Harrison Wilde, a Dubai student, has been cast in Mamma Mia! on London's West End.
Until 2014, Wilde studied at Jumeirah English Speaking School (JESS), but moved to the UK to study at performing arts school, Laine Theatre Arts. This week, having graduated from Laine, the 21-year-old Wilde has landed a role in the musical, Mamma Mia!.
"Mamma Mia! has a long and wonderful history on the West End and I am extremely proud and privileged to have been selected after many rounds of auditions," Wilde told The National. "The show has a real feel-good factor to it, and every night [it] feels like you are having a great party on a Greek island in front of an enthusiastic audience. I am lucky and proud to be doing this show with an incredibly talented cast of performers, so it is going to be fabulous fun on stage every night!"
Wilde is now based in London and is set to play cover for Eddie and Pepper, as well as play an ensemble role.
The musical, based around Swedish pop group Abba's many hits, all of which has since been adapted into a movie starring Meryl Streep, Pierce Brosnan, and Amanda Seyfried. The sequel, Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again, was released last year.
"We couldn’t be more proud of Harrison who left JESS for the UK in 2014 and absolutely thrilled that all his hard work has paid off," JESS said of Wilde on the alumni Instagram page.
The performer began his training in Dubai at Diverse Choreography Performing Arts School. In 2015 he moved to the UK to study at Vanessa Goldborn School of Dance, before moving to Laine Theatre Arts.
"I have been a performer for as long as I can remember," Wilde added. "From my early school days at the Jumeirah English Speaking Schools (JESS) in Dubai, both Primary and Secondary, performing has always been at the centre of who I am ... although I didn't start dancing properly and learning about musical theatre until I was 13, which then made me realise this is the career I wanted."
Mamma Mia! has had a long and successful run. Last month marked the musical's 20th anniversary on London's West End. It is currently the seventh longest-running show in West End history, and the ninth-longest running show on Broadway.
