Backstage With... (Mikey Worrall)

Daniel Boys is currently playing Marvin in Falsettos at The Other Palace, just around the corner from where he saw his first West End musical as a child, Starlight Express, at the Apollo Victoria.

After graduating from Guildford School of Acting, Daniel appeared in Rent, Sunset Boulevard and Grease before auditioning for the BBC’s Any Dream Will Do, the search for a man to play Joseph in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. He made it through to the live show stage and was the seventh contestant to leave the programme.

Daniel went on to star in I Love You Because, at the Landor Theatre, before landing the leading role of Princeton and Rod in the West End production of Avenue Q.

Since then he’s performed in numerous concerts and appeared in shows including Ordinary Days, Peter Pan, Spamalot and Nativity! The Musical.

We had a conversation in a basement dressing room at The Other Palace where a giant inflatable unicorn was being stored.

Falsettos is running at The Other Palace until 23rd November 2019.

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Jon Robyns is about to take on the role of Jean Valjean in the new production of Les Misérables which is due to open at the newly renamed and renovated Sondheim Theatre in December. 

Jon is currently playing King George III in the West End production of Hamilton at the Victoria Palace Theatre. He will handover to an as yet unnamed heir in the coming months before moving across town to Shaftesbury Avenue to tell another revolutionary tale.

Jon’s many theatrical credits include Marius and Enjolras in Les Misérables, Robbie in The Wedding Singer, Emmett in Legally Blonde, Eddie in Sister Act, Caractacus Potts in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, Alternate Huey in Memphis and Jamie in The Last Five Years.

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Layton Williams is currently playing the title role in Everybody’s Talking About Jamie in the West End.

At the age of 24 he has been working in showbusiness for more than half his life. After going to an open audition in Manchester for Billy Elliot at 12 years old he was swept away to ‘Billy School’ before playing the role in the West End. That lead to a part in the BBC series Beautiful People, alongside Olivia Colman.

Layton trained at Italia Conti Academy of Theatre Arts and has since worked with Sir Matthew Bourne and appeared in productions of Rent, Hairspray and Kiss Me Kate. He can also be seen in the three series of Bad Education which was also made into a film.

As well as performing eight shows a week, Layton has his own dance academy and works with the charity Stonewall on LGBTQ education and inclusion.

We recorded this episode in Layton’s dressing room a few days after the Olivier Awards. We talked about taking over the role from his best friend John McCrea, how he had to go back into the closet after going back to school in Greater Manchester after Billy Elliot, and being taught to knit by Olivia Colman.

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Jonathan Bailey is currently playing Jamie in the West End production of Company at the Gielgud Theatre. 
 The part, originally Amy, is one of five roles in the show that’s been gender-flipped. In this episode Jonny talks about how the show was modernised during the workshop process, the importance of queer roles existing without social commentary and how shy he went whilst working with Stephen Sondheim.

To find out about the upcoming gala performance of Company in aid of the LGBTQ+ charity, Albert Kennedy Trust, click here.  

You can buy tickets to Company on TodayTix here. 

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Matt Henry is currently starring as Sam Cooke in One Night in Miami at Nottingham Playhouse.

He’s best known for appearing on the second series of The Voice UK and originating the role of Lola in the West End production of Kinky Boots for which he won the Olivier Award for Best Actor in a Musical.

Matt was also honoured with an MBE for services to musical theatre in the Queen’s New Years Honours List in 2017.

Matt trained at the Urdang Academy after completing his degree in Sociology. He left his course early to join the West End production of The Lion King as Swing/1st cover Simba. He’s since appeared in Saturday Night Fever, Hair, Miss Saigon and Avenue Q.

We recorded this episode during rehearsals in Nottingham for One Night in Miami. The play is set on the night Mohammed Ali became heavyweight champion of the world and celebrated with his friends the activist Malcolm X, American football star Jim Brown and the soul singer Sam Cooke.

One Night in Miami is running at Nottingham Playhouse from June 7th to 22nd. It will also tour to Bristol Old Vic (June 25th to 29th) and Manchester Home (July 2nd to 5th).

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Sara Bareilles and Gavin Creel are getting ready to join the cast of Waitress the musical in London's West End for six weeks from 27th January.

Sara Bareilles wrote the music and lyrics for the show and has previously played Jenna for three engagements on Broadway, most recently alongside Gavin Creel.

Gavin returns to London as a Tony award winner (Hello Dolly!), after winning the Olivier award for best actor in a musical for The Book of Mormon, in which he originated the role of Elder Price in the London production.

He made his West End debut in 2006 as Bert in the original West End production of Mary Poppins.

To see what happened when on stage with Sara and Gavin, head to our YouTube channel to see the full video. Just search for Backstage With... Podcast.

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Declan Bennett is currently starring in Striking 12 at the Union Theatre in Southwark. Since 2000 he’s been seen in shows including Taboo, Rent, American Idiot, Once and Jesus Christ Superstar, as well as having a stint in BBC’s EastEnders.

In this interview he spoke for the first time about leaving the UK tour Taboo after a cancer diagnosis led to panic attacks on stage. He quit the business for two years until, after getting the all clear, an audition for Avenue Q led to a nine month U.S. tour of Rent, in which he played Roger.

Having spent a few years working in New York, Declan came home to star in Once where he was eventually noticed by the producers of EastEnders who offered him the part of Charlie Cotton.

