Strictly and soap stars join Singin’ in the Rain as huge UK tour cast is revealed

Strictly Come Dancing favourite Karen Hauer and former Emmerdale star Natalie Anderson are heading into Singin’ in the Rain as the hit musical prepares for a major UK and Ireland tour.

Full casting has now been announced for the production, which begins with a Christmas season at Sheffield’s Crucible Theatre from November 26, 2026 to January 16, 2027.

Natalie will play Lina Lamont during the Sheffield run before sharing the role with Karen when the production heads out on tour.

Natalie is well known to soap viewers for playing Alicia Metcalfe in Emmerdale. She has also appeared as Danielle Silverton in Coronation Street, Claire in Netflix thriller Fool Me Once and Stella Davenport in The Royal.

Karen became a familiar face through Strictly Come Dancing, where she was the show’s longest-serving female professional dancer. Her previous theatre work includes Stepping Out, Speakeasy and Burn the Floor.

Another familiar soap face is joining them, with former Coronation Street star Wendi Peters playing Dora Bailey. Wendi, best known to Corrie viewers as Cilla Battersby-Brown, is currently scheduled to appear in the production until July 3, 2027, with further casting for the role to be announced.

Grant Almirall will play Don Lockwood, with Nicole-Lily Baisden as Kathy Selden and Matthew Maddison as Cosmo Brown.

Based on the classic Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer film, Singin’ in the Rain takes audiences back to Hollywood as silent movies begin giving way to the new world of talking pictures.

The stage production also recreates one of the film’s most famous moments on a huge scale. More than 14,000 litres of water are used on stage as part of the production’s spectacular design.

After finishing its Sheffield Christmas season, Singin’ in the Rain begins its UK and Ireland tour at Bromley’s Churchill Theatre from January 28 to February 6, 2027.

The production then visits Southend, Belfast, Dublin, Sunderland, Canterbury, Dartford, Milton Keynes, Leeds, Woking, Liverpool, Glasgow, High Wycombe, Edinburgh, Birmingham and Southampton before arriving in London.

A month-long season at Sadler’s Wells runs from June 2 to July 3, 2027. The tour then continues to Norwich, Salford Quays, Eastbourne and Nottingham before the currently announced schedule finishes at Cardiff’s New Theatre, where performances run from August 24 to September 4, 2027.

With Strictly, Emmerdale and Coronation Street names joining one of the most recognisable musicals in cinema history, the newly announced cast gives audiences plenty to look forward to when Singin’ in the Rain hits the road.