Cilla The Musical looks for star as it gets set to open in Blackpool

Based on the Bafta Award-winning ITV mini-series, a new musical about the life of Cilla Black will come to the Blackpool Opera House this October.

The son of the late Cilla Black, Robert Willis, will be executive producer of the show, which is also being produced by Bill Kenwright and Laurie Mansfield.

The story follows the extraordinary life of a teenage girl from Liverpool called Priscilla White, and her rocky yet incredible rise to fame. By the age of just 25 she was recognised as international singing star Cilla Black; by the age of 30 she had become Britain’s favourite television entertainer, hosting series’ of Blind Date, Surprise Surprise and many more.

The musical score will be the ultimate soundtrack to the ‘60s, including Cilla’s greatest hits Anyone Who Had a Heart, Alfie and Something Tells Me, alongside a backdrop of the legendary “Liverpool Sound” hits, including the Beatles’ Twist and Shout, and American influences like California Dreamin and many more.

The announcement that Cilla will come to Blackpool this year coincides with the news that producers will hold national open auditions in the hunt to discover their star, much like in the same way the Cilla herself was plucked from obscurity before becoming the iconic Liverpudlian songbird.

Reckon you could play Cilla on stage? Take a listen to the incredible Heatwave below and get those vocal chords warmed up.