Casting for the lead roles in Highbury Opera Theatre’s Fever Pitch the Opera is announced today. The production marks 25 years since the iconic book was first published and its first musical staging. Author Nick Hornby has given his blessing to the north London company to create and perform an original musical production based on the novel, which explores the author’s obsession with Arsenal Football Club.
The lead role of Gooner, based on Nick Hornby’s character in the book, will be performed by Robin Bailey, Gooner’s fellow fan Rat will be performed by Nick Allen. Mezzo-Soprano Joanna Harries will perform as Girl, a role which embodies a number of the women in Gooner’s life.
Completing the core cast, Robert Gildon will play Gooner’s father. The core cast will be supported by a large community cast including a children’s chorus numbering 40, drawn from local schools.
Nick Hornby’s Fever Pitch follows the ups and downs of life supporting Arsenal Football Club, intertwining stories of matches and the fortunes of the club, with those of his own life as a writer. Composer Scott Stroman and librettist Tamsin Collison have re-imagined it as a comedy/drama with musical styles ranging from classical and jazz to terrace chants and folk-rock.
The Arsenal Foundation is supporting the production, funding workshops with local schools that will accompany the show.
