Red; BTS of Starlight Express & ... we're doing a contract TOGETHER!!! | Life in the Wings

Hosted by Charlotte Neale. In this weeks' episode we chat to the wonderful Red. Red has just finished his contract on 'Starlight Express' so we get all the backstage gossip!! AND... we're about to embark on a new adventure together! Listen to find out X

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:11

Hi everyone and welcome back to Life in the Wings. Now not only is this a special episode because I'm on my new camera. Woo! Can I get a woo? But I am also with Red! Hello! Welcome to the podcast. Thank you so much. So this is so exciting because Red and I are about to embark on a one-year contract together. Three years. On board uh on board what? Where are we going?

SPEAKER_02 0:40

Raw cab.

SPEAKER_00 0:41

Raw cab! Raw cab. First of all, I love the way that you abbreviate everything.

SPEAKER_02 0:45

Thank you so much.

SPEAKER_00 0:46

We've just um decided that we've both well, you already have it, but I'm um lacky tea. Lacky, what's it? Lackite. Is it called lacky tea?

SPEAKER_02 0:55

Lack, fan. Oh lack, just lactose, yeah, lack.

SPEAKER_00 0:58

I'm lactose intolerant. Anyway.

SPEAKER_02 1:00

We do, and evidently you are.

SPEAKER_00 1:02

I am.

SPEAKER_02 1:03

You are, you are.

SPEAKER_00 1:04

Evidently, I am. Um what a rogue way to start the podcast, but this is how we're starting it. This is. We've actually just been sitting and chatting with like together with my family for like an hour.

SPEAKER_02 1:15

Drinking tea, spilling the tea.

SPEAKER_00 1:17

Drinking tea, too. Getting to know each other, getting to know each other, exactly. Um, okay, so we always start the podcast. We'll have a little bit of format. We always start the podcast with quick fire questions. aka the 16 bar cup.

SPEAKER_02 1:29

Hot sea, it's already burning.

SPEAKER_00 1:31

Are you ready to go?

SPEAKER_02 1:32

Ready, let's go.

SPEAKER_00 1:33

Musical or play.

SPEAKER_02 1:35

Oh, musical.

SPEAKER_00 1:39

Pop song or MT.

SPEAKER_02 1:40

Oh pop.

SPEAKER_00 1:41

Um, reading reviews or not?

SPEAKER_02 1:43

Not.

SPEAKER_00 1:44

Oh, really?

SPEAKER_02 1:45

Not.

SPEAKER_00 1:46

You don't want to read them?

SPEAKER_02 1:47

No.

SPEAKER_00 1:48

Love it. Fringe or West End?

SPEAKER_02 1:50

French.

SPEAKER_00 1:51

No.

SPEAKER_02 1:51

What? Fringe or West End?

SPEAKER_00 1:54

Fringe! Fringe!

SPEAKER_02 1:56

Oh, I've seen some good fringe.

SPEAKER_00 1:58

Oh, fringe is like elite.

SPEAKER_02 1:59

Uh but West End I've seen more of, so West End.

SPEAKER_00 2:02

Okay, fine. Uh dancing round or singing round first, which I wasn't sure with you.

SPEAKER_02 2:06

Love a dance round. Oh baby, give me five, six, seven, eight, yeah!

SPEAKER_00 2:10

Oh, well, you like a dance round.

SPEAKER_02 2:12

I love a dance round. I actually hate singing rounds. I sweat with anxiety with singing, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 2:19

Do you?

SPEAKER_02 2:19

I do, mumma. I love it.

SPEAKER_00 2:20

Also, we went to college together, but I remember you being like singer, no? Have I made that up? I I remember. No, but weren't you like singer? When are you like up there in your year?

SPEAKER_02 2:32

Um, I mean, there was only 60 of us in the year.

SPEAKER_00 2:35

Is the show back in Dut Dick?

SPEAKER_02 2:38

But uh back in Duty. Um you can sing. I would say, I would say, yeah, I was pulled in for some of the musical theatre pieces. Um but we didn't have that many musical theatre boys in our year in general, really.

SPEAKER_00 2:50

No, to be fair, we were we were kind of the same. There was only a handful of boys.

SPEAKER_02 2:53

And I was a floater, so I was like between MT and dance, even though we obviously decided whether we were on the dance course. I was.

SPEAKER_01 3:00

Was you?

SPEAKER_02 3:00

I actually asked specifically to be on the dance course because I did not categorically want to be musical theatre. And here we are. Oh my god, I've got to be. How many years later? That's 13 years later. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 3:12

13 years, I mean people. Yeah. Um ensemble or lead?

SPEAKER_02 3:17

I love an ensemble, but if I get lucky to be leads, I'll take it. You know what I mean?

SPEAKER_00 3:22

Um, audition or self-tape?

SPEAKER_02 3:24

Audition. Hate self-tapes.

SPEAKER_00 3:27

Oh, do you? Hate. Oh, you're not a fan.

SPEAKER_02 3:29

I'm too self-critical.

SPEAKER_00 3:30

Are you one of those people that like you continue to do it and do it and do it, and you're never happy with it?

SPEAKER_02 3:34

I will never be happy with it, and I'll be doing it for days, weeks, months, to years. Oh, I can't do it. I'd rather just go in there, audition, do my best, and if my best is good enough, period. Me. Everyone out there that knows me knows that that is the case. It'll be uh submitted last, yeah, and uh probably will never be seen. Okay, fine.

SPEAKER_00 3:55

And then um just a fun one living alone or living with people?

SPEAKER_02 3:59

I've done both. I've lived with uh up to three other people. So it's been four of us in this massive house in Germany. Um back when I was in Starlight Express.

SPEAKER_00 4:07

Starlight Express!

SPEAKER_02 4:09

Um and uh I've also lived on my own.

SPEAKER_00 4:12

So do you have a preference? Konti komt that.

SPEAKER_02 4:16

I think I love I love company. I do love energy. I'm an energy eater as long as the energy is good.

SPEAKER_00 4:22

Energy eater, I love that.

SPEAKER_02 4:23

Energy eater, I love it. But I'm also so sensitive to energy. So if it's not good.

SPEAKER_00 4:27

Oh my gosh, yes.

SPEAKER_02 4:29

I take it all on, baby, and I eat it and I it controls me and it's Oh my gosh.

SPEAKER_00 4:34

I'm very similar. Like that it's like you know when are you quite good with um people's like auras?

SPEAKER_02 4:40

Like, baby, I can give people colours, I can yeah. Yeah!

SPEAKER_00 4:43

Are you like you're such a purple? Yes. I'm exactly the same. I've I'm quite a good judge of character, I'd say.

SPEAKER_02 4:50

What would you say my my colour aura is? I'm intrigued.

SPEAKER_00 4:53

I would say you are. Do you know what I actually would say? And I don't know why, but I'd say you're a black. You give like black.

SPEAKER_02 5:01

Hmm, okay, okay. Reasonings. Reasons, reasoning.

SPEAKER_00 5:05

I think I think you give quite a cool, earthy colour, but then I think with black you can have like specks of glitter.

SPEAKER_02 5:14

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 5:14

And you give like a black with like specks of glitter, kind of like the night sky.

