Will Young to star in Strictly Ballroom musical (Picture: Rex/Shutterstock, Getty)

Will Young is returning to Strictly… but hang on – this is Strictly Ballroom The Musical, and it’s nothing to do with the hit ITV show.

Having walked out halfway through 2016’s series of Strictly Come Dancing due to personal reasons, Will has announced he’ll put his dancing shoes back on to take on the lead role in Baz Luhrmann’s show, which is making its West End debut.

The musical opens in March 2018 at the Piccadilly Theatre in London.

Early names announced alongside Will include Jonny Labey, described as a ‘maverick’ ballroom dancer, and Zizi Strallen, who played the lead in the West End’s Mary Poppins.


Australian director Baz Luhrmann made the Strictly Ballroom movie, but Drew McOnie is directing and choreographing the West End production (Picture: AP Photo/Lucy Nicholson)

Will plays band leader Wally Strand in the show, alongside Jonny’s character, Scott, and Zizi’s character, Fran, a dancer in the show who partners with Scott and later becomes his object of desire.

Jonny Labey and Zizzi Strallen will star alongside Will (Picture: Zizi Strallen – Instagram)

The show’s creators say: ‘When rogue championship ballroom dancer Scott defies all the rules of competition to follow his heart, he teams up with left-footed partner Fran to compete in the Pan Pacific Championship his own way. Their love blossoms as their routines flourish, and together they triumph in bringing down the sequin-clad regime of the Dance Federation.’

Wil is no stranger to dancing: he appeared as a contestant on ITV show Strictly Come Dancing (Picture: BBC)

‘Featuring the film’s [Baz Luhrmann’s Strictly Ballroom’s] iconic music such as Love is in the Air, Perhaps Perhaps Perhaps and Time After Time, Strictly Ballroom The Musical will also include electrifying songs from a host of internationally acclaimed artists.’



The production premiered in Australia and is making its West End debut at the Piccadilly Theatre in March 2018.

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