Ramin Karimloo, last on Broadway in the revival of Funny Girl, will play filmmaker Guido Contini in Hope Mill Theatre鈥檚 upcoming concert production of the Tony-winning musical Nine. The 1982 musical features a book by Arthur Kopit and a score by Maury Yeston.
Celebrating the company's ninth birthday, performances are scheduled for February 1-2, 2025, at Manchester's The Lowry, Salford. The concerts, co-directed by Hope Mill founders William Whelton and Joseph Houston, feature casting by Jim Arnold.
The production will include the song "Cinema Italiano," written by Yeston for the musical's 2009 film adaptation. Hope Mill's concert will be the first production of the work to interpolate the song into the original stage score.
In a statement Karimloo said, 鈥淚 have always wanted to play Guido and do the musical Nine. I just love the story, I love the music and can鈥檛 wait to work with an incredible group of artists led by strong women. I think this is going to be an incredible process, and I鈥檓 really looking forward to working with Joe and Will up in Manchester.鈥�
Additional casting and creative team members will be announced at a later date.
Based on the Oscar鈥搘inning Federico Fellini film 8 陆, Nine was originally directed by Tommy Tune and opened in 1982, subsequently winning five Tony Awards, including Best Musical and Best Original Score.
In the musical, director Guido Contini, suffering from 鈥渄irector鈥檚 block鈥� on his latest film and from a strained marriage to the neglected Luisa, retreats into his mind, where a parade of women鈥攍overs past and present鈥攂ombard his senses and throw reality into question.
Karimloo's stage credits also include Songbird, The Addams Family, Rumi: The Musical, Chess, Jesus Christ Superstar, Evita, Anastasia, The Secret Garden, Les Miserables, The Phantom of the Opera, and Love Never Dies.
Whelton and Rhianna Swyer produce for Hope Mill Theatre.
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