SPEAKER_02 5:20

Right.

SPEAKER_00 5:20

Sorry, who do I think I am?

SPEAKER_02 5:22

Van Gogh.

SPEAKER_00 5:24

Wait, what colour am I?

SPEAKER_02 5:25

I think you're yellow.

SPEAKER_00 5:27

I feel that.

SPEAKER_02 5:28

I really, really, really think the yellow is I'm so sorry. Um, a joyful colour.

SPEAKER_00 5:36

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 5:36

It's inviting, it's happy, yeah, it's positive.

SPEAKER_00 5:39

It's the sun. Maybe. You are that.

SPEAKER_02 5:41

You're the walking sunshine, you are.

SPEAKER_00 5:43

I love that.

SPEAKER_02 5:44

Every room, I mean, literally, I haven't seen you f since college, and we did the audition together for.

SPEAKER_00 5:50

Yeah, so we we we did our audition together, and I was like, hey, I know you.

SPEAKER_02 5:53

Yeah, and I was very much in my own space, like just trying to get free the day. He's like, Yeah, she's talking to me. And I was actually standing with Scott Hayward, and um, we were just chilling, having a kiki, talking about how scared we were of the audition, but excited, and then this beautiful specimen comes up to me and it's like, we know each other, and I was like, I had a moment, you know that moment where like you you recognise someone, but you're like, name face, name face, name face. And you was like, Charlotte College went, shut up.

SPEAKER_00 6:22

It's like performers college 2017.

SPEAKER_02 6:24

I'm really glad you approached me, actually, because I was having a small menti big.

SPEAKER_00 6:27

Because also, as well, I mean we'll we'll go back to this, but also I was so glad I did because obviously we both booked it, right? And if I hadn't have gone up to you, I wouldn't have known if you've booked it, and we wouldn't have like got this close before like we go away. Like, do you know what I mean? And we wouldn't be here! We actually wouldn't be. No. Anyway, so let's rewind. So we obviously went to college together, you graduated in 2016. Um crazy, right? Crazy. Yeah, I feel the same. Because I feel like, oh no, I just graduated two years ago. No, babe, I graduated like coming up to ten years ago. Um, what was your first job out of college?

SPEAKER_02 7:01

Um, I actually did PO Australia.

SPEAKER_00 7:04

Oh, you did the Australian one!

SPEAKER_02 7:06

Yeah, as a singer dancer.

SPEAKER_00 7:08

How did you find that? As a singer dancer, you get at college, you were like, I'm not singing.

SPEAKER_02 7:12

Babes, honestly, when I say I was shook earth, and I had to, I can't remember what the audition was. Uh and need a da da da da da da da da is what I need. Okay. And I was like, I can't sing that.

SPEAKER_00 7:26

But then you have to sing and did they do that? I remember when I did PO Australia, they in the audition, you learnt a song, but then in the audition they taught you a dance to the songs.

SPEAKER_02 7:35

Yes. It was that.

SPEAKER_00 7:36

It's a sin. Is that in your show?

SPEAKER_02 7:39

Was that seven? That's seven. That's from the show seven, because I did both because I'm that old.

SPEAKER_00 7:42

Oh, yeah, I did that one.

SPEAKER_02 7:43

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 7:44

But wait, can I tell you my audition story? Sorry, it's supposed to be about you, but I have to tell it.

SPEAKER_02 7:48

This is literally you, this is why we resonated so much for each other. We were like, here's your question. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 7:54

Here's your question. What do you think about to me? Um when I was so I did my, it was I was in third year. I'm getting excited. I was in third year. It was like, at the time, like a really right big audition, like, oh my god, like cruise ship. They came to college. I was the only one that could be considered for a vocalist because of my age. You had to be like over 21, I believe. Right. Um, and everyone else was like younger, so everyone else had to be considered for like singer-dancer. And um I got a recall and I was like, oh my god, like the audition went really, really well. They were like, you're gonna have to come to London, and we were obviously in Essex, so I was like, oh but I'm going to London.

SPEAKER_02 8:27

Welled away. Yeah. So close, but so fun.

SPEAKER_00 8:30

Yeah, and um, so I went to this audition, I knew all the material, I had to learn like five songs or whatever. And then the song was like I'm not gonna lie, the song was like quite easy, it was it to sin. And um, long story short, they taught us a routine and we had to sing it and dance it together. And they basically were like, we want you to be this like, you know, this like powerful person, and like you I saw I did it with um one of the directors, like one of the pandas came up and did it with me.

SPEAKER_02 8:54

Is it Amanda?

SPEAKER_00 8:55

No, it was a guy.

SPEAKER_02 8:56

Graham.

SPEAKER_00 8:57

Maybe he. Maybe Graham. And I was so in it, and then it started dancing while singing. I did the whole thing, didn't sing. Didn't sing. I was at Rover Cliss, and I didn't sing. Forgot, forgot. Maybe we did that, and we and everyone was watching everyone, everyone was like, it's a sit, I did it, and I was just like enjoying yourself too much. Didn't realise till the end. And it got cut, obviously, I didn't sing. Now I would have gone, oh my gosh, sorry guys, I'm so sorry. I didn't sing. So sorry. But back then I was like, There, you're like, oh my god, I didn't sing.

SPEAKER_02 9:33

It's also terrifying. I'm sorry.

SPEAKER_00 9:35

You must have been like, what a weirdo.

SPEAKER_02 9:36

Oh well, sorry, but we love colleges, we really do. Like, I would not be the person and the specimen, and I would not be in the industry that we're in you know, without it. However, they install fear of God. Oh my god.

SPEAKER_00 9:51

I've said this.

SPEAKER_02 9:52

When I left, I was just a nervous, nervous, anxious wreck. Thankfully, I got a job before I'd left, so I left knowing I had a job. Because if I didn't, I don't actually don't know how I would have approached the West End.

SPEAKER_00 10:05

You must have done what we did, because you were you're above me, and we used to have lessons where um also we're not scaring people from college. This was back in the day. I don't know what it is now, but yeah, we used to have teachers that would be like, right, okay, next week prepare a 16 bar cart, you're auditioning for Mumma Mia. We'd be like, cool, we'd go in, we'd all be dressed if we're a dressing. Yeah. And then she'd be like, right, can you do five cartwheels, a tap routine, and da da da on the spot? And I would be thinking that's what it's like auditioning, like they're just gonna throw you under the bus like that. But actually, you go out into the industry and it's nothing like that.

SPEAKER_02 10:37

Best four counts of a freestyle dance, go. Um I'm sorry, what? Like, especially after singing the ballads, let's say, for example, and you're just like, what that they make you feel like you would literally be thrown in a cage of lions.

SPEAKER_00 10:52

Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 10:53

And they're like, here's your monologue, here's your your 16 bars.

SPEAKER_00 11:00

Like, do you know what I mean? Yeah, but it's like, and even even I've said this in a previous podcast as well, even like knowing what Olivier Award that show was up for, when it won the award, who directed it, who choreographed.

