Seline Hizli completes Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown cast; meet the cast

It has been announced that Seline Hizli will complete the West End cast of Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown.

She joins the previously announced Tamsin Greig, Haydn Gwynne, Jérôme Pradon, Anna Skellern, Ricardo Afonso, Haydn Oakley and Willemijn Verkaik. The cast also includes Marianne Benedict, Holly James, Michael Matus, Rebecca McKinnis, Sarah Moyle, Alastair Natkiel, Nuno Queimado and Dale Rapley.

David Yazbek and Jeffrey Lane's musical opens at the Playhouse Theatre on Monday 12th January 2015 (previews from 20th December 2014). The 20 week limited run ends on Saturday 9th May 2015. Bartlett Sher directs.

On the streets of Madrid, a city pulsing with art, industry and passion, Pepa’s world is unravelling. Her lover leaves her. And then she meets his wife. And his son. And his new girlfriend. Meanwhile, Pepa’s best friend is tangled up in her own romantic crisis with a suspected criminal, leaving Pepa with only the taxi driver to help navigate the Gran Vía ahead.

Meet The Cast

Tamsin Greig plays Pepa. Greig has received much critical acclaim for her work on stage. She won a Laurence Olivier and Critics Award for Best Actress in Much Ado About Nothing and was nominated again for her role in The Little Dog Laughed. Other theatre credits include Jumpy (Royal Court and Duke of York’s Theatre), The God of Carnage (Gielgud), Gethsemane (National) and King John (RSC).

Greig is also known for her many comedic roles on television including Beverley Lincoln in the transatlantic sitcom Episodes with Stephen Mangan and Matt LeBlanc, Dr Caroline Todd in Green Wing for which she won an award for Best Comedy Performance at the 2005 Royal Television Society Awards, Jackie in the Channel 4 sitcom Friday Night Dinner, Alice Chenery in Love Soup and Fran Katzenjammer in Black Books. Among Greig’s other notable television characters are Miss Bates in the BBC adaptation of Jane Austen’s Emma, Beth in White Heat and most recently DCI Maggie Brand in The Guilty. 

On film she starred with Richard E. Grant in Cuckoo, Roger Allam and Gemma Arterton in Tamara Drewe for which she received a British Independent Film Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress. She also made a short cameo appearance in the 2004 comedy Shaun of the Dead. Greig has just finished filming the feature Breaking The Bank opposite Kelsey Grammar, directed by Vadim Jean and recently The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, directed by John Madden.

Haydn Gwynne plays Lucia. On stage she has most recently starred as Margaret Thatcher in The Audience alongside Helen Mirren at the Gielgud Theatre. Haydn’s other theatre credits include Richard III opposite Kevin Spacey as part of The Old Vic’s Bridge Project (and international tour), Billy Elliot the Musical for which she was nominated for an Olivier Award, Becky Shaw (Almeida), Company (Donmar Warehouse) and Merry Wives of Windsor, Peer Gynt, Twelfth Night and A Midsummer Night’s Dream (RSC). Gwynne also boasts an extensive list of television credits, including Death in Paradise, Law & Order, Lewis, Consenting Adults, Drop the Dead Donkey, Poirot and Dangerfield. Film credits include Hunky Dory, These Foolish Things and Remember Me.

Seline Hizli plays Marisa. Seline previously appeared alongside Tamsin Greig as Lyndsey in Jumpy (Royal Court Theatre). Other theatre credits include In the Republic of Happiness (Royal Court Theatre), The House of Bernada Alba (Almeida Theatre) and One Night in November (Belgrade Theatre Company). Seline’s television credits include Kerry (ITV2), Call the Midwife (BBC), The Appropriate Adult (ITV), Law and Order UK 3 ‘Trial’ (ITV) and Land Girls II (BBC). 