In 2016, he starred as Jesus in the Olivier award winning production of Jesus Christ Superstar at Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre - a role he reprised in the same production a year later.

Now he’s working on more of his own material that might soon be seen on stage.

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Rebecca Trehearn has one of the most beautifully unique voices in British musical theatre. A wealth of credits to her name, she won the Olivier for Best Supporting Actress in a Musical in 2017 for Showboat.

Rebecca’s currently starring in Sweet Charity at Nottingham Playhouse. She kindly took some time out of her busy rehearsals last month to have a chat with me about all the shows she’s been in, and the ones still on her to-do list.

I first saw Rebecca as a lead in Ghost in 2012 when she covered the role of Molly in the West End (a role she later played in her own right on tour). She told me how that show helped her through her own grief of losing a loved one.

You can see Rebecca in Sweet Charity at Nottingham Playhouse until 22nd September 2018.

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Christie Prades is currently starring as Gloria in On Your Feet the musical, which you may have guessed is all about Gloria Estefan.

We recorded this episode in her dressing room at the London Coliseum almost three years to the day since Christie made her broadway debut as Gloria.

Now she’s come over to the UK to do the show after covering the role in New York and playing it on tour for two years in the US. She’s handing over the part to Philippa Stefani at the end of this run when the show embarks on a UK tour.

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150 days after the chandelier fell, we're talking about what the future holds for The Phantom of the Opera after the announcement the original production will not reopen after lockdown. 

A new physical production of the original will reopen at some point in the future, after major renovation work at Her Majesty's Theatre.

In this two-part special, Mikey speaks to the most recent actors to play the Phantom and Christine in the West End production.

Click here to sign the petition to support the four pillar plan for recovery in the performing arts & entertainment.

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Alexia Khadime was the first woman of colour in the world to be cast as the principal Elphaba in Wicked. 

She's also known for playing Nabalungi in the original London cast of The Book of Mormon, Eponine in Les Miserables, and Nala in The Lion King.

This episode was recorded prior to the announcement of the Government's arts rescue package. 

We discussed the issue of race and how it relates to the theatre industry at length. #BlackLivesMatter

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Lucas Rush has one of the most varied CVs of any musical theatre actor. He’s currently performing in I Wish My Life Were Like a Musical at The Crazy Coqs at Zedel in London at the same time as rehearsing for the upcoming tour of Rock of Ages in which he’ll be playing Lonny.

Since he started acting at seven-years-old Lucas has performed in Tosca, Peter Pan, Les Miserables, Fame, We Will Rock You, Grease, Jesus Christ Superstar, Saturday Night Fever and American Idiot - to name a few.

In this episode we talked all about the shows he’s done as well as addressing the collapse of the UK tour of Thoroughly Modern Millie in which he played Mrs Meers on top of being the resident director.

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This week's guest is Carley Stenson who's currently starring the UK tour of Curtains, the musical comedy. 

After 10 years in Hollyoaks, Carley moved into theatre where she's remained ever since. She's played Elle Woods in Legally Blonde, Princess Fiona in Shrek, The Lady of the Lake in Spamalot as well as appearing in Dirty Rotten Scoundrels and, most recently, as Fantine in Les Miserables. 

We had a chat at the New Wimbledon Theatre in January when the show was back on the road after its West End transfer over Christmas. 

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Ricardo Afonso is currently playing Judas Iscariot in Jesus Christ Superstar, a reincarnation of the 2016 Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre production at the Barbican. The show had a second run at Regent’s Park in 2017 after it won the Olivier Award for best musical revival, played Chicago in 2018, and will tour the US later this year.

The show, which was originally written as a rock opera album, is about the days leading up to the crucifixion of Jesus Christ.

This particular production has received rave reviews each year it’s run in London. Apart from the fact this version is playing at an indoor venue, the only real difference is the casting, including the actors playing Jesus and Judas who are both new to the show.

Ricardo was actually offered the part in 2016 but had to pull out of the production for health reasons. He moved home to Portugal for three years before coming back to London earlier this year to finally play the part he has longed for his whole career.

Many of the reviews of this year’s run have singled Ricardo out as the ‘absolute standout’ and ‘vocal master’, with ‘soaring vocals’ making him ‘the star of the show’.

We met up at the Barbican one lunchtime, shortly before a midweek matinee.

Ricardo filled me in on what happened in 2016, why he had to move his family to Portugal while he recovered and how much he hoped this production would come back and give him another chance to play Judas.

No stranger to the West End, you may also have seen Ricardo as Galileo in We Will Rock You, Top Hat and Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown.

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Reflecting on the reopening night of Come From Away in the West End.

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Best known as the first British Elphaba in Wicked, Kerry Ellis made her name as the one of the most popular actors in musical theatre.

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Stephen Schwartz is an Oscar, Grammy, Golden Globe and Honorary Tony award winning composer and lyricist.

His work has spanned six decades and includes Wicked, Godspell, Pippin, The Baker’s Wife, and London’s newest musical, The Prince of Egypt, which is based on the 1998 Dreamworks animated film. 

Stephen also wrote the lyrics for the Disney films Pocahontas, The Hunchback of Notre Dame and Enchanted, on which he collaborated with the composer Alan Menken. 

We recorded this conversation in a dressing room at the Dominion Theatre a few days before The Prince of Egypt's opening night. 

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Hayden Tee is currently terrorising children in the West End as Miss Trunchball in Matilda the Musical.

