Salute to the silver screen era of silent cinema

ENTERTAINMENT icon Gary Wilmot said audiences should expect something 'very special' when the world stage premiere of The Artist is unveiled at Theatre Royal Plymouth this year.

- ANDY PHILLIPS

Wilmot has been cast as the role of AI Zimmer in the adaptation of the Oscar-winning movie which is being co-produced by TRP.

It tells the story of silent movie star George Valentin (played by Robbie Fairchild), who falls in love with aspiring star Peppy Miller (Briana Craig) but faces career oblivion due to the rise of the 'talkies' in cinema.

Michel Hazanavicius's movie won multiple Oscars, but has needed significant adaptation to turn it into a stage show, which Wilmot said covers almost every different genre of musical theatre.

In an exclusive interview with The Herald, Wilmot did not wish to give away the secrets of the show, but said a unique experience was in the pipeline.

He said: "The great thing about this show is that you can't just take 'The Artist' the movie and make a stage show about it, you have to do it in a theatrical way, and that is something that really interests me.