Australian actress Anna Skellern plays Candela. Anna’s theatre work includes Holding the Man (Trafalgar Studios), One Night in November (Belgrade Theatre, Coventry) and Maddie in The Vegemite Tales (The Venue, Leicester Square). On television Anna played Lady Bobbie in Parade’s End, as well as appearing in the BBC’s new eight-part series The Interceptor, The Musketeers, Outnumbered, Poirot, Spy and Jack Whitehall’s Secret. Anna also starred in the award-winning Australian television satire, CNNNN. Anna also has numerous film credits including, I Give It A Year, W.E., Gambit, and the upcoming films Solitary and Blood Moon.

Willemijn Verkaik from the Netherlands plays Paulina. Earlier this year she won a West End Frame Award for her West End debut as Elphaba in Wicked. As well as playing the role in London, Verkaik has starred in Wicked in New York, Germany and Holland.

In addition, she has played Scaramouche and Killer Queen in We Will Rock You, Amneris in Aida (Da Capo Award for ‘Best Musical Performer’) and the title role in Michael Kunze and Sylvester Levay’s musical Elisabeth. She has made numerous concert and television appearances across Europe and can be heard on two Scott Alan albums, Live and What I Wanna Be When I Grow Up. Most recently, Verkaik can be heard as the voice of Queen Elsa in the German and Dutch versions of Disney’s Frozen. 

Portuguese actor Ricardo Afonso plays the Taxi Driver. Ricardo’s previous theatre credits include Thriller Live (The Lyric Theatre), From Hackney to Hollywood: The Don Black Songbook UK Tour, Irving Berlin: From Rags to Ritzes (The Royal Festival Hall) and the lead vocalist on the Strictly Come Dancing – The Professionals tour. Ricardo also fronted the cast of We Will Rock You in the opening of the handover ceremony for the 2012 Olympic Games. Voice over credits include Shrek (DreamWorks), Beauty and the Beast (Disney) and 102 Dalmatians (Disney). Ricardo also appeared on The Voice UK (BBC) as part of Team Danny. 

Rebecca McKinnis plays Christina. Rebecca’s theatre credits include A Small Family Business (National Theatre Olivier), Viva Forever (Piccadilly Theatre), Les Miserables (25th Anniversary Tour), We Will Rock You (Dominion Theatre), Fat Pig (Trafalgar Studios), Susannah Townley in Three Hours After Marriage (Union Theatre), Mamma Mia! (Prince of Wales) and The Taming of the Shrew (Changeling Theatre Company). 

Sarah Moyle plays Pepa’s Concierge. She is probably best known for the roles Valeria Pitman in Doctors and Kimberley in Extras; other television appearances include Mount Pleasant, WPC 56, Threesome, White Van Man and Born and Bred. Sarah’s numerous stage credits include She Stoops to Conquer (National), Jerusalem (Royal Court and Apollo Theatre), An Inspector Calls (Aldwych) and Lust (Haymarket). Film credits include The Baseline and The Gunman alongside Sean Penn and Javier Bardem which will be released in 2015. 

Haydn Oakley plays Carlos. Haydn most recently played Gilbert Chilvers in the UK tour of Betty Blue Eyes. His extensive theatre credits include The Book of Mormon (Prince of Wales), Wonderful Town (2012 UK Tour), Lend Me A Tenor (Gielgud Theare), Passion (Donmar Warehouse), Spamalot (Palace Theatre), Wicked (Apollo Theatre) and We Will Rock You (Dominion Theatre). Haydn’s film credits include A Family Affair and Knock Knock. 

Jérôme Pradon from France plays Ivan. He most recently appeared in the French production of Mamma Mia! and has starred in numerous productions in the UK and abroad including Whistle Down the Wind (Aldwych Theatre), Les Misérables both in the West End and Paris, Miss Saigon, Martin Guerre, The Lord of the Rings and Pacific Overtures, for which he was nominated for a Laurence Olivier Award with the show winning Best Musical. Jérôme’s film credits include, Vatel, The Dancer and The Aristocrats. Jérôme also played the palaeontologist narrator in the hugely successful Walking With Dinosaurs.