Matilda is his favourite musical and Trunch is his ultimate role so he’s very excited to be doing the show London.

Hayden is originally from New Zealand but has worked extensively in Australia, the UK and the US. He played Javert in the most recent Broadway revival of Les Mis before reprising the role in Dubai and London. He also played Marius in 2005 not long after the show moved to the Queen’s Theatre from the Palace Theatre.

Having appeared in both the original and the 2009 production that will replace the original in the West End later this year, he has a strong opinion on getting rid of the revolve and modernising the show.

He’s just finished working on another album which will be out soon. You can follow Hayden on Twitter and Instagram. Don’t forget to subscribe and follow the podcast on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. You can buy tickets to Matilda and all your favourite shows at TodayTix

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Marisha Wallace is currently playing Effie White in the West End production of Dreamgirls. We had a chat in her dressing room at the Savoy Theatre about her work on Broadway, bringing the show to London and the moment she first performed And I Am Telling You on the West End stage.

Marisha also told me why she thinks Playbills should be introduced in London so audiences know who they’re seeing on stage without having to pay for a programme.

You can catch her in the show until it closes on 12th January 2019.

Thanks to Lewis Jenkins for making this one happen.

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Stephen has worked in casting for over 20 years.

During that time he’s been the casting director for Mamma Mia! London and UK Tour productions, and has been casting consultant on productions in Germany, Holland, Norway, Italy, Spain and Russia.

His many other shows include Jerry Springer – The Opera, Chicago, Hairspray, and Mrs Henderson Presents.

He works alongside David Grindrod who used to be Andrew Lloyd Webber’s in-house casting director, and who went on to set up David Grindrod Associates casting agency.

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Gavin Lee is an Drama Desk award winner, Olivier award nominee, and two-time Tony nominee. 

He's best known for creating the role of Bert in the original West End, Broadway and U.S. touring productions of Mary Poppins, and originating the role of Squidward in SpongeBob SquarePants the Musical on Broadway. 

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Andy Mientus is currently playing Patrick in The View UpStairs at the Soho Theatre in London.

Andy is thrilled to be making his London theatre debut, it’s something he’s wanted to do for a long time.

You might know him from the TV shows Smash, The Flash and Gone. He also played Marius in the recent broadway revival of Les Miserables, and Hanschen in the original US touring production of Spring Awakening. Andy played that role for a second time in the Broadway transfer of the Deaf West production of the show which he co-created with his now-husband, actor and director Michael Arden.

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Lara Martins played Carlotta in Phantom in the West End for a record-breaking six years. She's here to talk about her new album, Canção, which is available to stream now.

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James Meunier is currently touring the UK in Sunset Boulevard.

James is a musical theatre singer and actor. He trained at the Royal Academy of Music in London and has since appeared in a variety of theatre productions in the UK and across the world.

He's also sung with Elton John at the Royal Albert Hall and performed with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra.

In this episode he talks to Mikey Worrall about getting emotional at a car chase, the song that’s followed him through his career and what it’s like to understudy a star.

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Summer Strallen has been singing, dancing and acting since she was three-years-old. Growing up as the niece of Bonnie Langford and the daughter of Sandy Strallen and Cherida Langford, there was never any doubt Summer and her three sisters would follow them into showbusiness.

Summer has worked extensively in musical theatre, most recently appearing as Inga in Young Frankenstein in the West End, as well as playing Meg Giry in the original production of Love Never Dies and taking over from Connie Fisher as Maria in The Sound of Music.

Having recently made her directorial debut Above The Stag, Summer is trying to work outside her comfort zone. That’s how she ended up in Intra Muros at Park Theatre in north London.

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Samuel Edwards (Billy Crocker in Anything Goes) is here to talk about being back on stage after the pandemic, playing opposite Broadway star and two-time Tony winner Sutton Foster, and why he'll always feel sentimental about Ghost. 

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Savannah Stevenson is currently playing Marmee in Little Women at the Park Theatre in north London. 

Find out which song she was fearful of, why she wants people to leave Little Women wanting to call their mum, and the scene in which she'd love to make a cameo appearance in the film adaptation of Wicked.

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After writing to one of the UK’s top casting directors, Pippa Ailion, at 14-years-old, Lucy May Barker bagged the role of Ilsa in the original London production of Spring Awakening. The show opened at the Lyric Hammersmith before transferring to the Novello Theatre in the West End.

Sadly, the show didn’t get the ticket sales it deserved and closed within a few months of transferring.

Since then Lucy has built a career in theatre having appeared in plays at the National, the Chichester Festival Theatre production of Sweeney Todd, alongside Michael Ball and Imelda Staunton, and most recently in MAMMA MIA!

Having spent three years playing Sophie in the UK and international touring production, Lucy is now doing it eight times a week at the Novello Theatre in the West End where the show is currently celebrating its 20th anniversary, making it one of the longest running productions in history.

You can follow Lucy on Twitter and Instagram.

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It sure feels good to be back in your podcast feed. Are you ready for a new series of conversations with your favourite theatre people?

First up is Kayi Ushe who's preparing to play Simba in The Lion King when the show reopens in the West End. You may have seen him as Lola on the UK tour of Kinky Boots or during his four-year stint in The Book of Mormon.

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Caroline Sheen is currently playing Violet in 9 to 5 the musical in the West End.

She joined the original cast of the production after Louise Redknapp injured her wrist, giving her only a week to learn the show before having to perform it.

