Lee to become West End star

Lee Evans is to star in the West End version of The Producers, it has been confirmed.

The 39-year-old comic will play Leo Bloom, opposite Richard Dreyfuss as Max Bialystock

The show, based on Mel Brooks' hit movie, has been running on Broadway for more than two years, winning a record 12 Tony Awards.

Rehearsals for the show start in September, and preview performances start on October 22. Opening night at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, is November 9.

The show is clearly expected to repeat its New York success in London ­ the vast theatre seats 2,300.

Evans said: "I am delighted. This is the kind of job that doesn't come along very often."

Published: 17 Dec 2003