Charlie Stemp to join cast of 'Kiss Me, Kate' in the West End

Stemp joins the cast with rising star Georgina Onuorah. They will appear alongside the previously announced Adrian Dunbar and Tony Award winner Stephanie J. Block.

Olivier nominee Charlie Stemp and West End rising star Georgina Onuorah will take to the stage in Cole Porter's musical comedy Kiss Me, Kate at the Barbican this summer. They join Line of Duty's Adrian Dunbar and Tony Award winner Stephanie J. Block.

Stemp, who has previously appeared in Crazy For You and Mary Poppins, will bring his tap-dancing skills to the role of the impulsive gambler Bill Calhoun/Lucentio. Onuorah (The Wizard of Oz, Oklahoma!) will play Lois Lane/Bianca.

Stemp said: “Kiss Me, Kate has always been a favourite show of mine, so to get the chance to return to the West End so soon in this title and specifically opposite Adrian Dunbar, Stephanie J. Block and Georgina Onuorah is a dream come true.”

Onuorah added: “I am thrilled to be involved in this reimagined Kiss Me, Kate - with a Lois/Bianca that looks like me! Bart Sher is a remarkable director and I am so excited to get working on this beloved musical with this wonderful team.”

The classic musical comedy farce, directed by Bartlett Sher (The King and I, South Pacific, To Kill A Mockingbird), is a show within a show and follows a theatre company as it attempts to put on a production of Shakespeare's The Taming of the Shrew.

Kiss Me, Kate runs for a strictly limited 15-week season at the Barbican Theatre from 4 June – 14 September.

Book Kiss Me, Kate tickets on London Theatre.

Photo credit: Charlie Stemp. (Photo courtesy of production)