 Crawford will don a fat suit for every performance |
Actor Michael Crawford is returning to the West End for the first time in 18 years to star in Andrew Lloyd Webber's latest musical. The Woman in White opens on Monday at London's Palace Theatre with a royal premiere attended by Prince Charles.
The �4m musical, directed by Sir Trevor Nunn, is adapted from Wilkie Collins' Victorian thriller.
Crawford plays a charismatic Italian count, alongside actress Maria Freedman as the heroine.
Crawford, 62, last appeared in the West End in 1986 in Lord Lloyd-Webber's Phantom of the Opera, a role he then took to Broadway where he won a Tony award.
His other stage credits include Barnum and The Music of Andrew Lloyd Webber world tour.
But his last Broadway production Dance of the Vampires closed after just seven weeks, with losses of �7.5m.
Lord Lloyd-Webber's musical pedigree includes Joseph and the Technicolor Dreamcoat, Cats and Starlight Express. His most recent show was Bombay Dreams, which has transferred to Broadway.
Monday's royal performance is being staged in support of The Prince's Trust charity, and will see the Prince of Wales go backstage to meet the cast and crew.
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