ALED JONES will make a return to the stage next summer with a starring role in a major production of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, it was revealed yesterday.
The musical will be at the Wales Millennium Centre next summer for an eight-week run. With more than 60 performances, it will be the longest-running show to be staged at the Cardiff venue.
Jones will take on the role of Caractacus Potts – the part played by Michael Ball when the production received its world premiere at the London Palladium five years ago. Tickets go on sale on September 1.
Although Jones is renowned for his career as a singer and TV presenter, he has also enjoyed several acting roles.
After training at the Royal Academy of Music and the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School, he landed stage roles ranging from Christopher Robin in Now We Are Sixty, to Sebastian in Twelfth Night. But it was his performance in the lead role in Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat that earned him rave reviews.
The Chitty Chitty Bang Bang run was announced during a season launch at the WMC yesterday .
The centre’s chief executive, Judith Isherwood, said, “We are looking forward to having Chitty Chitty Bang Bang here for two months next summer, for what will be the longest run of a musical at Wales Millennium Centre. We are also delighted that the star of the show will be Aled Jones, playing the role of Caractacus Potts in this magical musical. He will only be playing this role in Cardiff.”
She also revealed that the £106m venue, which celebrates its third birthday in November, is receiving a new brand identity. A circular logo made up of images of four different shapes – representing the centre’s inclusive ethos – will be unveiled on its website on August 10.
Source:Western Mail
