Frozen star Samantha Barks has announced she will go on maternity leave from the hit West End show later this month.
Barks announced the news of her pregnancy via social media today. Covering her maternity leave will be Jenna Lee-James who joins the company on 23 August to play the role of Elsa. Jenna’s previous stage credits include Cats, Mamma Mia!, We Will Rock You and Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.
Barks, who married American stage actor Alex Stoll in an elaborate Italian wedding in July 2022, is set to return to the West End show in 2024.
Lee-James will join current Frozen cast members Emily Lane (as Anna), Djavan van de Fliert (as Kristoff), Craig Gallivan (as Olaf), Oliver Ormson (as Hans), Richard Frame (as Duke of Weselton) and Mikayla Jade and Ashley Birchall (alternating the role of Sven), alongside Rhianne Alleyne, Marianne Bardgett, Jeremy Batt, Danny Becker, Rebecca Botterill, Char Burnett (as Bulda), Collette Coleman, Laura Emmitt, Davide Fienauri, Jemal Felix, Jordan Fox, Molly Francis, Matt Gillett, Ben Irish (as Pabbie), Justin-Lee Jones, Aoife Kenny, Jordan Livesey, Joshua Robinson, Harriet Samuels, Jacqui Sanchez (as Queen Iduna), Isabella Glanznig Santos, Jak Skelly (as Oaken/Bishop), Kerry Spark (as King Agnarr), Caitlin Tipping, Rodney Vubya, Anna Woodside, and Luke Fraser Yates.
The show has music and lyrics by Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez, a book by Jennifer Lee, and is directed by Michael Grandage.
The creative team also includes choreography by Rob Ashford, set and costume design by Christopher Oram, lighting design by Neil Austin, sound design by Peter Hylenski, video design by Finn Ross, puppet design by Michael Curry and musical supervision and arrangements by Stephen Oremus.
Frozen is booking at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane to 7 January 2024.
Book tickets to Frozen The Musical at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane
