Musical theatre actor Anna-Jane Casey prepares for her role as Judy Garland in the upcoming stage production Judy – End of the RainbowMake-up artist Val Sherlock and Anna-Jane Casey at the Mill Studio in Dublin as the actress prepares for her performance as Hollywood star Judy Garland. Photograph: Nick Bradshaw Nick BradshawSat May 23 2026 - 06:00 • 2 MIN READ“Judy has entered the building,” said Anna-Jane Casey as she exited the dressingroom of the Mill Studio in Harold’s Cross, Dublin. The Lancashire actor and musical-theatre veteran transformed into the Old Hollywood star Judy Garland on Monday after an intense hair and make-up session in preparation for a promotional photo shoot for the musical Judy – End of the Rainbow. Written by Peter Quilter, and directed by Conor Hanratty, Judy – End of the Rainbow follows Garland in the final months of her life as she struggles to complete a run of concerts at the Talk of the Town in London. Speaking about playing the star of The Wizard of Oz, Casey said: “When we think of Judy Garland, we tend to think of her at the beginning of her career or at the end when she was 47 and haggard. There’s a big difference between singing Somewhere Over the Rainbow as a wide-eyed teenager versus when you are battling drug addiction. “‘If little blue birds can fly above a rainbow / Why, oh why can’t I?’ That has two very different meanings depending on which stage of her life she is singing at.” It’s a role that Casey is looking forward to taking on. She is currently reading up on Garland’s life and watching her final film, I Could Go On Singing, in which Garland plays an ageing starlet. Judy – End of the Rainbow will run at the Everyman Theatre, Cork from July 27th-September 5th; the Gaiety Theatre, Dublin from September 8th-19th and The Grand Opera House, Belfast from September 23rd-26th.Actor Anna-Jane Casey. Photograph: Nick Bradshaw Anna-Jane Casey plays Judy Garland in Judy – End of the Rainbow. Photograph: Nick Bradshaw Val Sherlock and Anna-Jane Casey. Photograph: Nick Bradshaw Anna-Jane Casey prepares for her role as Judy Garland in the upcoming stage production Judy – End of the Rainbow. Photograph: Nick Bradshaw Anna-Jane Casey prepares for her role as Judy Garland in the upcoming stage production Judy – End of the Rainbow. Photograph: Nick Bradshaw Anna-Jane Casey prepares for her role as Judy Garland in the upcoming stage production Judy – End of the Rainbow. Photograph: Nick Bradshaw Anna-Jane Casey prepares for her role as Judy Garland in the upcoming stage production Judy – End of the Rainbow. Photograph: Nick Bradshaw Anna-Jane Casey plays Judy Garland in Judy – End of the Rainbow. Photograph: Nick Bradshaw Anna-Jane Casey plays Judy Garland in Judy – End of the Rainbow. Photograph: Nick Bradshaw