SPEAKER_02 11:11

It's like Sweetheart, I don't even know what I had for dinner last night, let alone like, do you know what I mean though? I'm really sorry, but I don't think that far ahead. And I'm not that clue, I'll be honest, I'm actually not that much of a musical theatre like stagyy, you're not staging. Uh yeah, like I love it so much, but like I have so much more you're definitely on that category of stagyy. Like, I could you could probably right now reel off at least six songs that you know off by heart musical theatre, right?

SPEAKER_00 11:37

Okay, if that's your definition of stagyy, then yeah.

SPEAKER_02 11:41

Okay, if I know the director's name of let's say at least four musicals, you know the composer and the writer of like at least two.

SPEAKER_00 11:48

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 11:49

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 11:50

But to me, that's not staging.

SPEAKER_02 11:51

Oh, fair enough. Maybe that's common knowledge, yeah. Maybe that's a me problem. I don't know.

SPEAKER_00 11:56

Because like I'm I I don't think I'm as knowledgeable as you what you think I would be. Because I I love musical theatre. I know like I might out of myself right now. I mean we're both out of ourselves. Like, I know like some directors and some casting directors and what shows go and where and stuff like that, but I don't know like everything about every show. There's loads of shows where like a song will come up and I'll be like, oh, I've never heard of that. Like, do you know what I mean? Yeah, yeah. So, like, I am I'm a little bit stagy, but I'm not my whole personality is at musical theatre. Fair. You know how you meet people and it's like their whole personality, which is like fair enough. Yeah. Not me. Yeah. But I guess there's different categories of staginess. So there is. Did you enjoy ship life?

SPEAKER_02 12:36

I uh I found it such a uh it was, I mean it's otherworldly, isn't it? Let's be real. We've both done them, we both know what it's like. It's just like nothing that you can really compare it to unless you've done it, girl, the girls that no, no, the girls that don't don't.

SPEAKER_00 12:49

I say that. I say like you only once, and I also say once a seafarer, always a seafarer. Yeah. Like once you've done it, it will never leave you.

SPEAKER_02 12:59

Yeah. Maybe you might want to just keep coming back for more like us, you know. But we love the tax free buddy.

SPEAKER_00 13:06

Oh, yeah, we do. Tax free brother.

SPEAKER_02 13:07

That's one big reason as to why I think people do it.

SPEAKER_00 13:11

Um yeah, because people can people do it all the time, they just keep going on and on and on and on.

SPEAKER_02 13:15

Hey, but that's how I know, you know, at least six people that bought their houses now.

SPEAKER_00 13:19

Oh my god, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 13:20

Three shits, because there is no way in the West End on this side.

SPEAKER_00 13:23

Or the stuff I'm planning to buy when I come back in the world.

SPEAKER_02 13:26

That you can you can afford to even save for a house. It's just not possible on the West End wage. It's not.

SPEAKER_00 13:31

Well, so many people nowadays have jobs alongside working in this trade, which is crazy to me.

SPEAKER_02 13:38

Like, thus giving like that That can't be right, surely. That's hustling. We love a hustle.

SPEAKER_00 13:44

Hustle and bustle.

SPEAKER_02 13:45

But hustle and bustle in that hard when you're doing let's say eight shows, nine shows a week, I don't think.

SPEAKER_00 13:49

Too much. So let's talk about Starlight Express.

SPEAKER_02 13:54

Let's get it out the way. The effort in the room, come on.

SPEAKER_00 13:57

The elephant in the room.

SPEAKER_02 13:58

The elephant the heifer.

SPEAKER_00 13:59

So you did you do Germany first or London?

SPEAKER_02 14:03

I don't know how to hold this microphone. Sorry.

SPEAKER_00 14:05

Sorry because you don't know what to do.

SPEAKER_02 14:08

I've been changing my grid all like the whole time we've been doing this. I don't know how to hold this.

SPEAKER_01 14:12

Just hold it.

SPEAKER_02 14:13

I'm just so used to having a microphone here.

SPEAKER_01 14:17

No.

SPEAKER_02 14:18

But I don't know how to hold the handheld.

SPEAKER_01 14:20

This is what it is.

SPEAKER_00 14:22

It's chaos and I love it!

SPEAKER_02 14:25

Starlight Express.

SPEAKER_00 14:27

Did you do Germany or London first?

SPEAKER_02 14:29

I did Germany first.

SPEAKER_00 14:30

So you did Germany?

SPEAKER_02 14:31

2019 was the year.

SPEAKER_00 14:33

Did you have to go over to Germany to audition?

SPEAKER_02 14:35

No. So it was in Pineapple. Hmm. In our studio, actually.

SPEAKER_00 14:40

Maybe it was. I auditioned for it. Yeah. What am I talking about? With me? Well, I I auditioned for the OG cast. The first round was commercial.

SPEAKER_02 14:47

Wait, are you talking sorry, are you talking about OG cast London?

SPEAKER_00 14:50

No, Germany. In Pineapple with Debbie O'Brien. I was in the room.

SPEAKER_02 14:55

Wait, the OG, you can't it can't have been the OG cast because it what you mean my OG cast?

SPEAKER_00 15:00

I don't know who's OG cast. There might not be an OG cast. I auditioned for Starlight.

SPEAKER_02 15:04

I was thinking, girl, you are full of Botox and filler if that's the case, because that show out there has literally been there 38 years, so you're not I was thinking, what blood are you drinking? Like, she's immortal.

SPEAKER_00 15:16

I auditioned 38 years ago. Yeah, yeah. Oh my god, yeah. But was it the first time that they came to London to audition?

SPEAKER_02 15:22

Um 29 No, they've definitely auditioned in London beforehand.

SPEAKER_00 15:27

But I still think I auditioned the same year as you. It was like 2018. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 15:35

We were literally okay.

SPEAKER_00 15:36

It was like a full-on commercial routine.

SPEAKER_02 15:38

Oh, yeah, baby, it was kicked, split, tores on a lair to the floor, to a I marched myself out of that room. It was quite crazy.

SPEAKER_00 15:48

Yeah, so you auditioned in London, obviously got to the end. How was the audition process?

SPEAKER_02 15:55

Um, for for Germany, sorry.

SPEAKER_00 15:57

Yeah. Um it was And did it differ to the one that you did for London?

SPEAKER_02 16:02

It was quite similar in the energy, I would say, um, but in terms of the choreo, it was very different. Like Arlene Phillips was on the uh casting audition panel for the German one, but not for the London one.

SPEAKER_00 16:18

Um she not choreographed the London one then.

SPEAKER_02 16:20

No, Ashley Nottingham actually choreographed.

SPEAKER_00 16:23

No way!

SPEAKER_02 16:24

Yeah, shout out to Ashes. Yeah, phenomenal, lovely queen, love her. Yeah, um, yeah, she was on the panel, and my friend also was on the panel, Priscilla, who was also um a um assistant choreographer to the show. Um, and she actually, this is uh gonna be a long story now, but basically I'd uh dropped my agent just because I wanted a change of wind, of heart, of energy, of everything, and I was like, I'm just gonna go agent free for a bit. Um had rumours of Starlight coming to London, and I was like, how am I gonna get in the room? I didn't manage to get an agent um before the auditions came round, and I was working in Zara. And um shout out Zara Essex and not Essex specifically on what high street? Girl, Lakeside into Lakeside, baby. Lakeside Sharp.