Over the years Caroline has starred in Mary Poppins (UK and US tours), City of Angels, Les Miserables (as Eponine and Fantine), The Witches of Eastwick, Mamma Mia, Into the Woods and Grease - to name a few.

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West End Wilma is one of the biggest theatre blogs in the land. More than 20,000 people read it and have watched videos of fan favourites having tea with Wilma.

Wilma first emerged as a character in 2012 before Ed Baker revealed himself as the man behind it all in early 2017. What started out as a hobby has since become his full-time job and business.

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Chances are you've seen Melanie La Barrie in at least one show in the last 20 years.

She's developed and appeared in a number of shows including the original productions of Mary Poppins, Matilda and & Juliet. She also played Ursula in the London pre-Broadway workshop of The Little Mermaid and on top of all of that somehow found time to complete full contracts in Les Miserables and Wicked. 

Prior to lockdown, Melanie was playing Nurse in & Juliet at the Shaftesbury Theatre, a role she'll return to when the show reopens in 2021.

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Peter Hannah talks about playing the Wolf and Cinderella's Prince in the first major UK production of a Stephen Sondheim musical since the composer/lyricist's death in November 2021.

Into the Woods is playing at the Lyric Theatre, Belfast, until Sunday 27th February 2022. For tickets: https://lyrictheatre.co.uk/whats-on/into-the-woods

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Rebecca Lock is one of my absolute favourite actors. She is currently stealing the show in Heathers at the Theatre Royal Haymarket in the West End. A show she’s been with since its first London workshop in 2017, through its run at The Other Palace earlier this year before its transfer.

Among her credits are both the title role and Mrs Banks in Mary Poppins (not at the same time), Kate Monster and Lucy the Slut in Avenue Q (at the same time), Carlotta in Phantom of the Opera and Bertrande in Martin Guerre.

In this episode we talked about working with Carrie Hope Fletcher, how the devoted Heathers fans go to an incredible effort to dress up as their favourite characters, and how she picks her Steve every night (if you know, you know).

You can see Rebecca as Ms Fleming in Heathers until 3rd November 2018. The show continues at the Theatre Royal Haymarket until 24th November.

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Sharon Sexton reflects on her time playing Sloane in Bat Out of Hell: The Musical including her single audition for the part, creating the show ("Please can we have a shower in the set?") and how the company celebrated the life and legacy of Meatloaf after his death in January 2022.

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This week’s guest lifted the Strictly Come Dancing glitterball alongside the Olympic Gymnast Louis Smith back in 2012.

Over the last eight years Flavia has co-created, co-choreographed and starred in four theatre productions with her professional dance partner, Vincent Simone. They've clocked up six tours, two West End transfers, and two Olivier award nominations for family entertainment.

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Whose Mind is it Anyway? is a theatrical experience combining hypnosis, improv and movie musicals.

My guests this week are the creators of the show, Michelle and Simon. They’ve taken the show to the Edinburgh Festival where it’s running at Gilded Balloon’s Patter Hoose.

We recorded this episode in Michelle’s voiceover booth, which was extremely cosy, on one of the hottest days of the year so far.

Click here for tickets to the show. If you can’t make it to Edinburgh this summer, then you can catch Whose Mind is it Anyway? on tour later this year.

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Miriam-Teak Lee is the WhatsOnStage award winning, Olivier nominated star of & Juliet the musical. 

The show won six WhatsOnStage awards and has been nominated for nine Oliviers. 

Mikey Worrall chats to Miriam-Teak in her dressing room at the Shaftesbury Theatre.

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Rachel John is currently playing Mrs Neilsen in Girl from the North Country at the Gielgud Theatre in the West End. 

You may have previously seen her as Angelica in the Original London Cast of Hamilton, for which she received an Olivier nomination. Her other credits include The Bodyguard, Memphis, We Will Rock You and Sister Act. 

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It’s 25 years since Melissa Jacques left Sheffield to pursue her musical theatre dreams in London. 

A year-long course at the London School of Musical Theatre led her to summer seasons, pantomimes and rep work where she cut her teeth before she joined the original cast of Mamma Mia. That’s where Melissa says she grew up and really learned her trade.

This autumn she was promoted to the role of Margaret, one of the roles she previously understudied, in Everybody’s Talking About Jamie, after joining the show as a standby last summer.

You can follow Backstage With… on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook to find out which stage door we’re going through next.

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Rachael Wooding is currently on the road in the UK tour of Fat Friends the musical. Her extensive CV lists shows like We Will Rock You, which she did twice, Hairspray and the title role in Evita. We talked for ages all about the shows she’s done. But we started, in true British style, by talking about the traffic and problems on our journeys into Leeds where we met at Leeds Grand Theatre back in November. 

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Michael James Scott is in London to play the Genie in Aladdin over the summer. Trevor Dion Nicholas has gone home to Pittsburgh to play his hometown on the US tour so he and Michael have swapped for a short run.

Michael has incredible stories of being taught by old school Broadway stars including Ben Vereen, Julie Andrews and Gwen Verdon as well as working in shows such as Tarzan, Hair and The Book of Mormon.

He’s very excited to go for afternoon tea in London - something he discovered when he was over here with the Broadway cast of Hair in 2010.

You can see Michael in Aladdin in the West End until 30th September.

With thanks to Hannah Clapham, Sam Montague and The Corner Shop PR.

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Clive Carter is one of the Olivier award nominated stars of Come From Away.

