In print

These pages provide details of some of the printed publications - books, theatre programmes, newspapers and magazines - that have featured Lyn Paul during her long career.

Lyn Paul's dream of starring in a stage musical came true in 1997 when she was offered the lead role of Mrs. Johnstone in Willy Russell's Blood Brothers. Since then she has played the part many times in the West End and at theatres around the UK.

In 2002 Lyn starred in the West End production of Boy George's musical Taboo. The following year she lent her talents to a new musical, The Biz!, by Chris Hamel-Cooke and Charles Garland. In 2007 she starred as Vi Moore in Footloose The Musical and in 2011 she originated the role of Sophie in Rhinestone Mondays. In 2013, having brought the West End production of Blood Brothers to a close the year before, Lyn joined the cast of the Rufus Norris production of Cabaret for its UK tour. The programmes from these productions are described below.

At the end of August 2013 Lyn Paul joined the cast of Rufus Norris’s acclaimed production of Cabaret, taking the role of Fräulein Schneider, previously played by Sheila Hancock, Angela Richards, Honor Blackman and Siân Phillips.

Rufus Norris’s production of Cabaret was originally staged in the West End in 2006, with James Dreyfus as Emcee and Anna Maxwell Martin as Sally Bowles; Michael Hayden played Cliff Bradshaw, Sheila Hancock played Fräulein Schneider and Geoffrey Hutchings was Herr Schultz. Cabaret opened at the Lyric Theatre on 22nd September 2006 and ran for almost two years until 21st June 2008.

During its West End run cast changes included Julian Clary and Alistair McGowan as Emcee, Amy Nuttall and Kim Medcalf as Sally Bowles, Steven Cree as Cliff, Angela Richards and Honor Blackman as Fräulein Schneider and Barry James as Herr Schultz.

After leaving the West End Cabaret toured the UK with Wayne Sleep as Emcee and Samantha Banks and then Siobhan Dillon as Sally Bowles. The tour opened at the Birmingham Repertory Theatre on 29th August 2008 and ended the year at Malvern Theatres. After a break for Christmas the tour resumed at the Lyceum Theatre, Sheffield on 19th January 2009 and continued, with only short breaks, throughout the year. The tour came to a close at the Bristol Hippodrome on 28th November 2009.

Almost three years later the production was revived by Bill Kenwright for another much shorter UK tour and a second West End run. The 2012 revival introduced a new set and changes to the costumes, choreography, lighting and direction. As Matt Rawle, who played Cliff Bradshaw, put it: "The 2006 version was pretty dark and hard hitting... This version still has its dark moments, but they’re juxtaposed with lighter ones. There’s more of a balance." Matt Rawle, Beige).

The 2012 cast was led by Will Young, who took on the role of Emcee, with Michelle Ryan as Sally Bowles, Sian Phillips as Fräulein Schneider and Linal Haft as Herr Schultz. The tour took the show to the Churchill Theatre, Bromley; the Mayflower Theatre, Southampton; the Theatre Royal, Nottingham; the Theatre Royal, Norwich and The Lowry, Salford. It then ran at the Sacoy Theatre in London for three-and-a-half months from 3rd October 2012 to 19th January 2013.

The cast for the 2013 UK tour included several members of the cast from the 2012 tour, with Will Young as Emcee; Linal Haft as Herr Schultz; Matt Rawle as Cliff and Nicholas Tizzard as Ernst Ludwig. Siobhan Dillon (from the 2009 tour) returned as Sally Bowles and Valerie Cutko joined the cast as Fräulein Kost.

In an interview in 2020 Lyn Paul recalled her audition for the role of Fräulein Schneider: "I just got an email from Bill [Kenwright] and he said: 'Do you fancy playing Fräulein Schneider in 'Cabaret'? And I said: 'Yeah, great, if you think I can do it, absolutely... He said: 'Come in beforehand and we'll go through the script and we'll go through the song. And I was going through 'What Would You Do?' and he just kept stopping me, saying 'Lyn, where are the tears?... I want the tears now!' It was really quite stressful but he got me through it." (Interview with Michael Bentley and Jonny Weston, 8th April 2020, M-XCLOUD)

UK Tour 2013

New Wimbledon Theatre, Wimbledon
Wednesday, 28th - Saturday, 31st August 2013

Empire Theatre, Liverpool
Monday, 2nd - Saturday, 7th September 2013

Opera House, Manchester
Monday, 9th - Saturday, 14th September 2013

Bristol Hippodrome
Tuesday, 17th - Saturday, 21st September 2013

Alhambra Theatre, Bradford
Monday, 23rd - Saturday, 28th September 2013

Congress Theatre, Eastbourne
Tuesday, 1st - Saturday, 5th October 2013

Opera House, Blackpool
Tuesday, 15th - Saturday, 19th October 2013

King's Theatre, Edinburgh
Monday, 21st - Saturday, 26th October 2013

Gaiety Theatre, Dublin
Tuesday, 29th October - Saturday, 2nd November 2013

New Theatre, Oxford
Tuesday, 5th - Saturday, 9th November 2013

Assembly Hall Theatre, Tunbridge Wells
Tuesday, 12th - Saturday, 16th November 2013

New Theatre, Hull
Monday, 18th - Saturday, 23rd November 2013

Grand Theatre, Wolverhampton
Tuesday, 26th - Saturday, 30th November 2013

Broadway Theatre, Peterborough
Monday, 2nd - Saturday, 7th December 2013