'Perry the Plague Rat’ was my initial inspiration for BUMBLESCRATCH and the first character I created. He’s an orphan child and a catalyst for the journey through London that the title character, Melbourne Bumblescratch, takes us on.
For the workshop of BUMBLESCRATCH in 2013, we auditioned 50 boys; amongst the three called back were Sebastian Croft, who we later cast, and Ilan Galkoff. Ilan was terrific – he sang like an angel – but at that point he was too young.
I’ve stayed in touch with his family and asked him to audition again this time. He’s now the perfect age to take on the role, plus he really looks the part of this vulnerable street urchin, is a pitch-perfect singer and a wonderful actor with an incredibly impressive CV for a 12-year-old. I can’t wait to see him play Perry.
Ilan completes the four leads, appearing alongside adult actors Darren Day as Melbourne, Michael Xavier as Hookbeard and Jessica Martin as Bethesda / Widow MacGregor. This is, in fact, the second time that Ilan will star alongside Jessica in the West End this year: he played her son in Elf The Musical at the Dominion Theatre to great success in January.
You can find out more about Ilan and the rest of the BUMBLESCRATCH cast announced today on the show website.
