THE cast has been announced for one of the most eagerly anticipated shows of the year.

In September, the Octagon Bolton is to stage the world premiere of a musical adaptation of the best selling novel The Book Thief.

Markus Zusak’s tale of a courageous young orphan who enters a dangerous game of book thievery in 1930s Nazi Germany has been adapted for the stage by award-winning author Jodi Picoult and Timothy Allen McDonald with music and lyrics by Elyssa Samsel and Kate Anderson. Choreography is by and choreographed by Tom Jackson Greaves and the musical director is Michael Malone.

The cast is led by Ryan O’Donnell as the Narrator with Jack Lord as Hans Hubermannn, Danielle Henry as Rosa Hubermann and Daniel Krikler will play Max Vandenburg.

The role of Liesel, the young girl at the heart of the story, will be shared by Bea Glancy and Niamh Palmer and the role of Rudy will be shared by Alfie Corbett and Charlie Murphy.

The cast also includes Purvi Parmar and Matthew Heywood who both appeared in the Octagon production of Peter Pan and Katy Clayton who starred in the Take That musical, The Band, in London’s West End.

Octagon Artistic Director and director of The Book Thief, Lotte Wakeham said: “I am delighted that we’ve assembled such an exceptional cast for the world premiere production of The Book Thief.

“We were truly amazed by the outstanding level of talent we saw throughout the audition process and I am very excited to work with this incredibly gifted company of actors.

“They have outstanding theatre credentials from the West End to international touring, and I’m also thrilled that so many of them hail from Greater Manchester – we’ve been fortunate to draw from an extraordinary talent pool.

“Casting our young performers in the crucial roles of Liesel and Rudy has also been a real joy and I think audiences will be blown away by them.

“This brand-new musical promises a spectacular theatrical experience for all, with a beautifully poignant script, sensational musical score and a visually stunning design. Add in stellar performances from our talented cast of adults and children, The Book Thief promises to be the must-see production of this autumn.”

The Book Thief is at the Octagon, Bolton from Saturday, September 17 to Saturday, October 15. Details from www.octagonbolton.co.uk