He was in the original cast of Les Miserables at the Barbican, created the role of Raoul in Phantom of the Opera (while it was in development at Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Sydmonton estate), and he was part of the original West End cast of Into the Woods.

Clive has been working as an actor since 1975 and is one of a handful of actors who has seamlessly switched between Shakespearean plays to big budget musicals.

Come From Away is about what happened when the US airspace was closed on 9/11. 38 planes were forced to land at Gander airport on a Canadian island called Newfoundland. The 7,000 people from those planes were taken in and looked after by the people of Gander and nearby towns for five days before the planes were allowed to take off again.

I’ve done a few episodes on the show before when I’ve been able to have a quick chat with Clive but I really wanted to have a proper conversation with him to talk about his career in more detail.

If you enjoy this episode then subscribe to make sure you never miss a new one.

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Jeremy Taylor is currently playing Raoul in Phantom of the Opera at Her Majesty’s Theatre in the West End.

Many of you will know Jeremy from his time as Fiyero in the West End production of Wicked. Since graduating from Guildford School of Acting, he’s also appeared in The Sound of Music at the London Palladium and on tour, Evita and We Will Rock You.

We chatted in his dressing room about his journey to the West End, how he copes with awkward stage door moments and the Plan Bs for when things go wrong in the show.

The Phantom of the Opera is currently booking at Her Majesty’s Theatre until October 2019.

If you’re a Phan of the show, have a listen to my chat with Amy Manford, the alternate Christine in the show.

Don’t forget to subscribe and follow the podcast on Twitter at @backstage_with and Instagram at @backstagewithpodcast for an extra look behind the scenes. There’s even more deliciously stagey content at backstagewith.com

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Francesca Moody is best known as the original producer of the multi-award-winning Fleabag by Phoebe Waller-Bridge, which she has produced globally on behalf of DryWrite, most recently in London’s West End at the Wyndham’s Theatre, where it was also recorded and broadcast by NT Live, playing in cinemas throughout the world. Her current and upcoming productions include Leopards, at the Rose Theatre, in Kingston, and Mum at Soho Theatre.

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In this special edition we meet the cast of Come From Away ahead of its European premiere in Dublin at the end of the year before its London opening in early 2019.

There are performances from and interviews with members of the cast including Rachel Tucker and Clive Carter.

Come From Away runs at the Abbey Theatre in Dublin from 6th December to 19th January 2019. Previews begin in London on 30th January before its official opening night on 18th February.

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Two-time Tony Award winner Stephen Oremus talks about creating some of the biggest musicals of the last two decades, conducting the orchestra for the Frozen movies, and arranging and conducting Lady Gaga's performance at the Academy Awards.

Stephen's credits include:

On Broadway and worldwide: As Music Supervisor/Arranger and/or Orchestrator: Disney’s Frozen; Kinky Boots (Tony Award for Best Orchestrations; Grammy Award); The Book of Mormon (Tony & Drama Desk Awards-Best Orchestrations; Grammy Award); 9 to 5; All Shook Up; Avenue Q; Wicked. Off-Broadway: The Wild Party, tick, tick…BOOM!; Film: Vocal arranger/conductor for Frozen & Frozen 2; String arrangements/conductor for Lady Gaga’s “I’ll Never Love Again” (A Star Is Born) and "Til It Happens to You” (The Hunting Ground). Music Director for Rufus Wainwright’s for Rufus Does Judy, TV: Music director of The 87th Academy Awards, The Wiz Live (NBC), Rent Live (FOX).

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I don’t think I have ever laughed as much in an interview as I did while chatting to Jodie Prenger. She is undoubtedly one of the nicest people in showbiz.

Jodie won the role of Nancy in the 2008 programme I’d Do Anything. She’s since taken on roles in Spamalot, One Man Two Guv’nors and Calamity Jane.

She’s currently starring in Fat Friends - a new musical by Kay Mellor and Nick Lloyd Webber (you might have heard of his father…).

In this episode we're backstage in her dressing room at the Leeds Grand Theatre and as people dash in and out before the show starts, we chatted about her love of comedy, how she deals with divas, and why this show is her ‘electric blanket’.

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Two-time Drama Desk award nominee Christina Bianco joins us to talk about starring in the musical podcast series The Ballad of Anne and Mary, playing Fanny Brice in Funny Girl, in Paris, just before lockdown, and how she became Broadway's original YouTuber and Diva Impressionist.

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In the second part of our Phantom of the Opera special, Mikey speaks to Josh Piterman who was playing the Phantom when the West End went dark.

He joined the London cast last autumn and is hoping to return to the when the show reopens at Her Majesty's Theatre with a brand new physical production of the brilliant original.

Click here to sign the petition to support the four pillar plan for recovery in the performing arts & entertainment.

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Best known as Coronation Street’s Cilla Battersby-Brown, actress Wendi Peters has been treading the boards for 30 years.

Wendi is currently playing Sylvie in Call Me Vicky at the Pleasance Theatre in north London.

We chatted in her dressing room about how she started out improvising on stage at the Piccadilly Theatre when it was a club on a Saturday night in the 80s, how she went from being a dresser on the West End production of Into the Woods to playing in it as part of Sondheim’s 75th birthday celebrations, and how Coronation Street stopped her being seen for certain roles.

Call Me Vicky is on at the Pleasance Theatre until 9th March. Tickets are available here. Don’t forget to subscribe and follow the podcast on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. You can buy tickets to all your favourite shows at TodayTix.