SPEAKER_00 17:19

Well, that's a throwback.

SPEAKER_02 17:20

That is a throwback. Wow never go there at any any cost, a void, a strong avoid. Um anyway, hardest four months of my life. Um, but other than that, then got a call from Priscilla being like, bitch, like why are you not in the audition? So I was like, babe, I've not managed to get in the room, like I've only just got an agent now and they've submitted me, but like I think it's too late. And she was like, Hey, like, I'll talk to Ash. So she spoke to Ash, they dug out my CV from the from the ground. From the ground, mud, yeah, dripping with water, yeah, and uh smelt the desperation in the air and was like, let's look at this CV. I then got in the room and it was like dance call first, um, and it was the ACDC choreo, actually. Wow, but obviously it was quite odd because it was in trainers.

SPEAKER_00 18:07

So yeah, so did they adapt the choreography to trainers then?

SPEAKER_02 18:11

They did, but there were still some like travelling elements to that choreography that couldn't be done as smoothly in trainers as it can be in skates. So it felt a bit odd, a bit eggy. Egg sandwich without the egg.

SPEAKER_00 18:24

Um everyone was in the same position.

SPEAKER_02 18:25

Everyone's in the same position. It was and then we did like an Achilles exercise where it was like Don't you have to like squat? Babe, it was a whole thing. It was like a is it I C D?

SPEAKER_00 18:35

I C D, yes.

SPEAKER_02 18:36

Is that right?

SPEAKER_00 18:36

Yeah, it wasn't like the very that.

SPEAKER_02 18:39

It was very that. It was like a whole yeah, it was a whole thing. Um roles and splits and yeah, it was yeah.

SPEAKER_00 18:47

Talk to me about um doing a show in another language. How was that?

SPEAKER_02 18:52

I'll be honest, I'd just come off of a ship and I I told my agent I really wanted musical theatre. I auditioned for several things when I came home, the bodyguard and all of those things, had the best time. I knew it was for me. I was like, these musical theatre, baby. I mean, I had always always hated musical theatre, but I was like, I'm into it now, like you know um this is the path I want to follow. So I got in for wait, what I've just completely got off.

SPEAKER_01 19:17

What was I talking about?

SPEAKER_02 19:17

Language language. Um did the audition for Starlight at Pineapple and they actually have the German teacher, Hanukkah shout out Hanukkah, you won't ever see this, but Hanukkah comes to London and she's basically there for essentially a little trial to see if you have the uh potential to thank you the words.

SPEAKER_00 19:41

So, did you do German in the audition?

SPEAKER_02 19:43

I did German in the audition, yeah, but they've spoken. Oh yeah, like the score, like the score. Like she literally so I need to know all you did two dance rounds, yeah, you might have done a singing round, and then they're like, right, Phonetics will see you now.

SPEAKER_00 19:58

Phonetics will now Phonetics will see you now. Phonetics will see you now.

SPEAKER_02 20:03

Hey, it's terrifying. And you go down that small that really long corridor that goes on forever, you know, while like the main one. Yeah. Go down to the end of the corridor and she was in there with a table, pen, pad. I was like, she's literally gonna, you know, she's gonna read me for a filth in this uh episode of phonetics because I'm like my accent is you speak German at this point. Like, could you No, not a single I mean no, I can barely speak English. So I was like, I'm doomed. When clueless went in clueless and she gave me some of the score. Um and I was like, you know, trying to do my best. You basically had to like read her lips and uh try and mimic what she was doing with the sounds. So if you could replicate the sounds that she was creating, um she would very much enjoy it. But however, if you couldn't, it would be a different story.

SPEAKER_00 20:54

Sorry, are you singing or talking at this point?

SPEAKER_02 20:56

Oh talking.

SPEAKER_00 20:59

So you're literally like eye sad, da da da.

SPEAKER_02 21:02

Yeah. And it was uh little words like tunnel, for example, and in and tunnel in German German speakers out there were gonna reappear for fill for this, but hopefully you died and I'm somewhat badass it. Um tunnel is uh Panelps.

SPEAKER_01 21:18

Panelps.

SPEAKER_02 21:19

Yeah, so like she would split up the word in like three uh three spaces in between each, like whatever, and then you would uh essentially try and recreate, replicate the sound she was saying. So if you could say certain words, the hardest words that were really hard for English speakers because uh have vowels in German that we just don't have.

SPEAKER_00 21:36

Yes, yes, yes.

SPEAKER_02 21:41

Um like thärlish, um fullish, uh all of that stuff.

SPEAKER_00 21:50

Oh we're very good. You're very good.

SPEAKER_02 21:53

Thank you. Um which is like very um You're welcome. Um when I get crackish. No, I'm joking. Um it's crazy.

SPEAKER_00 22:08

Um Chase.

SPEAKER_02 22:12

I have so many words that I shouldn't know that, and I'm not gonna replicate or say on this podcast. Um and then yeah, you would then replicate them to the best of your ability, and she would give you a tickerer tickerer across.

SPEAKER_00 22:24

Oh wow, so that's a part of it.

SPEAKER_02 22:26

And you'd go through to the finals, so you'd have to do that before the finals, really.

SPEAKER_00 22:29

Insane. And you did it in Hamburg?

SPEAKER_02 22:31

I did it in Bochum, in this small mining village that's been essentially colonized by starlight fans and people who have travelled all over the European.

SPEAKER_00 22:40

So, how was um how was moving to Germany and doing it out there?

SPEAKER_02 22:44

I was so excited, I'll be real. Like when I got when I got the job, I was like, I can't believe this is happening to me. Like, I cannot, but I'll be honest, I didn't know it was in Germany. Obviously, because my name's Red and I just I'm so clueless.

SPEAKER_00 22:55

Oh, you didn't know it was gonna be in Germany?

SPEAKER_02 22:57

I didn't know it was in Germany, I didn't know it was in German.

SPEAKER_00 22:59

I was just German in your edition. Oh, okay, at that point you knew, but like during the process, you you were at all.

SPEAKER_02 23:05

I was like, it's obviously in London, like it's gonna be in the West End, otherwise, why would it be here? You know, be me being young and naive, like and clueless, like always.

SPEAKER_00 23:12

Um, but I love that you're honest about that because like sometimes we just get things wrong.

SPEAKER_02 23:16

I just yeah, you know, let's make it human, let's make it acceptable to not know what's going on. Um and yeah, that's how I live my life. Um, and so when I got to Germany, um we all got dropped off at this in this starlight bus that was so cool.

SPEAKER_00 23:30

That is really cool.

SPEAKER_02 23:31

Um we watched the show the first time like we'd landed.

SPEAKER_00 23:34

Did you do like a group trip?

SPEAKER_02 23:35

Yeah, we we we literally got dropped off at the hotel, which is called the Yakura, um, and we dropped all of our bags off, got back in the coach, got dropped off at the theatre, and we had a pretzel as a little welcome gift.

SPEAKER_00 23:46

Oh my god, because they also sell pretzels in the um uh in the interval of the show.

