When McBusted's Matt Willis read The Christmasaurus novel written by his close pal Tom Fletcher, he had no idea a year later he would be casted to play The Hunter for The Christmasaurus Live on stage at the Eventim Apollo, London. "I was very familiar with the story and I loved it, we sat down and did a read through of the script and listened to the songs, I was like wow. This is so much better than what Tom normally does," laughed the 34-year-old as HELLO! caught up with him and the rest of the cast from The Christmasaurus Live.
The Christmasaurus Live – written by Tom Fletcher – sees McBusted singer and 2011's Strictly Come Dancing winner Harry Judd starring in the cast. And when Tom asked Harry to two-step his way through the show, he was of course more than happy to jump at the offer. "Well we weren’t doing anything else," laughed the 31-year-old. "And Ore Oduba wasn’t free so…" he jokingly added.
Tom Fletcher has enlisted wife Giovanna and friends Matt Willis and Harry Judd to star in The Christmasaurus Live
And it doesn't end there for celebrity faces. Tom's wife Giovanna will be playing Mrs. Payne, a potential love interest to the main character Bob Trundle – played by Tom – while Tom's sister Carrie Fletcher plays Brenda Payne. Giovanna, who will be singing a number of solos throughout the show, talks about getting prepared for the big night. "I felt nervous even just doing the first run, I felt really nervous about it I was like 'come on let’s do this'. So I wonder what I feel like when there is an audience there," she said. "But people always say your love of theatre, you know it's gone when you don't feel that buzz," and Giovanna certainly still has it.
MORE: Giovanna Fletcher reveals sweet Christmas tradition with sons Buzz and Buddy
With a full orchestra on stage four times the size of most West End shows, and a special appearance from Father Christmas, The Christmasaurus Live will certainly bring the festive cheer as it leads up to Christmas Eve. "We booked Santa up early. A soon as Tom wrote the play we were like let’s give him a call," Giovanna said.
Pick up an issue of this week's HELLO! magazine to see the full feature.The Christmasaurus: Live on Stage runs 21-28 December. Visit eventimapollo.com/events/detail/the-christmasaurus-live-on-stage