West End star signs up for new musical album

THE first star in the final round of casting for new British musical TESS has been announced.
 
Writers Michael Blore and Michael Davies have been working on casting the five principal roles for the album recording of their adaptation of Tess of the d’Urbervilles.

Now they have revealed that the part of Tess’s mother, Joan Durbeyfield, is to be played by West End star JACQUELINE TATE.
 
Tate has performed in shows and concerts around the world, including appearing as Bloody Mary in South Pacific (Barbican and national tour), Christmas Eve in Avenue Q (Wyndham’s, Gielgud and national tour) and Madame Giry in The Phantom of the Opera (Her Majesty’s Theatre).
 
Trained at the Royal Northern College of Music and the London School of Musical Theatre, her international credits include My Fair Lady in Singapore and Evita in Beirut for Nikolai Foster, as well as The Pirates of Penzance and The Merry Widow for the Carl Rosa Opera Company on tours of the UK, USA, Canada and South Africa.

In concert, she’s sung with the London Symphony Orchestra in the Bernstein Mass (Barbican, Marin Alsop, broadcast on BBC Radio 3), the Armenian Symphony Orchestra in a performance of Adiemus, the Israel Chamber Orchestra (Bach Mass in B Minor) and at the Bridgewater Hall under the baton of Kent Nagano (L’Enfance du Christ).

​Composer Michael Blore said: “From a very strong field of actors we are thrilled to be working with someone of the calibre of Jacqueline. This album already promises to be something quite special and securing such an experienced professional in the role of Joan brings that promise one step closer to reality.”

Jacqueline Tate will sing Joan Durbeyfield

TESS is a new, fully sung-through adaptation of Thomas Hardy’s much-loved novel. Pre-production work on the album of the show is already under way, with further casting news expected over the coming weeks and recording scheduled for the summer of 2016.

​The album will be produced by Sunim Koria, with orchestrations by Michael Blore.