City of Angels stars Theo James, Vanessa Williams and Nicola Roberts sing in behind-the-scenes videos

The star-studded cast of City of Angels are getting ready to hit the West End stage next month, and director Josie Rourke has offered a behind-the-scenes peek at their rehearsals.

Theo James, Vanessa Williams, Nicola Roberts and Rosalie Craig are among the big names Rourke has assembled for the musical, with video snippets showing their first meeting with the band.

While Williams is no stranger to the world of musical theatre, this will be the first time many have heard James singing, and he performs here in duets with Williams and Hadley Fraser.

The first meeting between cast and band – the technical term is “the Sitzprobe” – also sees the show’s original stars Craig and Rebecca Trehearn sing belting solos.

Former Girls Aloud star Nicola Roberts, who recently won the first series of The Masked Singer, also offers a stunning performance.

City of Angels originally ran at the Donmar Warehouse five years ago, when it won two Olivier Awards. It is a love letter to Hollywood and film noir, weaving two stories together: one of a writer trying to compose a screenplay and the other of the characters he is writing.

This will be Rourke’s first show since stepping down as artistic director of the Donmar.