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This week's guests are currently touring the UK in Rufus Norris's production of Cabaret.

Kara Lily Hayworth (Sally Bowles) is best known for playing the title role in Cilla the musical on tour in 2017. 

Charlie Hagerty (Cliff Bradshaw) has worked extensively in the US, Europe and in the UK where he now lives with his husband. He was also in the original Broadway cast of If/Then alongside Idina Menzel in 2014. 

Mikey Worrall chats to Kara and Charlie at the New Wimbledon Theatre. 

Subscribe to the podcast for more interviews with the artists and creatives you love. You can find more on our YouTube channel and at Backstagewith.com.

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Gemma Sutton is currently playing Aladdin in this year’s Hackney Empire pantomime, marking the creative team’s 20th anniversary.

You may have seen her in Gypsy (with Imelda Staunton), Sweet Charity at the Watermill, The Rink, Strictly Ballroom, Hairspray, Legally Blonde and many other shows.

We had a chat in the green room where everyone who works at the Empire goes to eat and relax. It was a rare one show day, with only a matinee, so Gemma kindly stuck around after the show to talk to me.

Aladdin is running at the Hackney Empire until January 6th 2019.

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The host of New York 1's On Stage joins Mikey to compare what's happening in the theatre industries in the UK and US. 

Follow Frank online, on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. You can see his work at ny1.com.

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Clare Halse is currently tapping her way to stardom eight times a week as Peggy Sawyer in the West End revival of 42nd Street.

She’s also appeared in Thoroughly Modern Millie, Singin’ in the Rain, Gypsy with Imelda Staunton, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Shrek, Hairspray and Wicked.

There are just six weeks left to see 42nd Street before it closes in the West End. Clare says she’s in denial that it’s nearly over.

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Oliver Ormson is currently playing Rob in High Fidelity at the Turbine Theatre in south London. 

The theatre was recently founded by its Artistic Director, Paul Taylor Mills. High Fidelity is the theatre’s second production and its first musical. 

The show originally opened on Broadway in 2006 where it closed 10 days after its opening night. 

The show is about a north London record shop owner called Rob who ranks everything in his life in top 5 lists and whose girlfriend breaks up with him. It’s based on a novel by Nick Hornby.

You may have seen Oliver before in shows such as Cats at Kilworth House and The Addams Family UK tour.

We had a chat before a midweek matinee in the auditorium which was built beneath a railway arch on the mainline into London Victoria.

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Amy Manford plays Christine in Phantom of the Opera twice a week at Her Majesty’s Theatre in the West End.

Originally from Australia, Amy has a wide range of skills to her name including rhythmic gymnastics, pole vaulting (winning gold at the Australian national championships) and grade 7 in Violin.

After auditioning for Phantom on a whim, she bagged the alternate job which she says gives her a great work/life balance.

You can see Amy as Christine on Mondays and Fridays.

Phantom of the Opera is currently booking in the West End until 5th October 2019.

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Harry Francis is an actor, singer and dancer, and a huge theatre fan. 

He's done five shows at the London Palladium and been in musicals such as A Chorus Line, Cats, The Book of Mormon, Hairspray and Wicked.

He’s currently in rehearsals to play Lewis/Theo in Pippin at The Garden Theatre, at The Eagle, in South London, from Tuesday 8th September to Sunday 11th October.

Follow Harry on Twitter and Instagram.

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Mazz Murray is currently playing Mama Morton in Chicago in the West End.

She started out in shows including Fame, Pippin, Smokey Joe’s Cafe, Boogie Nights and Rent.

In 2002 Mazz joined the original cast of We Will Rock You as the Teacher. She understudied the role of Killer Queen (originally played by Sharon D. Clarke), a part she went on to play for eight years at the Dominion Theatre.

After leaving the show in August 2011, Mazz joined the cast of Mamma Mia! in the West End. She was also part of the sequel to the film adaptation of the show, Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again (2018).

Mazz released her debut solo album Midnight Mazz earlier this year. You can listen to it on Spotify or find it on iTunes or Amazon. She is also part of Woman, the band, who have toured with Earth, Wind and Fire and Billy Ocean.

You can follow Mazz on Twitter at @mazzwoman or find more information at midnightmazz.com.

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Julie Atherton is making her London directorial debut with Bare: A Pop Opera at The Vaults in south London.

Best known for playing Kate Monster and Lucy the Slut in the original West End cast of Avenue Q Julie has also appeared in Sister Act (UK tour), The Last Five Years, Lift the Musical, Thérèse Raquin and The Grinning Man.

We recorded this episode just as technical rehearsals for Bare were about to begin.

Bare: A Pop Opera is running at The Vaults until August 4th 2019.

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Ilana Levine is best known for starring in the 1999 Broadway revival of You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown. She’s appeared in a variety of Broadway plays and has worked extensively in film and television.

Ilana is also a podcaster, bringing conversations with her peers to you every week in Little Known Facts. She has so much love for the industry, the people in it and the magic of theatre.

I introduced myself to Ilana after she hosted a panel at this year’s BroadwayCon in New York. Two days later she schlepped all the way to the Upper East Side to come and chat to me at The Lowell Hotel where I was staying.

You can hear that conversation in this episode as well as what I got up to at BroadwayCon.

Don’t forget to subscribe and follow the podcast on Twitter at @backstage_with and Instagram at @backstagewithpodcast for an extra look behind the scenes. You can find out more and see pictures from BroadwayCon at backstagewith.com.

