, fresh, catchy and poppy, with tenderness as well as music to move to. My hope is that I’ve written some songs that are at once accessible yet original, with as big a heart as the wonderful piece Kay has written.”
And Jodie Prenger said, ‘I am over the moon to be starring in Kay Mellor’s Fat Friends - The Musical! I have been a huge fan of Kay’s for so long - she is the most brilliant writer, director and just one hell of a lovely lady that you could ever wish to work with. I loved Fat Friends when it was such a successful TV series. So to see some of those characters come to life on stage is a joy, and I am honoured to be playing the wonderful Kelly. And what a thrill for us to premiere the show at the Leeds Grand. Knowing all the creatives involved, I am sure it’s going to be a big fat hit there and around the country! I can’t wait.’
Twitter: @FatFriendsShow
#FatFriendsOnTour
Kay Mellor OBE is a Leeds born and bred Writer, Director and Actress best known for her work on several successful and groundbreaking drama series’ including Fat Friends, Band of Gold, The Syndicate and In The Club. She is also well known for her stage version of A Passionate Woman, which played in the West End and is still touring to this day both nationally and internationally.
Kay attended Bretton Hall College and graduated with a BA Hons degree in 1983. After finishing her studies, she formed Yorkshire Theatre Company, where she wrote and performed in Paul – Won Best New Play in the National Student Drama Festival - Climbing Out and Mates, and performed in Brecht’s Man is Man. Kay also played Dr Baker in The Practice, PC Kershaw in Albion Market and Mrs Butterworth in All Creatures Great and Small. She then began working for Granada Television, working on their hugely popular soap opera Coronation Street, the most watched programme on the ITV network. In 1989 she also wrote many episodes for the popular Channel 4 soap opera Brookside.
Kay wrote for the anthology drama series Dramarama, before in 1988 co-creating the long running children's drama Children’s Ward with her Coronation Street colleague Paul Abbott. The series was awarded Best Children’s Drama by the Royal Television Society in 1995, and won Best Children’s Drama in the 1997 BAFTA Awards. She also created the soap opera Families (1990-1993) and wrote and starred in four series’ of the family show Just Us (1990 – 1994) which, amongst other accolades, was awarded Best Children’s TV programme by the Writers Guild of Great Britain.
Since then, Kay has written a host of highly-acclaimed and popular television drama serials including: Two series’ of Band of Gold (1995, Royal Television Society Best Network Programme and ITV Programme Of The Year); Five series’ of Playing the Field (1998, twice BAFTA nominated for Best Drama Series); Four Series’ of Fat Friends (2000, twice BAFTA nominated and James Corden nominated for The Royal Television Society Network Newcomer in 2001, as well as winning various TV industry awards for Best Drama), Between the Sheets (2003), Strictly Confidential (2006), The Chase (2006), A Passionate Woman (2010, nominated for a Royal Television Society Award), The Syndicate (2012-2015, nominated for various Royal Television Society awards) and In The Club (2014-16).
Outside of television, Kay has written a number of feature films including: Girls Night starring Julie Walters, Brenda Blethyn and Kris Kristofferson (1998, won the Audience Prize at the Sundance Film Festival); In 1999 she both wrote and directed the feature film Fanny and Elvis, starring Ray Winstone, which won the Audience Prize at the Dinard British Film Festival, amongst others; and one off drama Some Kind of Life which was BAFTA nominated and won the Prix Niki Award.
In her parallel career as a television actress, Kay has appeared in her own adaptation of Jane Eyre (1997) and in other series such as the comedy drama Stan the Man (2002), A Good Thief (2002) and Gifted (2003). On stage, Kay has acted in Three Girls in Blue and she wrote and starred in the one-woman show Queen at the West Yorkshire Playhouse.
Kay was awarded the BAFTA Dennis Potter Award in 1997 for Outstanding Writing for Television. She was appointed an OBE in the 2009 Birthday Honours, and in 2014 she was awarded the Writers Guild Award for Outstanding Contribution to Writing. Kay received a Fellowship for significant contribution to television from the Royal Television Society in November 2016.