SPEAKER_02 23:50

Yeah, salted pretzels. Yeah, because I wanted to see my dreams. Yes, and um yeah, we watched the show and then we just went back to the hotel. But honestly, when the when the process started officially and we were given our first pair of skates, I think we did like maybe two, three weeks of skate school before we started German.

SPEAKER_00 24:07

Yeah, so people that don't know, oh yeah, before you'd even learn the language, oh my god. So you for both London and Germany, you go to like a skate school. A skate school, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 24:16

The lasting like roughly three months, two, two and a half months, three months.

SPEAKER_00 24:21

Skate school.

SPEAKER_02 24:22

Yeah, it was long.

SPEAKER_00 24:23

Is that before you learn any?

SPEAKER_02 24:24

Yeah. So you learn you learn German as well, like after the first two weeks.

SPEAKER_00 24:29

But is that before you've learned any of the music and stuff you're just learning to skate?

SPEAKER_02 24:32

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 24:33

Oh my god, so if there's like a cash change, they must have to Am I making you emotional? Um back in the room, as I always say. That was sleep. Um, so when there's a cash change, they must have to like the cash change must be in rehearsals months and months before they actually get to do the first show.

SPEAKER_02 24:57

Oh yeah, so you they basically usually they would come out in January.

SPEAKER_00 25:01

And then when would you finish?

SPEAKER_02 25:02

And then you would open in June. She would do the official takeover in June.

SPEAKER_00 25:05

It's like six months rehearsal.

SPEAKER_02 25:06

A lang. Oh long, long, long, long, long, long.

SPEAKER_00 25:10

Okay, talk to me about London.

SPEAKER_02 25:12

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 25:12

So did you when you when your contract ended in Germany, um, did you know you were going into the London cast, or did you have to re-audition?

SPEAKER_02 25:20

No, I re-auditioned um from the beginning. Yeah, from the beginning. Fair and square, baby. They don't take no um no fools. Um I knew that it was coming to London. Well, I knew there was a rumour it was coming to London when I left. And I left in 2023, I believe. Spent a year out, whatever. Um, and did a panto at that time, and then I heard more rumours that it was official and it was definitely happening. Um and it w it was a whole thing. Like, I've never been part of an original musical before.

SPEAKER_00 25:52

Yeah, it was like huge.

SPEAKER_02 25:53

Every like everyone wanted to be seen for a from the ground up, like um, and there was a lot of copyright things as well, um, because they wanted it to be a sister of Starlight in Germany, not a replica.

SPEAKER_00 26:04

A rep. Got you.

SPEAKER_02 26:05

Um so yeah, they basically just tried to make everything as different as possible, but also paying homage to you know the OG. Yeah, homage.

SPEAKER_00 26:16

Yeah, no, I love that.

SPEAKER_02 26:17

Like a SMR Homage.

SPEAKER_00 26:19

Oh my god, not the ASMR. Um so you literally did all the audition process again.

SPEAKER_02 26:24

Yeah, I did all the process from the beginning to end. Oh.

SPEAKER_00 26:27

Because also that they don't have to teach you to skate again.

SPEAKER_02 26:30

We literally joined the last month of skate school.

SPEAKER_00 26:32

And you're literally right for the show. Yeah. You've done it, so it makes sense.

SPEAKER_02 26:36

Um so everyone was finished in skate school, getting, you know, getting their graduation badge, like being like they'd passed, and we'd came in the last four weeks of their skate school. Oh, insane. So basically just join forces and get to know each other, break that break that ice, baby. Um, but we were told strictly to not mention anything about the old show.

SPEAKER_01 26:57

Oh, okay.

SPEAKER_02 26:58

Like not talk about Starlight in Germany, like not compare the two because they just didn't want them to be compared. They wanted them to be completely different entities.

SPEAKER_00 27:07

No, I love that.

SPEAKER_02 27:07

And I was like, fair, you know, that's fine.

SPEAKER_00 27:10

Because I guess they don't want the whole drama of like, oh, but it used to be like this in the other show, and it's not like it's just this is a separate, it's the same show. Yeah. It's like a reimagined version of it, right? Like they're doing with Oliver. So that that totally makes sense.

SPEAKER_02 27:21

And that comparison was always going to be inevitable anyway. Like, we didn't have to do it from the beginning before it'd even been built. Like, I think they just wanted it to become what it is, and then the comparisons will inevitably happen in time.

SPEAKER_01 27:31

Yeah, of course.

SPEAKER_02 27:32

Um, but yeah, like certain things, like in Germany, we have um like belt loops. Okay. So we have like, oh, I wish I'd bought it. Damn. Um, we had like belt personalised belts, and they had loops on the back to like how you attach as a train and skate as partners. Oh. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 27:51

But in London, they don't have that.

SPEAKER_02 27:53

In London, it was a copyright thing um from the designer of Germany.

SPEAKER_00 27:57

So Oh, I love that.

SPEAKER_02 27:59

He was John Napier. So yeah, that's cool. So they basically adapted it into a backpack with the loops on it instead. So you would instead of connecting on the waist, you'd connect via backpack.

SPEAKER_00 28:08

Is that why they all wear backpacks in London?

SPEAKER_02 28:10

Mm-hmm. Oh and they wanted the aesthetic to be completely different as well.

SPEAKER_00 28:15

So I mean it is completely. I was saying before the podcast, like the the costumes is it feels do you know what it feels like to me? It feels like a different era.

SPEAKER_02 28:24

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 28:24

The one in Germany feels retro, yeah, and the one here feels modern.

SPEAKER_02 28:27

Yeah, classic, OG, gorge, but like that that gorgeous, kind of dated feel to it, you know, like it feels like Thomas the Tank engine to now like new toys. Oh my god, you know what I mean? Yeah, and like even a futuristic, like things that aren't even possible yet.

SPEAKER_00 28:43

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 28:44

I think they wanted to like shoot, shoot far and wide, and just you know, well, and they did. And they did, they won.

SPEAKER_00 28:50

I mean, anyone that didn't see it, it was an absolute spectacle. Like I I was saying before, I loved it, and it's it's just fun and um lots of injuries, right?

SPEAKER_02 28:59

I imagine lots of injuries, evident- I think you know, that's I think that's just something when you sign the contract, it's kind of like I could get that.

SPEAKER_00 29:06

Oh my god, please, can you tell the story of your explosion?

SPEAKER_02 29:11

I'm glad you remember that actually, because I had kind of tried to forget it as much as possible and then it bring it up with you.

SPEAKER_00 29:17

Yeah, he was he was telling me just before, and I was like, I need to have that on the pod. So in my head, I was like, I have to, I have to remember that.

SPEAKER_02 29:22

Oh my god. Okay, so obviously um it was my day, I think it was my debut uh for Blue Lightning in the show. Um, and my parents had come to watch and they hadn't watched the new show since it opened, and I was like, you have to come, like I'm Blue Lightning, this is my first show, it's a swing, this is my debut, and they were like, Oh, so special.

SPEAKER_00 29:44

We'll be also your London debut.

