Entertainment
The Crown’s Imelda Staunton confirms she will star in West End production of Hello, Dolly! but not until 2024-Emily Bashforth-Entertainment – Metro
We’re sure it’ll be worth the wait.
She’s a busy woman at the moment (Picture: Getty)
The Crown actress Imelda Staunton has confirmed she will still be starring in the West End production of Hello, Dolly! – but not until 2024.
Imelda was originally meant to take to the stage in 2020 after signing with Jerry Herman’s famous show back in 2019.
However, the project was delayed by the Covid pandemic and the actress’ demanding workload once lockdown lifted.
She is currently starring in The Crown after taking over from Claire Foy as Queen Elizabeth II, so her West End stint was pushed back to 2023.
But with filming set to continue for months, the director of Hello! Dolly, Dominic Cooke, didn’t feel there would be enough time to rehearse, resulting in him rescheduling to 2024.
So, if you’re an Imelda fan and can’t wait to see her take to the stage, it’s not worth counting down the days anytime soon.
The actress has confirmed she will star in the West End show in two years (Picture: Getty)
But, Imelda has confirmed to Deadline that she will ‘definitely’ star as Dolly in 2024, so have no fear, it will happen!
The publication also states that contract negotiations for a major West End theatre have been completed, but its name cannot yet be disclosed.
Hello! Dolly’s West End production is based on the 1996 film of the same name.
Directed by Gene Kelly and starring Barbra Streisand, the musical/romance movie tells the story of matchmaker Dolly Levi, who travels to Yonkers to find a partner for ‘half-a-millionaire’ Horace Vandergelder, convincing his niece, his niece’s intended, and his two clerks to travel to New York City along the way.
While the production team slots the theatre show together as best they can without its leading lady, Imelda is hard at work on the Netflix series.
The actress takes over from Claire Foy as Queen Elizabeth II (Picture: Alex Bailey)
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Season 5 of The Crown will focus on the breakdown of newly-appointed King Charles III’s marriage to the late Princess Diana.
After a length wait, new episodes will land on Netflix on November 9, with Elizabeth Debicki taking over from Emma Corrin as Princess Diana, while Dominic West replaces Josh O’Connor as King Charles.
Other cast members in season 5 include Rufus Kampa, who plays a young Prince William, and Prince Harry actor Will Powell.
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Filming is back on now after being paused for one day due to Queen Elizabeth’s death on September 8.
In fact, The Crown shot up the Netflix chart following the death of Britain’s longest-reigning monarch, as fans seemingly couldn’t get enough of the controversial drama.
The Crown returns to Netflix on November 9.
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