Jake Wood has declared he is 'excited' to be sharing a stage with Cheryl in 2:22 A Ghost Story, after EastEnders star was called into replace another actor., when the hit West End production was left facing a casting chaos before its official opening night.
Ir was announced near the end of last year that Call My Name singer and Girls Aloud icon Cheryl had landed the role of Jenny in the award-winning London show, following in the footsteps of Llly Allen, Giovanna Fletcher and former Love Island host Laura Whitmore by treading the boards in the Danny Robins thriller.
Ahead of previews starting at the weekend, Cheryl had been busy in rehearsals, alongside co-stars including Hugo Chegwin, but Hugo has now left the production after becoming ill before curtain up. His departure and the arrival of Jake to take over as Ben, a role he originated when Ghost Story launched, was confirmed in a statement on Tuesday evening.
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It read: "Due to illness during the rehearsal period, Hugo Chegwin has sadly had to withdraw from the production. We are delighted to welcome Jake Wood back to the 2:22 family."
"Jake Wood was one of the original cast members of 2:22 A Ghost Story when it opened in summer 2021 at the Noel Coward Theatre, along with Lily Allen, Julia Chan and Hadley Fraser. Jake won the WhatsOnStage Award for his performance."
And now Jake himself has broken his silence on eing ack in Ghost Story and appearing with Cheryl, taking to Instagram to write: "So excited to be re-joining this amazing cast in this incredible play from this Thursday till end April"
The plot of 2:22, now playing at the Lyric Theatre, sees Cheryl's character Jenny believe her new home is haunted, but her husband Sam isn't having any of it. They argue with their first dinner guests, old friend Lauren and new partner Ben. Can the dead really walk again? Belief and scepticism clash, but something feels strange and frightening, and that something is getting closer. So they're going to stay up until 2:22….and then they'll know.
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