SPEAKER_02 29:46

London debut, like I mean I've done I've done kinky boots in Jerry Lane, but yeah, we'll get we'll get to that, baby. We'll get to that. Um and um so that was my debut, but this was my musical debut, right? So I was like, oh, this is this is this is my moment. This is the moment, and uh so yeah, that happened. Um during act one, um, there's a race, um race one and two, so there's two races in race one uh sorry.

SPEAKER_00 30:15

Um and it was I actually cannot believe that this is even possible.

SPEAKER_02 30:22

Babes. Um there's two laps. Yeah, yeah, literally. I went on stage with eight wheels and left with seven. Anyway, um so during uh act one, there's a race called Race Two and Race. Oh sorry, race one and race two. And I was in race one as blue lining, and there's two laps, and there's one lap that does most or the majority of the of the track, and then the second lap does the same path but slightly, slightly different with a little with a little kook to it. We were doing this particular skate path, um, and I'm I have someone attached to the back of me, and I'm following this path. Um, and much to my surprise, my wheuly imploded. Like I'm gonna say imploded because that makes more sense than exploded, because explode is more of like an explosion, and it really wasn't that dramatic. It was like it was like a friction built-up heat. I don't know what it was, girl, but it was crazy, and it basically just exploded or imploded and removed itself from my skate.

SPEAKER_00 31:25

Did it flick off into the audience?

SPEAKER_02 31:26

I didn't see it because I was face down on the floor. I I'd already face blown.

SPEAKER_00 31:30

You actually fell?

SPEAKER_02 31:31

Yeah, I fell, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 31:32

Of course.

SPEAKER_02 31:33

Um and so did my partner as well behind me. And I was like, oh my god. And at that point, you know, I went into shock. I was like, was that me? But we had to get up off the floor.

SPEAKER_00 31:42

So did it did the show stop or carry on?

SPEAKER_02 31:44

I didn't know I'd lost a wheel until I'd I basically got up, continued the race, and I felt like something was off. And I was like, oh, like I can't continue, I have to come off. So I skated off, went backstage, and it wasn't until someone looked at my skate and went, red, red, red. And I was like, I was like, I know, crazy. They were like, no, babe, you're skate. And I was like, there's no wheel. No wheel. I had literally this front wheel was missing, so I had I had seven wheels. Um I managed to somehow exit the stage.

SPEAKER_00 32:13

Was there a show stop?

SPEAKER_02 32:14

There was a full show start. I basically was like, these wheels are just like not the endurance of them isn't isn't good enough. Like, you know, I wasn't doing anything crazy on them.

SPEAKER_00 32:22

I was doing that could have been really dangerous.

SPEAKER_02 32:23

I was doing what was set, and I could have got really, really hurt, and you're really lucky. But I didn't get hurt. Um so I really need you to just like look at these skates and look at these wheels again and just maybe come up with some other options, more durable wheels. Yeah. Anyway, they ended up changing the wheels because they for everyone it happened three times. So it happened to me and it happened to another cast member who I'm not gonna name, yeah, um, twice to them. Okay. And two different characters with two different wheels, like two different coloured wheels.

SPEAKER_00 32:52

Um it needed to be.

SPEAKER_02 32:53

So it became a problem. Yeah. They were fantastic, they were very accommodating and very um apologetic.

SPEAKER_00 32:58

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 32:59

Um, and they re they resolved the issue um with no drama.

SPEAKER_00 33:03

That's crazy though that you went on to eight wheels and came off with seven.

SPEAKER_02 33:06

Like, just I'm sorry, but like just the thought. What do you mean?

SPEAKER_00 33:10

Yeah, like what do you mean?

SPEAKER_02 33:11

I know, and I was I was actually so grateful. I was like, I'll take one for the tea. Mama will take one for the tea because all these like grads, you know, that had had been in the show that had just learned to skate, if that had happened to one of them, I don't know if it had been so graceful.

SPEAKER_00 33:23

That's so true, actually.

SPEAKER_02 33:24

So I came off unhurt, unscathed, um, and the the problem was fixed. So fuck.

SPEAKER_00 33:30

Also, um, can we talk about Kinky Boots?

SPEAKER_02 33:33

Let's talk about Kinky.

SPEAKER_00 33:34

Because uh what?

SPEAKER_02 33:36

Yeah, so basically, mummers are grafter, and um when I was in Germany, I got a week's holiday off.

SPEAKER_00 33:42

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 33:43

Um, because I knew of this opportunity going, and they were doing this concert version of Kinky.

SPEAKER_00 33:49

Was it the 24-hour one? Or I made that hour?

SPEAKER_02 33:52

Yeah, so it was like two, I think it was four shows.

SPEAKER_00 33:54

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 33:55

Um no, two shows. Two shows. No, no, she just did like literally two nights in Jury Lane, two shows, cut, and I think it was to basically see if it would land, if London would take back Kinky and would, you know, welcome it with open arms again. Evidently it did because the tour's so successful and now it's in West End.

SPEAKER_00 34:16

Yeah, that's what I said.

SPEAKER_02 34:17

Um yeah, I did the the concert version with I think Courtney Brady. Is it Courtney Brady?

SPEAKER_00 34:22

Courtney Bowman.

SPEAKER_02 34:22

Courtney Bowman, who is Brady?

SPEAKER_00 34:25

Girl, who the f is Brady? Who's also playing uh Lauren?

SPEAKER_02 34:28

Yeah, and she played Lauren when I was doing Kinky.

SPEAKER_01 34:31

Oh no!

SPEAKER_02 34:32

And I had done it with um Nikki Elliott Nikki, Nikki Ellis, Nikki and Nikki Ellis. Um anyway, one of the original alphabets.

SPEAKER_00 34:39

I mean, one of the alphabets?

SPEAKER_02 34:42

Yeah, Nikki, Nikki Harmon, Nikki Wait, wait.

SPEAKER_00 34:45

We'll we'll we'll fact check that.

SPEAKER_02 34:47

We'll fact check. Anyway, her name's Nikki. Um she was one of the alphabets in Western.

SPEAKER_00 34:51

Nikki Bentley.

SPEAKER_02 34:52

Yes.

SPEAKER_00 34:53

Have I made that up?

SPEAKER_02 34:54

Nikki Bentley, brown hair.

SPEAKER_00 34:55

I don't know. I don't mean named that. I'd probably have made that up. Anyway, there was a Nikki.

SPEAKER_02 35:01

Anyway, there was a Nikki. Um also I might need to get my phone.

SPEAKER_00 35:05

Go on, get it. I might need to get Wow, what are we looking at?

SPEAKER_02 35:09

So basically, I just want to read these names off just because they are some of the most sensational Western Wendy's I've ever seen in my life. Really?

SPEAKER_00 35:19

I just want to shout them out. I love them.

SPEAKER_02 35:21

And they were in the show, and I was just like, oh my god, yeah. So Courtney Bowman. Um Courtney. She is Courtney Bowman is honestly sensational, and she's such a lovely person.

SPEAKER_00 35:33

I loved her in Um Everyone's About Jamie.

SPEAKER_02 35:36

Babes. And obviously, she was L in Legally Blonde. I think she was in Regents Park Open Air.

SPEAKER_01 35:41

Yeah, she was.

