Morning:
14°c
From frills to Thriller
Louise Jury, Chief Arts Correspondent04.12.08
This is the trio of young performers who will take it in turns to star as Michael Jackson in new West End show Thriller.
Layton Williams, 14, who has just hung up his ballet shoes after two years in Billy Elliot, will share the spotlight in the new production with Sterling Williams, 13, from Mitcham, and newcomer Kieran Alleyne, also 13, from Leicester.
They will perform hits including Beat It, Billie Jean and the title track, Thriller, in the show which is described as a celebration of the career of the king of pop.
Sterling, who goes to Tiffin Grammar School in Kingston, became a model as a baby and then started at the Pineapple Performing Arts School in Covent Garden at the age of five. A previous role is playing young Simba in The Lion King in the West End.
He said he thought Thriller was the perfect next job for him. "I idolise Michael Jackson when he was about my age and I love singing his songs. I thought it would be great. I love being on stage - that's where I feel most myself."
Layton, who comes from Bury, Lancashire, said he was also a fan. "I think he's just so good at what he does. He's really amazing. It will be quite hard to try to be him so I'll try to put a bit of myself into it." He added: "I feel really excited but a bit nervous."
Kieran has never appeared professionally before and was discovered in open auditions last month.
Thriller has toured Britain but is coming to the West End for the first time. It previews at the Lyric Theatre in Shaftesbury Avenue on 2 January and opens on 21 January. It is scheduled to run until 12 April.
