Lauren Samuels, who leapt into the public consciousness as one of the leading contestants on Over The Rainbow, is to join the cast of hit Queen musical We Will Rock You from 10 October.
Samuels, who followed her exposure on the BBC search for a Dorothy by playing Sandy in the West End production of Grease, is not the only new face in the We Will Rock You cast. Musical theatre regular Alasdair Harvey (The Phantom Of The Opera, Sunday In The Park With George, Les Misérables) also joins the show, as does Wayne Robinson, who swaps the touring production of We Will Rock You for the Dominion theatre-based version.
The trio of newcomers join a cast that also includes former Legally Blonde leading man Alex Gaumond, who joined the show in August, and long-time We Will Rock You favourites Kevin Kennedy, Brenda Edwards and Rachel John.
We Will Rock You, which uses the songs of hit British rock group Queen to tell the story of a world in which rock music is banned, is seen by more than 12,000 theatregoers each week and has entertained more than 5.5 million audience members since it opened at the Dominion theatre in 2002.
The winner of the BBC Radio 2 Audience Award at the 2011 Olivier Awards with MasterCard, We Will Rock You is the seventh longest running musical in the West End and has recently extended its run until October 2012.
MA