SPEAKER_02 35:42

She was honestly the nicest person, and I just remember being like, what is this aura? Like, what is this? Like, oh like she was just sensational to work with as well. So nice, we clicked. Um, we haven't seen each other since, but she's just, you know, booked and blessed, honey. Love that. So she's fantastic. She obviously um was Lauren, and then oh, what was his name? Callum Callum.

SPEAKER_00 36:03

Because I remember all this, I remember when was I at college? What year was this?

SPEAKER_02 36:07

This was this has got to be 2022.

SPEAKER_00 36:10

Oh god, no, it wasn't at college.

SPEAKER_02 36:11

2022, 2023. Oh shit. Yeah. Nikki Bentley.

SPEAKER_00 36:17

Oh wait, it's Nikki Bentley!

SPEAKER_02 36:18

You were so right.

SPEAKER_00 36:19

How did I get that?

SPEAKER_02 36:20

Nikki Bentley, girl. If you see this, ah she's obviously sensation uh sensational, like she is that bitch, like she is that girl.

SPEAKER_00 36:27

Um who did she play?

SPEAKER_02 36:29

She played, oh, um The wife.

SPEAKER_00 36:32

Charlie's wife.

SPEAKER_02 36:34

Yes, I think so. I think so. Wait.

SPEAKER_00 36:37

One that wants to get the red shoes at the start. Who knows?

SPEAKER_02 36:43

I can't remember. Who knows? Anyway, it was a it was a lifetime ago. But there was loads of West End Wendy's in that show, and I just remember not I I've never been surrounded by West End Wendys like that.

SPEAKER_00 36:52

So you feel so inspired.

SPEAKER_02 36:53

I was so starstruck by so many of them, and because I didn't know who they were beforehand, I was starstruck throughout the rehearsal period. Oh wow. I was watching them being like, no, seriously, like these people, what are they doing? Honestly, the everyone in the show was just phenomenal.

SPEAKER_00 37:09

Um so obviously you only had a week holiday, so did you rehearse it in the It was it was one week rehearsal.

SPEAKER_02 37:17

Yeah, seven, I think it was like five days rehearsal, six days, and then it was the two shows.

SPEAKER_00 37:22

Mama, he is a graft, don't you?

SPEAKER_02 37:23

Maybe I literally flew, so I did two shows. I'd done an eight-show week, I flew home that night to um London City Airport, stayed at the Moxie in the morning, woke up Moxie, went to work straight away to Kinky to rehearse in his church in like Bethnal Green or somewhere. Fuck no, I can't remember. Oh my god. Did a whole day's whole day's work of working through the vocal score. Then we did five days' rehearsals.

SPEAKER_00 37:50

Um did you audition by a self tape then?

SPEAKER_02 37:52

No, so I knew the choreographer and I'd worked with him with Panto before, and he reached out to me on Facebook and was like, Look, I know you're in Germany, but I really need an angel, like immediately. Can you come and be an angel? And I was like, in kinky boots, so I took that opportunity with you know, as soon as I yeah, was blessed. And then, yeah, basically did the two shows, and then that night we had a closing party in Soho and we had like this private uh suite, God knows where it was. And then I uh stayed at Emoxie Hotel that night, flew home that morning, and did an eight-hour week straight off the back of doing that rehearsal and that debut on skates.

SPEAKER_00 38:30

That is unbelievable.

SPEAKER_02 38:32

I was still in drag makeup as well. I flew with like a full half beat of dragon because I was an angel, so I was fully beat to the gods, taped everything, went to the went to the airport, everyone was looking at me like, what is happening?

SPEAKER_00 38:43

This creature. Oh my goodness me.

SPEAKER_02 38:45

Yeah, it was wild. Oh wow. Turned up and um It was that on your season. It was a two-show day, honey, and I rocked up at the stage door. My friend was waiting for me, Sydney Christmas, and uh she sh Oh wait, the girl that was on um Britain's got towel. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 38:59

Didn't she win?

SPEAKER_02 39:00

Yeah, she won.

SPEAKER_00 39:00

Oh my god. Baby, she won!

SPEAKER_02 39:03

And she was waiting for me on the steps, so she was a swing at the time, and principal cover, and she she was like, she calls me Jared. Um Jared! And I was like, Stop it, and ran up to her and she was like, How the it's kinky boots, and I was like, girl.

SPEAKER_00 39:17

Oh my god, that's insane.

SPEAKER_02 39:18

It's been the most iconic thing I think I've ever done. Is it?

SPEAKER_00 39:21

Is it one of like the career highlights?

SPEAKER_02 39:23

Career highlight for sure. Is it? I think just because the the the energy with something that's short term is so electric.

SPEAKER_00 39:30

Yeah, like it was only two shows, so people booked that shit.

SPEAKER_02 39:34

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 39:34

Oh yeah, and obviously, like it would have been, I'm assuming it would have been absolutely sold out.

SPEAKER_02 39:38

Oh my god, not a C3. Like there was there were so many people in that auditorium.

SPEAKER_00 39:43

Especially Drury Lane, like theatreal Drury Lane, like I couldn't believe the teared seat.

SPEAKER_02 39:49

And I was just like, I've never been on a stage this big, like I have. So this is wild.

SPEAKER_00 39:52

Oh my god, I can't.

SPEAKER_02 39:53

There was like no oxygen to breathe where there were so many people in that motherfucking.

SPEAKER_00 39:57

You know, I was literally like Oh my god, unreal. Um before we move into my next section, I do want to chat about We're Rocky. Let's are you excited?

SPEAKER_02 40:07

I'm so I actually haven't announced it.

SPEAKER_00 40:09

Wait, what I'll do then, this is gonna come out after you announce it. So this isn't your announcement that you're gonna be on We're Rocky. Surprise! Don't happen at life in the wings. Literally. Has We A Rocky ever been a dream show, or like, or is it just something that just wasn't on your bingo card for this year?

SPEAKER_02 40:28

I think without me knowing it was on my bingo card, um, because I won it I I just felt very stagnant in London. Like loved every second of living here, loved every second of being in Starlight, loved the the whole process. But by the time I think we got halfway through the second year, I was very I was feeling very like I need a change of of scenery, like I want to go travelling again, like I want to be paid more money.

SPEAKER_00 40:56

Um you know so you made a decision that you wanted to kind of go away and you were open to those opportunities.

SPEAKER_02 41:01

I'd very much manifested it, yeah. I'd very much been like, I really need to go travelling, but I want it to be a paid travelling job. I want like so uh essentially it's gonna be a ship, isn't it? Let's be real. I was like, and I'd I'm so open to it, I'm so ready for it. So I basically manifested it, I communicated it to my agent, and I was just like, I'm specifically about We're Rocky or just any ships with musical? Not We were Rocky, I just said I'm down for ships, like so whatever comes up, throw them at me. Um I think I'd brought up Royal Caribbean um in the past before I auditioned for Starlight, and I said, Um, I've never done Royal Caribbean before. I've obviously done PI, but I'd love to do a different area in the world, like a different cruise liner, see what the vibe is.

SPEAKER_00 41:40

Yeah, a different company, it's gonna be a whole different experience.