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Carly Mercerdes Dyer on playing Cassie in A Chorus Line at Leicester Curve, being on the Beeb at Christmas in Anything Goes (Boxing Day at 6.40pm, on BBC2), and if she'd ever go back to Six after Covid-19 ended her run before it had even begun.

#poweredbypastry

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Daisy Maywood has been in some of the most high profile productions of the last decade such as the Les Mis 25th anniversary concert at the o2, The Phantom of the Opera 25th anniversary performance at the Royal Albert Hall, and the 2013 revival of A Chrous Line at the London Palladium.

She was most recently seen as Susan and the Priest in Marianne Elliot’s West End revival of Company at the Gielgud theatre.

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Andrew Lippa is a Drama Desk award-winning composer, lyricist, writer, actor and teacher.

His vast body of work includes the off-broadway productions of John and Jen and The Wild Party; new songs for the Broadway version of You’re a Good Man Charlie Brown, the show for which Kristin Chenoweth won her Tony award; the music and lyrics for stage adaptations of The Addams Family and Big Fish; and the oratorio, I Am Harvey Milk, which he was commissioned to write for the San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus.

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Lucie Jones is currently playing Jenna in the West End production of Waitress.

Since appearing on The X Factor in 2009, Lucie has played Cosette in Les Misérables (West End), Elle in Legally Blonde (Curve and national tour), Molly in Ghost (Chinese tour), Maureen in Rent (UK tour) before returning to London to play Jenna.

This episode was recorded in Lucie’s enormous dressing room at the Adelphi Theatre in the West End.

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Gavin Spokes was playing King George III in the London production of Hamilton when the West End went dark the week before the UK went into lockdown in March.

You might have recently seen him wrestling with Mel Giedroyc as Harry in Marianne Elliot’s West End revival of Company, working his way up to a million pounds as the Major in James Graham’s Quiz, or as pollster Andrew Cooper in Channel 4’s Brexit: The Uncivil War.

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Kiruna Stamell was working as an extra on the film Moulin Rouge in Australia twenty years ago when the director created the part of La Petite Princess just for her.

She used her pay check to come to the UK where she’s worked across television, film and theatre.

At the start of this year she was in the Jamie Lloyd Company production of Cyrano de Bergerac at the Playhouse Theatre in the West End, which won the Olivier award for Best Revival at the weekend. She was meant to be part of the show’s New York transfer but it was cancelled because of the pandemic.

Instead, she found herself shielding at home in the UK with her husband Gareth, and creating a web series for children called Pirate and Parrot.

Follow Kiruna on Twitter and Instagram. 

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Alice Fearn has just begun her second year as Elphaba in the West End production of Wicked. She joined the show as Standby Elphaba in the 10th Anniversary cast in 2016.

I went to meet Alice at the Apollo Victoria Theatre in London on the last day of the heatwave so her dressing room was sweltering. She had about five fans on and a couple of air con units so we just about survived.

Alice grew up in Cumbria and has appeared in shows including Into the Woods, Shrek the musical and Annie Get Your Gun.

She’s recently talked about understudies getting more credit when they step in to cover leading roles - something we discussed at length.

My thanks to Tess and James at Jo Allan PR and What Goes On Media.

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Louise Dearman is only person in the world to have been cast as Elphaba and Glinda in Wicked.

So far in her career she’s starred in shows including Evita, Side Show, Guys and Dolls, Jekyll and Hyde, Grease and Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.

You can watch her Umbrella Rooms live concert here or head to @UmbrellaRooms on Twitter.

Click here to sign the petition to support the four pillar plan for recovery in the performing arts & entertainment.

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What better way to mark International Podcast Day and the week of Wicked UK's 15th anniversary than with a conversation with Wicked podcasters Quincy and Kevin. 

They are the Broadway connoisseurs behind Sentimental Men, a must-listen for any Wicked fan.

Follow them at @SentMenPod.

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Jamie Armitage is the co-director of the the hit musical, Six.

He took a break from rehearsing with new cast members to chat about his most recent project, Southern Belles, which is currently running at the King’s Head Theatre, in London.

You can buy tickets to see Southern Belles on the King’s Head Theatre website.

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Pippa Evans is a musical comedian, actress and singer. She’s one of those people who has 34 different projects on the go at any given time, and describes herself as the ‘ultimate modern-job human’.

Pippa has been part of the Olivier award-winning Showstopper! The Improvised Musical for 11 years. She’s also part of the Glenda J Collective improv group and writes and performs regularly across a number of radio and television shows.

Now Pippa is launching a show called The Parts I’ll Never Play at The Other Palace where she’ll be joined by musical theatre stars who’ll sing songs of characters they think they’ll never be cast as.

In this episode we had a really in-depth discussion about casting, diversity and gender. We also talked about what it’s like to work towards your goals in your 20s and how to cope with impatience and anxiety.

If you enjoy it then do subscribe to make sure you never miss a new one. You can follow Backstage With... on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook to find out which stage door we’re going through next.

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In this episode we meet some of the 2020 WhatsOnStage Awards nominees from shows including &Juliet, Waitress and Dear Evan Hansen at the awards launch in the West End. 

Mikey Worrall went along to the reception at The Hospital Club in Covent Garden where he spoke to &Juliet's Miriam-Teak Lee, Cassidy Janson and Jordan Luke Gage, Waitress's David Hunter and Marisha Wallace, and Dear Evan Hansen's Sam Tutty. 

