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Casualty star takes Sound Of Music lead
Bo Wilson29.07.08
Actor Simon MacCorkindale is to take over as Captain Von Trapp in The Sound Of Music next month.
The TV and stage star, 52, will perform opposite Summer Strallen, who plays Maria, in the show at the London Palladium.
MacCorkindale played Harry Harper in the BBC drama Casualty for six years, starred opposite Peter Ustinov in the 1978 Poirot film Death On The Nile and featured in the TV mini-series I, Claudius and Jesus Of Nazareth.
He has directed several theatre productions including The Dark Lady Of Sonnets at the National and Pygmalion at the Albery Theatre.
Strallen took over from Connie Fisher as Maria in March.
After Andrew Lloyd Webber cast her, she appeared in Channel 4 soap Hollyoaks as Summer Shaw, who is similarly "discovered" by Lord Lloyd Webber. The production also stars Margaret Preece as Mother Abbess and Fiona Sinnott as the Baroness. Rebecca Lucie and Nadim Naaman will take over the roles of Liesl and Rolf on 25 August, when MacCorkindale starts his new role.
The Sound Of Music is booking until February next year.
