Strictly star Ellie Leach to commence stage acting debut at Richmond Theatre

Strictly Come Dancing winner Ellie Leach will commence her stage acting debut in Richmond this month.

The reigning champion will be playing Miss Scarlett in the 75th anniversary tour of CLUEDO 2 at Richmond Theatre from the 29th of February.

This comes following her Glitterball trophy victory in December with dance partner Vito and subsequent UK Strictly Come Dancing tour.

Ellie said: “I’m really looking forward to being on stage each night.

“It’s going to be amazing to take on this new experience and do something different to TV, which is practically at the other end of the acting scale.”

The Coronation Street actor described the play as a comedic murder mystery featuring all of the iconic characters from the original board-game.

Ellie said: “We have a really great cast and crew who have welcomed me with such open arms.

“Comedy is completely new for me but it’s something that I’m really enjoying.”

Starring alongside Ellie will be TV and West End actor Jason Durr, best known for his roles in BBC One’s Casualty and ITV’s series Heartbeat. 

Jason said: “I’m thrilled to be joining the cast of Cluedo 2 as Colonel Mustard.

“I was a huge fan of the Cluedo board game as a child and the Colonel is such a great character.”

The cast will be busy touring throughout the spring, with the production kicking off at Richmond Theatre and visiting venues across the UK until July. 

CLUEDO 2 was written by the BAFTA award winning duo Laurence Marks and Maurice Gran – West End legends known for writing Dreamboats and Petticoats and Birds of a Feather.

Describing the writing style Ellie said: “I read the script and fell in love with the character.

“I think the play itself is so funny and it really doesn’t need much ‘comedy acting'”.

Working with director Mark Bell, who is known for his work on The Play That Goes Wrong and A Comedy About a Bank Robbery, the cast have been rehearsing for the past month.

Cluedo 2 will run from the 29th February – 2nd March at Richmond Theatre.

For further information visit cluedostageplay.com.

Featured Image Credit: (Danielle Baguley: Richmond Theatre PR Team)