Simon Shepherd & Connie Fisher
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The Sound of Music star Simon Shepherd has withdrawn from the production. Director Jeremy Sams and producers Andrew Lloyd Webber and David Ian “agreed that [Shepherd’s] performance as Captain von Trapp was not working within the production,” according to a statement. The star is being replaced by Alexander Hanson.
Hanson has appeared in the West End in Sunset Boulevard, Aspects of Love and We Will Rock You. His stage credits also include Candide, The Villain’s Opera, Troilus and Cressida and The Merchant of Venice. He was recently seen at Chichester’s Minerva Theatre in Noel Coward’s Tonight at 8.30.
Shepherd, who is best known as the star of the series Peak Performance, played the first two previews of The Sound of Music over the weekend. Hanson is expected to step into the role later this week. The role of Captain von Trapp will be played by understudy Christopher Dickins until then.
Hanson joins a cast that also includes How Do You Solve a Problem Like Maria? winner Connie Fisher as Maria, and Lesley Garrett as Mother Abbess.
The production will open on schedule on 15 November at the London Palladium.