Joel Montague to play Mendel in UK premiere of Falsettos

Matt Cardle withdraws from Falsettos at last minute

Prolific stage actor Joel Montague (Fat Friends The Musical, School of Rock, Funny Girl, Urinetown) is set to replace Matt Cardle, who has dropped out of the UK production of Falsettos just weeks ahead of the show's premiere due to unforeseen scheduling conflicts. Montague will take over the role of Mendel in this Tara Overfield-Wilkinson production of William Finn and James Lapine's multi-award-winning musical.

Montague's other notable stage credits include A Night at The Musicals (Lyceum Theatre), Billy Elliot (Victoria Palace Theatre), Dick Whittington (Milton Keynes Theatre), Kiss Me Kate (Sheffield Crucible), Rocky Horror Show (UK Tour), Sister Act (UK Tour), The Producers (UK Tour), and West Side Story (Royal Northern College of Music). His screen credits include Coronation Street (Granada Television), Girlfriends (ITV), Girls In Love (ITV), Grange Hill (BBC Television), In Suspicious Circumstances (ITV), Move Like Michael Jackson (Trailer – BBC 3), and World in Action (ITV).

The show must go on as the Tony Award-winning musical is set to open at The Other Palace this month as planned with previews beginning 30 August and official press night slated for 5 September.

Matt Cardle issued an apology to London theatre fans in which he stated that circumstances beyond his control have caused him to depart the show. He urged theatregoers to buy tickets to Falsettos if they haven't already done so, as Tara Overfield-Wilkinson is set to "deliver the most incredible show" that he called both "exciting" and "complex."

Director Tara Overfield-Wilkinson wished Cardle "all the love and support he needs for having made such a difficult decision to step away from Falsettos" and hoped to work with Cardle again in the near future.

Montague will join the previously announced Falsettos cast starring Albert Atack, Daniel Boys as Marvin, Elliot Morris and James Williams as Jason, Matthew Mckenna as Understudy, Gemma Knight-Jones as Charlotte, George Kennedy, Laura Pitt-Pulford as Trina, Natasha J Barnes as Cordelia, Natasha O’Brien as Understudy, and Oliver Savile as Whizzer.

About Falsettos, the hit Broadway musical now a London production

Love is like a picture worth a thousand words.

The two-time Tony Award-winning Falsettos musical is a laugh-out-loud funny production that follows a modern family whose man of the house is gay. Hilarity ensues as it explores Marvin's relationship with his wife, male lover, his son who is about to have a bar mitzvah, and their psychiatrist and lesbian next-door neighbours. 

Originally staged during the AIDS epidemic, this provocative musical about the dynamics of family manages to stay afloat in our time using effectively executed satire before heading to its heart-wrenching conclusion.

Falsettos London creative team

The London production is both directed and choreographed by Tara Overfield-Wilkinson and features designs by PJ McEvoy, lighting design by Nic Farman, musical direction by Richard John, musical supervision by Mark Crossland, and sound design by Chris Whybrow. The show is produced by Selladoor Worldwide. 

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