CILLA – The Musical is expected to make a star of leading lady Kara Lily Hayworth who fought off thousands of hopefuls to win the role.

Kara triumphed following weeks of open auditions at venues up and down the country for the adaptation of Jeff Pope’s celebrated TV biopic of the singer’s early years.

Cilla - The Musical, coming to the Alhambra Theatre in Bradford, is described as a spectacular and heart-warming musical adaptation of the critically-acclaimed ITV mini-series.

BAFTA award winner, Jeff Pope, also responsible for dramas The Moorside, Philomena, From The Cradle To The Grave and Mrs Biggs, explored the early career of Cilla Black.

Bill Kenwright’s new musical features Andrew Lancel as Brian Epstein, Carl Au as Bobby and Amy Bridges as Rose Willis.There will also be Joshua Gannon as Paul McCartney and Michael Hawkins as John Lennon.

The musical reunites Tom Dunlea, Michael Hawkins and Gemma Brodrick-Bower, all of whom starred in the original mini-series Cilla.

It also reunites Andrew Lancel with the role of Epstein, which he played on stage to great critical acclaim in Epstein – The Man Who Made The Beatles.

Andrew is best known to TV audiences as super-villain Frank Foster in Coronation Street and as DI Neil Manson in the long-running ITV television series The Bill.

The legendary Merseybeat sound is authentically performed live on stage by the cast.

The musical score is described as the ultimate soundtrack to the 60s including Cilla’s greatest hits Anyone Who Had a Heart, Alfie and Something Tells Me, Twist and Shout by the Beatles, and other songs such as California Dreamin by The Mamas and The Papas.

Visit bradford-theatres.co.uk or call 01274 432000 to book tickets.