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Jenna Boyd is an original cast member of the Olivier award-winning musical Come From Away.

Follow Jenna online, on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. 

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Susie McKenna was creative director at Hackney Empire for seven years and wrote, produced and sometimes starred in its pantomimes for 22 years.

She is now an associate director at Kiln Theatre, in north west London. 

Susie's many stage credits include Follies, Cats, The Witches of Eastwick, Woman in White, Ragtime, and Chicago.

When the pandemic took hold, Susie was over in New York where her wife - three-time Olivier award winning actress Sharon D. Clarke - was about to begin previews in the title role in Caroline or Change on Broadway.

We recorded this conversation back in September while Susie was staying at her house in Spain.

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Susan Harrison has been with The Showstoppers for about seven years now.

Showstopper! The Improvised Musical is on at The Other Palace at the moment but also at the Lyric Theatre in the West End one Monday a month. Last month it celebrated its 1000th show.

The show is different every night. The audience make suggestions for the setting and the cast take it from there. It works so well and I really can’t recommend it enough.

Susan and I met at the Museum of Comedy in London, which is in Bloomsbury, underground, below a church. While we were there I tried and failed to describe that it reminded me of The Court of Miracles from The Hunchback of Notre Dame. Of course as soon as I left I remembered what it was called.

Showstopper! The Improvised Musical is running at The Other Palace until 16th March. Susan also has a comedy podcast you can listen to called Hayley and Ruth: Two Stars. Don’t forget to subscribe and follow the podcast on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. You can buy tickets to all your favourite shows at TodayTix.

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Rachel Tucker is flying off to New York next week to join the cast of Come From Away on Broadway.

Before that she's starring in a one-off charity performance of The Pirate Queen (by Les Mis writers Alain Boublil and Claude-Michel Schonberg) in aid of Leukaemia UK. You can get tickets here.

Rachel is best known for playing Elphaba in Wicked in London and on Broadway. She was nominated for an Olivier Award for Best Supporting Actress in a Musical last year for Come From Away. She's also appeared in We Will Rock You in London and The Last Ship on Broadway. 

In between starring in all those shows she's released two albums and toured the country as well as performing a number of solo concerts over the last few years.

Subscribe to the podcast and our YouTube channel for plenty more theatre content. It's all in one place at backstagewith.com.

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Two-time Olivier award nominee Sophie-Louise Dann is best known for originating roles in West End musicals such as Lend Me a Tenor, Bend it Like Beckham, The Girls (the Calendar Girls musical) and Made in Dagenham.

She’s also been in the musical pastiche productions of Forbidden Broadway and Spamilton.

You can see her this coming Saturday live in person, or on a livestream, as she returns to the stage at Crazy Coqs, in London, with her solo show May I have a Moment?. Buy tickets here or at BrasserieZedel.com 

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Matthew Seadon-Young is currently starring alongside Kelsey Grammer in Big Fish the musical. His credits include Gerry Goffin in Beautiful: The Carole King Musical, Tony in Billy Elliot and Bobby in Urinetown. We talked about what it’s like playing opposite your idols, how far you can push yourself when there are no understudies, and being interrogated by security officials at the Oscars. In this episode we’re backstage in Kelsey Grammer’s dressing room, which has the loudest air conditioning you’ve ever heard. Big Fish the musical is running at The Other Palace until 31st December.

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Simon Lipkin has been in some of the biggest West End musicals of the last 15 years including Avenue Q, Rock of Ages, The X Factor musical I Can’t Sing as well as starring opposite Rebel Wilson in Guys and Dolls.

He’s currently appearing in Ghost Stories at the Lyric Hammersmith, where it ran in 2010 before transferring to the West End.

This episode is entirely spoiler free so if you haven’t seen the play, we don’t give anything away.

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The Olivier award-winning star of Hamilton talks about what it was really like in The Room Where It Happened.

Giles's book, Hamilton & Me: An Actor's Journal, is available now.

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In this episode we meet some of the people whose stories are told in the musical Come From Away which opened last month at the Phoenix Theatre in the West End.

If you aren’t familiar with the show, it’s about what happened when the US airspace was closed on 9/11. 38 planes were forced to land at Gander airport on a Canadian island called Newfoundland. The 7,000 people from those planes were taken in and looked after by the people of Gander and nearby towns for five days before the planes were allowed to take off again.

I was recently invited to go and have a chat with some of the Newfoundlanders and some of the plane people who were stranded there at the time.

They’d come to London see the show and meet the actors playing them. And for one afternoon they all got together on the top floor of Canada House, overlooking Trafalgar Square, where once again, they told their versions of what happened on the north east tip of north America in September 2001.

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The Last Five Years' Jamie on bringing the show to the West End, whether it should be categorised as new or a revival in awards season, and trying to straddle a model building atop a grand piano whilst playing a clock.

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The first episode of Backstage With... featuring Emma Hatton who's currently playing the lead in Evita in the West End.

Emma has previously starred as Elphaba in the London production of Wicked, as well as in We Will Rock You and Dreamboats and Petticoats.

Emma talks candidly about the often bizarre audition process so many performers go through as well as what happens when you're called to the stage to take over halfway through a performance.

Evita closes at the Phoenix Theatre on Saturday, October 14. The production will go back on tour in the UK and internationally from December 2017.

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