Kay most recently wrote and directed Series 2 of In the Club, which aired in Spring 2016, and she is currently writing for various new projects including a lifelong dream of hers to create the musical version of Fat Friends.
Nicholas Lloyd Webber is a composer, songwriter and record producer who has been making music all his life. He has garnered international attention for everything from the release of his own records to scoring for film and television and, in more recent years, theatre. Currently Nick is working with Kay Mellor to create a new musical version of the hit TV show Fat Friends. Prior to this Nick worked along side James D. Reid to write the music, book and lyrics for the musical spectacular The Little Prince, which premiered at Theatre Calgary followed by a full symphonic version at the Abu Dhabi Festival with the Heritage Orchestra in 2016 to rave reviews. He has also scored music for the Oxford Shakespeare Company's productions of Twelfth Night, As You Like It, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, The Tempest and Love's Labour’s Lost. His film and television credits include Mr Invisible (2013), Homecoming (2003) and Mon Amour Mon Parapluie (2001) along with many advertising campaigns.
He is also currently working on writing a series of classical pieces for chamber ensemble to be recorded as an album later in 2017.
Nick has also released records as a solo artist under the name Archangel, played on BBC Radio 1, 2 and 6 music, Channel 4, E4 and NME TV. He is the composer on Kay Mellor's forthcoming BBC1 drama Love, Lies and Records.
Bretta Gerecke is an international award-winning Set, Lighting and Costume Designer who works in Theatre, Musicals, Circus and Opera. She is the resident designer at Catalyst Theatre (Canada) where she creates and tours new work throughout the world. Bretta designs for companies such as The RSC, Cirque du Soleil, The Stratford Shakespeare Festival, Edmonton Opera, Vancouver Opera and The National Arts Centre. She is the recipient of over twenty-five awards including a nomination for the Lucille Lortel Award (costume design Off - Broadway) and three times short-listed for the Siminovitch Prize. Last year she represented Canada in Prague at the Scenography Quadrennial and her costume designs were exhibited in Moscow and Beijing. She is a marathon runner and continues her work as an Archaeological Illustrator.
Simon Lee’s theatre credits includes, as music supervisor and/or orchestrator: The Little Prince (both its theatre premiere in Canada, and its symphonic concert premiere in Abu Dhabi); Grey Gardens; Grand Hotel(Southwark Playhouse); Tell Me on a Sunday (Duchess / Gielgud); Pippin (Menier Chocolate Factory); Love Never Dies; Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat; Evita (Adelphi); The Woman in White(Palace and Broadway); The Sound of Music (Palladium); The Beautiful Game (Cambridge); Jesus Christ Superstar (Broadway and globally) and Romance Romance (Gielgud). He is also the music supervisor on The Wind in the Willows (London Palladium 2017) and The Braille Legacy (Charing Cross Theatre 2017), for which he is also the orchestrator.
Film, as conductor and music supervisor: the yet to be released Broadway 4D; The Phantom of the Opera (3 Academy Award nominations, including best song, for which Simon composed the orchestration); Bjork: Vespertine Live at the Royal Opera House; Jesus Christ Superstar (International Emmy Award); Cats.
Recording: has conducted around 50 albums ranging from the more classical (Jose Carreras, Sarah Chang), through musical theatre (Elaine Paige, Maria Friedman, Michael Ball), to pop/rock (Primal Scream, Boyzone). Also many soundtracks and cast albums.
Simon has conducted many of the world's greatest orchestras, from the London Symphony Orchestra to the Tokyo Philharmonic. He conducted Bernstein's On The Town, The Mikado and Kismet at English National Opera, Porgy and Bess at Regents Park and, most recently, Tosca. Simon also conducts the symphonic Disney, Pixar and Frozen concerts with the CBSO.
