Toyah Willcox to guest star in NOW That’s What I Call A Musical

Singer-songwriter Toyah Willcox has been confirmed to guest star in the current UK and Ireland tour of NOW That’s What I Call A Musical.

The world premiere production features an array of 80s pop icons, who alternate in the show at each venue. Willcox, whose hits include the likes of “I Want to Be Free”, “It’s a Mystery” and “Thunder in the Mountains”, is scheduled to appear at Edinburgh Playhouse from 25 February to 1 March 2025.

Her previous theatre credits include The Rocky Horror Show: 40th Anniversary Tribute at the Royal Court, The Hundred and One Dalmatians at Nottingham Theatre Royal, Calamity Jane at Shaftsbury Theatre, The Wizard of Oz at Belfast Grand Opera House, A Midsummer Night’s Dream at Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre, and Cabaret at the Strand Theatre (now the Novello Theatre).

In addition, it has been announced that Sonia has added appearances at Manchester Opera House (28 January to 1 February) and Glasgow Kings Theatre (18 to 22 February) to her 2025 schedule.

NOW That’s What I Call A Musical is written by comedian Pippa Evans (Showstopper! The Improvised Musical) and directed and choreographed by Craig Revel Horwood (Strictly Ballroom the Musical).

The show celebrates 40 years of the iconic NOW That’s What I Call Music compilations, which have sold an estimated 200 million copies worldwide. It is set in Birmingham, 1989, where school friends Gemma and April plan their lives based on Number One Magazine quizzes… and dream of meeting Rick Astley. The story then shifts to Birmingham, 2009, for their school reunion.

The production began performances on 6 September 2024 at Aylesbury’s Waterside Theatre ahead of its major UK and Ireland tour.

Check out our video from the show’s media launch below:

The cast is led by Nina Wadia (as Gemma), Melissa Jacques (as April until 7 December) and Sam Bailey (as April from 14 January to 12 April 2025), alongside Kieran Cooper (as Younger Tim), Christopher Glover (as Dad), Chris Grahamson (as Tim), Maia Hawkins (as Younger April), Lauren Hendricks (as Ms Dorian), Shakil Hussain (as Frank), Nikita Johal (as Younger Gemma), Luke Latchman (as Younger Frank), Matthew Mori (as Younger Steve), Phil Sealey (as Steve), Callum Tempest (as Barney) and Poppy Tierney (as Mum).

The ensemble is completed by Emily Barnett-Salter, Molly Cheesley, Lizzy Ives, Stefanos Petri, Martha Pothen and Blake Tuke.

The special guest stars, performing songs that made them NOW icons, include Sinitta (in Aylesbury, Sheffield, Canterbury, Nottingham, Norwich, Dublin, Hull, and York), Sonia (in Newcastle, Cardiff, Milton Keynes, Brighton, Southampton, Southend, Bristol, Liverpool, Wimbledon, Birmingham, Manchester and Glasgow), Carol Decker (in Truro, Belfast, Woking, and Oxford) and Jay Osmond (in Bradford). Patrons are advised to check local websites for further details.

The creative team includes set and costume design by Tom Rogers and Toots Butcher, musical supervision, orchestrations, and vocal arrangements by Mark Crossland, lighting design by Ben Cracknell, sound design by Adam Fisher, wigs and hair design by Sam Cox, associate direction by Guy Woolf, associate choreography by Aaron Renfree, associate sound design by Ollie Durrant, casting by Annelie Powell, and production management by Setting Line.

Tickets for select tour stops are available below.