Belinda Carlisle, Phill Jupitus and Sharon D. Clarke Join London Cast of Hairspray

Belinda Carlisle, Phill Jupitus and Sharon D. Clarke are joining the London cast of Hairspray. They begin performances on October 26 at the Shaftesbury Theatre.

Carlisle, who will play Velma Von Tussle in the musical, is a Grammy-nominated performer. She is best known as the lead singer of the The GoGo’s, the chart-topping girl group. She has also had success as a solo performer, especially with the international number one hit “Heaven Is a Place On Earth.” Her TV and film credits include Swing Shift and appearances on Dancing with the Stars and Hell’s Kitchen.

Jupitus is taking on the lead role of Edna Turnblad. He is a comedian, broadcaster, writer and actor who has appeared on British television and radio and the stage for over 20 years. In addition to being a regular fixture on the U.K. comedy circuit, he has appeared on many television and radio panel shows including QI and News Quiz, as well as being a regular team captain on the hit BBC 2 show Never Mind The Buzzcocks. As a DJ, Phil played the first ever record on BBC 6Music as host of the Breakfast Show, which he presented for five years.

Playing Motormouth Mabel is Olivier Award nominee Clarke, whose stage credits include Chicago, We Will Rock You, The Lion King, Rent and Guys & Dolls as well as many productions at the Hackney Empire. On television, she has appeared in The Singing Detective, Waking The Dead, The Crust and Holby City. She also appeared as a judge on the hugely successful Last Choir Standing for the BBC in 2008.

Other principals Chloe Hart (Tracy Turnblad), Verity Rushworth (Penny) Liam Tamne (Link Larkin), Adrian Hansel (Seaweed) and Raquel Jones (Little Inez) all remain with the show and are joined by new cast members Tony Timberlake (Wilbur Turnblad), Nicola Brazil (Amber Von Tussle) and Gavin Alex (Corny Collins).

Hairspray features a book by Mark O’Donnell and Thomas Meehan, music by Marc Shaiman and lyrics by Shaiman and Scott Wittman. It is based on the New Line Cinema film, written and directed by John Waters. The musical is directed by Jack O’Brien and choreographed by Jerry Mitchell. The West End production of Hairspray was staged by the entire original Broadway creative team and is now booking until April 2010.