Shake it up Baby! Beatles musical cast revealed

The four actors-musicians set to play the young Beatles in a world premiere on stage in Liverpool this autumn have been revealed.

Michael Hawkins, Guy Freeman, James Jackson and Nick Sheedy will appear as John, Paul, George and Pete Best in Shake It Up Baby! which opens at the Epstein Theatre on September 26.

Sheedy will also play Ringo Starr in the musical from Liverpool playwright Ian Salmon, while artist-bassist Stuart Sutcliffe will be realised by Kieran Andrew who will also play Brian Epstein.

They join Andrew Schofield who has previously been announced as Allan Williams, the band’s first manager and, famously, ‘the man who gave the Beatles away’.

The cast is completed by Andrew Copperthwaite, Grace Galloway, Connor Simkins and Jess Smith.

Hawkins has previously appeared on stage in Liverpool in The Peaceful Hour and Lennon: Through a Glass Onion, while Freeman was in the cast of Salmon’s Girls Don’t Play Guitars and Scouse Pacific at the Royal Court, and has toured with The Commitments musical.

Jackson is a LIPA-trained singer-songwriter and actor, and Sheedy’s stage credits include Bestbeat and Salmon’s play Venus Rising.

Shake It Up Baby tells the story of the Beatles’ time in Hamburg where, in Salmon’s words, they went from being ‘probably the worst band in town to the best (live) band on the planet by a very, very long way’.

Director Stephen Fletcher says: “I’m absolutely thrilled to be able to reveal our full cast for the world premiere of Ian Salmon’s Shake It Up Baby! It’s been remarkable during the audition process to see the sheer breadth and depth of talent here in Liverpool, and I know all the young actors and musicians who have been chosen will be fantastic in their roles.

“Shake It Up Baby! is an exciting story about The Beatles’ time from Liverpool to Hamburg and on the brink of fame and fortune. It’s a story of success, love, fate, but also sadness.

“I’m looking forward to getting into the rehearsal room now and working with the whole brilliant team of creatives to bring Ian’s amazing story to life – and to ensure we ‘mach schau’, as Bruno Koschmider would say, for audiences at the Epstein Theatre.”

Shake It Up Baby is at the Epstein Theatre from September 26 to October 11. Tickets HERE