Jill Paice to Play Scarlett O'Hara in London Gone With the Wind

Curtains star Jill Paice will play Scarlett O'Hara in the new musical adaptation of Gone with the Wind to be directed by Trevor Nunn in London. She will be joined by Edward Baker-Duly as Ashley Wilkes and Madeleine Worrall as his wife, Melanie. The show, which features a book and score by Margaret Martin and adaptation by Nunn, will play its first performance at the New London Theatre on April 5, 2008, and open on April 22.

Paice originated the role of Laura Fairlie in Nunn's production of The Woman in White both at the Palace Theatre in London and on Broadway. She was the original Sophie in the Las Vegas company of Mamma Mia! and appeared in the U.S. touring company of Les Miserables before opening on Broadway as David Hyde Pierce's love interest Nicki Harris in Curtains.

Baker-Duly played the role of Joseph Cable in Nunn's National Theatre production of South Pacific. His other theater credits include the West End revival of Salad Days as well as The Lady Vanishes, Dick Barton Special Agent, Singin' In The Rain, Anyone Can Whistle, Side by Side by Sondheim and Twelfth Night.

Worrall is currently playing the title role in Cinderella at the Old Vic. Other credits include The School for Scandal, The Anniversary, Up on the Roof, The Villain's Opera, The Tempest and Three Sisters.

Based on Margaret Mitchell's bestselling novel and the historic film adaptation, Gone with the Wind is set in Atlanta in the 1860s and follows the story of the 17-year-old Scarlett O'Hara, the eldest of three daughters living a life of luxury on their father's plantation until the onset of the Civil War threatens their idyllic existence. Scarlett's incredible journey through both the war and the peace is mirrored in her turbulent relationship with Rhett Butler, whose actions always defy prediction. Their story spans 10 years and mingles romantic ecstasy with tragic grief, as the life these people once knew disappears.