Corrie the Musical to be produced

After several years of planning, Corrie the Musical is nearly ready to go ahead and the first casting announcement is out of the gate. Paul O'Grady is going to be the Narrator, so says the Sun. The musical will span 50 years of Corrie and feature current and past cast members, though we don't know who those will be,  yet. There's lots of speculation but until we hear the official word, mum's the word. O'Grady, well known as a huge fan of Coronation Street,  will do a great job.

The show was written by Trisha Ward and will tour starting in the spring of 2012. Keep your eye out for announcements for locations and tickets and we'll blog it all when we know what's what, who's who and where's where!

Corrie: The Musical album

Rachel Leskovac, who plays Natasha Blakeman on Coronation Street, has revealed that there's going to be a Corrie: The Musical album. Rachel will be singing a number of tracks on the forthcoming album, including an homage to iconic Rovers landlady Bet Lynch.

The all-singing, all-dancing production of Corrie: The Musical is expected to launch in Manchester before heading to London for a further run. Composer Trisha Ward has been working on the songs.

Rachel said: "Corrie: The Musical isn't happening until next year, but they are recording the album with some Corrie stars and other people to tie in the with 50th. There's a duet with Elsie Tanner, saying He's My Man, so they're fighting over a man. It's all brand new material from the musical. There are quite a few Corrie stars involved," she added.

Katherine Kelly in the new Corrie musical?

Casting has started for the new Coronation Street musical and Katherine Kelly will be on stage playing her on-screen character of Becky McDonald. Or at least, that is, according to the News of the World.

Hmmm... I'm not sure a TV actress could combine her acting up in Manchester with a stage show in London although the tabloid does say that Katherine has agreed a deal with Corrie bosses to leave the show to star in the musical, but is expected to return at a later date.

Coronation Street musical in the West End?

With the 50th anniversary of Coronation Street upcoming, everyone is wondering what sorts of things the celebrations will include. There's a report today that one of the ideas the writers are throwing around is a musical stage production. The information is coming from "sources" and "spokespeople" so it isn't official and it might not even become reality. It's an idea they're tossing around. Composer Trisha Ward has allegedly been hired and her website says "She is currently writing her new stage musical based upon an iconic British entertainment property." The newspaper reports could just be putting two and two together and speculating.

What do you think? Coronation Street in neon lights? Tony Gordon doing a two step across the stage? Liz and Deirdre in high kicking dance numbers? The mind boggles!