Jodie Prenger landed the role of Nancy in Cameron Mackintosh's revival production of Oliver! at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane after winning BBC 1's I'd Do Anything. She won the 2010 WhatsOnStage Theatregoer’s Choice Award for Best Supporting Actress in a Musical. She then went on to play The Lady of The Lake in the Spamalot UK tour and in the West End at the Playhouse Theatre, and Dolly in the National Theatre's production of One Man Two Guvnors at the Theatre Royal Haymarket. 2015 saw Jodie star in the title role of Calamity Jane on the UK No. 1 Tour. Christmas 2015 saw Jodie playing Miss Hannigan in Annie at the New Theatre, Oxford and then early 2016 saw her starring in the new UK tour of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s one woman show Tell Me On A Sunday. Jodie has recently just finished Les Misérables as Madame Thénardier in Dubai and returned to panto as Fairy Bow Bells in Dick Whittington at Birmingham Hippodrome.
As an actress, television work includes Jamie Johnson for CBBC, Citizen Khan, Casualty, Wizards vs Aliens, Candy Cabs and Waterloo Road, all for BBC1.
As a presenter on TV, Jodie’s work includes Top Dog for BBC Sports Relief, the BBC 1's Long Live Britain! exploring the effects of Diabetes and the importance of testing, and Let’s Dance for Comic Relief 2013 in which she came second! She has had her own regular slot on ITV1's This Morning. Prior to this she was a guest on ITV2's I'm A Celebrity, Get Me Out Of Here NOW! Jodie led the search to find a Toto for a gala performance of The Wizard of Oz through BBC1’s Over The Rainbow and she was a regular presenter of The Midweek National Lottery.
Other television appearances include Strictly Come Dancing, Pointless, Justin's House, Food Factory, The Chase, Daybreak, Lorraine, Bargain Hunt Children In Need Special, Let's Do Lunch With Gino and Mel, Born to Shine, Sing If You Can, The One Show, Saturday Kitchen, It Takes Two, The Hairy Bikers, The Alan Titchmarsh Show, The Michael Ball Show, The David Dickinson Show, QVC, BBC’s School Choir of the Year 2010, GMTV, Daily Cook’s Challenge, Loose Women, Children In Need, Guesstimation, As Seen On TV, All Star Family Fortunes, Tonight's the Night and New Year's Eve Live 2008.
Jodie has guest presented for Elaine Paige and Paul O’Grady on many occassions with BBC Radio 2. Other BBC Radio 2 appearances include Wogan, co-hosting Going Out With Alan Carr, Chris Evans’ Breakfast Show, The Olivier Awards 2010 and Children in Need 2009 with Graham Norton.
She toured with John Barrowman on his 2010 and 2011 UK Tours and can be heard singing So Close with him on his self-titled album. Her concert appearances for BBC Radio 2 include Thank You for the Music, The Friday Night Is Music Night James Bond Special, The Friday is Music Night King's Lynn Festival Special and The Andrew Lloyd Webber 60th Birthday Party. Other concerts include The RAF Benevolent Fund Gala, and Bryn Terfel’s annual Faenol Festival in North Wales. She recorded 'In The Mood' for The Very Best of Glenn Miller album.
Readers of TV Times voted Jodie their Favourite Reality TV Star of 2008. Jodie's weight loss DVD, Jodie's Fitness Blasts was launched exclusively by QVC on New Year's Day 2014.
Fat Friends
By Kay Mellor
Director: Kay Mellor
Music by Nicholas Lloyd Webber
Musical Supervisor, Orchestrations and Arrangements: Simon Lee
Set and Costume Design: Bretta Gerecke
Leeds Grand Theatre
46 New Briggate, Leeds LS1 6NZ
Tue 7 November – Sat 2 December 2017
Priority Members on sale: Wednesday 18th January
General on sale: Wednesday 25th January
Monday – Saturday, 7.30pm
Thursday & Saturday matinees, 2.30pm
Tickets from £21
Box Office: 0844 848 2700
Book Online: www.leedsgrandtheatre.com
