Wigan musician cast in debut role as Paul Simon in huge theatre show

Adam Dickinson will play Paul Simon in the upcoming tour of The Simon and Garfunkel Story, a concert-style theatre show about the early years of the famous duo’s careers in New York City.

The 23-year-old, who hails from Ashton, will join the new crop of performers who will be taking over from the current cast when their tour ends at the end of this year.

Adam will be making his professional debut playing the iconic figure, having trained at the Guildford School of Acting after his time at the University of Central Lancashire.

And he admitted that, after 18 months of unsuccessful auditions after graduating from acting school, he was close to calling time on his pursuit of a stage career.

“I was feeling really low, and I said I’d give myself five more auditions, then call it a day. It was brutal. Then I got this audition and I gave it my all.”

He was left “absolutely speechless” when he got the call from his agent to say he’d been cast as Paul Simon, alongside Kingsley Judd who will be playing Art Garfunkel.

Adam and Kingsley act as narrators for the show, as well as stepping into the roles of the musical duo to perform 29 of their greatest hits.

And Adam has been thoroughly preparing for the role. Not only has he been rehearsing Simon and Garfunkel’s music, but he has spent weeks scrutinising videos of Paul Simon’s performances and interviews, in a bid to capture his every mannerism and body language.

He said: “The guitar was the hardest part for me. Paul Simon is an absolute genius on guitar, so it’s been hard picking up his patterns and getting it correct, to do it justice.

“His accent as well. When he sings, he has the American twang, but he sounds quite British at some points, so getting his accent right has been quite a challenge.”

Adam would be forgiven for pointing to any acting legend as his role model, but it’s his mother Janet who he cites as his inspiration.

She said: “I am the proudest mum in Wigan. With this being his first professional show, I am bursting with pride.”

The tour will kick off in Dublin in January 2019, before heading on a tour of the UK and Europe, which starts in Liverpool.

For Janet and the rest of Adam’s family, they will be able watch him in action when the show comes to The Edge, in Wigan next July.

“The Liverpool and Wigan shows, they’re the ones I’m most looking forward to,” Adam said.

“I’m a massive family person, so I just want my mum and gran to come and see it and be proud.”

Adam also wished to thank Dean Elliott, the show’s director, and his former teachers for their “massive help” over the years.

Using state of the art video projection and a full live band, The Simon & Garfunkel Story is described as “a moving and powerful concert” featuring all the hits such as Mrs Robinson, Bridge

Over Troubled Water, Homeward Bound, Scarborough Fair, The Boxer, The Sound Of Silence and many more.

To buy tickets and to find out more, visit thesimonandgarfunkelstory.com