Cheryl Fergison To Star In New Musical – Carnival Dreams
Cheryl Fergison, who played the much loved Heather Trott in EastEnders, will star in the World Premiere of Carnival Dreams The Musical at the Ashcroft Theatre, Croydon from Wednesday 3rd to Saturday 6th February 2016.
Cheryl became a household name for her award-winning performance as Heather but her credits include a host of other TV appearances including Little Britain, The IT Crowd as well as numerous celebrity shows. She is also a hugely experienced stage actress and has appeared in the West End and with the RSC as well as starring in several pantomimes. She is a skilled musician and multi-instrumentalist as well as being an accomplished singer/song writer.
Carnival Dreams is a new musical with Book and Lyrics by Norman Mark and Music by Robert Orledge. Set in Argentina where a small community dance group is preparing for the Carnival’s annual Samba competition, the story marries the vibrancy of Carnival with a strong social message.
Whilst fighting his own inner demons, former dance champion Andre tries to instill a passion to succeed but senior dance tutor Jose’s bullying and bigotry does little to raise morale. Jose is consumed with contempt for the people who surround him. A bible-quoting misogynist who physically and mentally abuses his wife Teresa, Jose delights in trying to humiliate the flamboyantly camp drag queen Carmen and is determined to quash the growing romance between his daughter Cristina and Duarte, whose only crime is the colour of his skin. When the embittered Maria persuades Teresa and Cristina to escape Jose’s clutches, a heart-wrenching tragedy unfolds. Can the dance troupe survive and win against this adversity? Carnival Dreams will make you laugh and cry, it will shock and inspire and most importantly it reminds us to fight injustice and prejudice and embrace our wonderfully diverse communities.
This new musical will be directed by Andrew Lynford, who also made his name in EastEnders, playing Simon Raymond and who, since then, has established himself as an acclaimed director.
Carnival Dreams the Musical runs at the Ashcroft Theatre Croydon from Wednesday 3rd to Saturday 6th February 2016. Evenings at 7.30pm with Thursday and Saturday matinees at 2.30pm. Box Office: 020 8688 9291.
After this initial run, the producers intend to tour and hopefully launch a London production.