CBBC presenter announced as lead for Madagascar musical coming to the Waterside Theatre

A BBC presenter has been announced as the lead in a musical coming to the Waterside Theatre this autumn.

Karim Zeroual is starring in Madagascar The Musical which comes to the Aylesbury venue from Wednesday 15 November until Saturday 18 November.

Karim, who is also known for reaching the final of Strictly Come Dancing, is playing King Julien.

In television he has hosted BBC’s Young Dancer of the Year and BBC Four’s Dance Passion as well as fronting events with the BBC National Orchestra. In 2020, he presented BBC Bitesize, educating the nation’s children during lockdown. He could also be seen in numerous TV shows, including EastEnders, Da Vinci’s Demons and The Sparticle Mystery, alongside reality shows including Celebrity Best Home Cook on BBC One and Celebs Go Dating.

He is also no stranger to the stage, Karim’s West End performances include Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, The Lion King and Here Come The Boys.

He said: “I’m really excited, I love the film dearly, it’s one of my favourites. King Julien is such an iconic character I’m looking forward to getting down and ‘winding my body!’ to Move it Move it! Theatre is actually my one true love. I trained at theatre school and started my career in the West End. I’ve been doing a lot of TV recently so coming back to theatre feels like coming home. There’s nothing like a live audience in front of you. I really can’t wait.”

Ticketing information can be found on the Ambassador Theatre Group website here.

Based on the smash DreamWorks animated motion picture, Madagascar – The Musical, follows the friends as they escape from their home in New York’s Central Park Zoo and find themselves on an unexpected journey to the madcap world of Madagascar.

Alex the lion is the king of the urban jungle, the main attraction at New York’s Central Park Zoo. He and his best friends – Marty the zebra, Melman the giraffe and Gloria the hippo – have spent their whole lives in blissful captivity before an admiring public and with regular meals provided for them.

Not content to leave well enough alone, Marty lets his curiosity get the better of him and makes his escape to explore the world.