SPEAKER_02 41:43

You know, get a little for the different ships and see what the vibe is.

SPEAKER_00 41:47

Um yeah, and literally it was a long are um ensemble COP 2. We've just found that out. Cop 2. Galileo and Brit. I am. Which is unbelievable. Speechless. And this is the first oh no, you've covered before because you were swinging.

SPEAKER_02 42:06

I've swung and covered.

SPEAKER_00 42:07

But it's the first time you're covering a lead.

SPEAKER_02 42:09

I thought this is the first time I'm covering a lead and like such a like iconic role like Galileo. I just, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 42:19

Insane.

SPEAKER_02 42:19

I'm I'm so scared, but so excited.

SPEAKER_00 42:22

We literally go to Miami in like like four and a half weeks.

SPEAKER_02 42:25

Four and a half weeks.

SPEAKER_00 42:25

Four and a half weeks we go to Miami. We finish Miami.

SPEAKER_02 42:28

Jet off out of here.

SPEAKER_00 42:29

Isn't that unbelievable?

SPEAKER_02 42:31

Honestly, I'm so excited. And it's just so weird how our worlds have just collided again.

SPEAKER_00 42:35

I know. I do I believe in stuff like that though, with like fate and stuff, like how because obviously, have I before have I seen you since college up until we were rock you, have I not?

SPEAKER_02 42:48

I don't think so. Maybe we've like passed each other in like auditions or maybe that's what I'm thinking. And I just tiny blaze.

SPEAKER_00 42:55

So true, but I think when the world puts two people together, like constantly and whatever, I'm like, they're supposed to be in each other's lives. We're supposed to be- Stop!

SPEAKER_02 43:05

She's so cute! Honestly.

SPEAKER_00 43:07

Yeah, yeah, for real. Like, I'm not that spiritual, but I I do believe in like fate and stuff like that.

SPEAKER_02 43:12

Absolutely.

SPEAKER_00 43:12

And I'm just very excited for the year ahead.

SPEAKER_02 43:14

And also Have you spoken about you've obviously spoken about you, right?

SPEAKER_00 43:18

What do you mean?

SPEAKER_02 43:19

Well, your offer, what you're doing on the ship, but you've already spoken about this, right?

SPEAKER_00 43:22

Not really.

SPEAKER_02 43:23

Okay, well, do you want to divulge?

SPEAKER_00 43:25

Because I mean, I've spoken that they know that who's they, my listeners. They know that I'm going on rock you, but I've not been like, guys, I'm doing this.

SPEAKER_02 43:34

I haven't either, but you forced me to, so. It's not about me. It is now who are you covering? Who are you gonna be in with rock you?

SPEAKER_00 43:40

I am the teacher cover Killer Queen. Yes, you but just so rogue because I was in Fascara.

SPEAKER_02 43:46

Yes. I do remember you saying that.

SPEAKER_00 43:48

Yeah, I was in Fascara Motion, then they recalled me for Killer Queen.

SPEAKER_02 43:51

Killer's songs are killer, come on.

SPEAKER_00 43:52

Yeah, but also I'm five foot two, so I was like rogue. Like this, like, you know, this like real, like powerful woman. I thought, little me. But I

SPEAKER_02 44:00

Powerful woman that she is, evidently.

SPEAKER_00 44:03

Yeah, apparently I mean powerful.

SPEAKER_02 44:05

Really powerful.

SPEAKER_00 44:06

Um anyway, one two back to you. One two, one two. Um let's move into our next section. It's oh, should I no do I want to move into that? Yeah, let's do it. I was gonna say, because I normally move into like backstage drama, tell me a funny story, but you told me about your explosion story, but do you have another one? Do you have any like unhinged moments? You give me unhinged.

SPEAKER_02 44:24

I am so I don't should I take that as a compliment? I think I should.

SPEAKER_00 44:28

Do you know when like so in one of my previous podcasts we had someone, Rosanna, who turned up to audition without having like an invite to audition? Have you ever done anything like that or like called up to get into the room or anything like really out of the ordinary?

SPEAKER_02 44:42

Um, I do many things on a daily basis, to be honest, that's quite hinged and probably unacceptable. Um many of which I probably can't even mention on this podcast.

SPEAKER_00 44:53

Um, industry related.

SPEAKER_02 44:56

Not like cruising or like no, no.

SPEAKER_00 45:07

Or no. You're quite normal.

SPEAKER_02 45:10

Um normal by comparison, I guess. Like, I haven't done anything crazy. I would say backstage um drama or like unhinged moments, always. Uh I couldn't name them, to be honest. Um, you will see. Um in time.

SPEAKER_00 45:24

Both give chaos.

SPEAKER_02 45:25

I can't wait, and I don't think Real Rock You are ready or Royal Caribbean, to be honest. I hope the officers have it down because girl, we've got me.

SPEAKER_00 45:34

If they're watching, we are very good people, we're very professional. We just like fun.

SPEAKER_02 45:38

We like fun, and we're both sober.

SPEAKER_00 45:40

Yeah, we bring the vibes. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 45:43

Um and I'm vegan. No, I'm not. I'm not vegan. I was gonna say, are you?

SPEAKER_00 45:48

And I'm vegan. And I'm vegan!

SPEAKER_02 45:49

You know, vegans just have a really good reputation.

SPEAKER_00 45:52

Do they? Yeah. What do you mean? Are they a group?

SPEAKER_02 45:54

Well, I just feel like whenever I meet a vegan, they're always like really like whenever I meet a vegan. Whenever I meet a you know, those.

SPEAKER_00 46:03

I didn't find as a vegan.

SPEAKER_02 46:05

No, but you know, like when you meet a vegan that I'm vegan, you're like, of course you are.

SPEAKER_00 46:08

Because they're quite like eco-friendly.

SPEAKER_02 46:10

Well, they're just very well put together, you know. No, like no drama, they're not very chaotic, they seem very organized. You know, they've got a very type A. Very type A, like, not ADHD, like you know in Brad's world, there's no vegan that has ADHD. Show me one, show me one. Is that what you mean? Um, but I just feel like if you're vegan, you just have so much time on your hands and you're so um maybe this is really controversial.

SPEAKER_01 46:41

No, I'm actually like I don't think it is.

SPEAKER_02 46:43

I don't know if I think you have so much time on your hands and you're so um aware of what you put in your body. So therefore, if you're so aware of that and you take that so seriously, I think everything else follows. Like I think whereas in I I just I don't have the time to be organised in my normal private life, day-to-day life, like making my breakfast and being on time for work and getting my chains and being on time for a podcast. And um, you went on time. I I was actually, only because you picked me back from the station.

SPEAKER_00 47:11

Yeah, because I'm kind it was raining.

SPEAKER_02 47:12

Yeah. Um so yeah.

SPEAKER_00 47:15

So like vegans. Vegan slove. Please teach me your ways. Okay, so you uh talked about it slightly earlier, which I always like to speak about on this podcast. Because the reason I started this podcast was for it to be really relatable for kind of like emerger. I don't even like to use the word emerging actors because what is success, you know, but like I started it to basically make this industry really relatable. And you touched upon it slightly earlier when you were like, you know, I was living in London, I enjoyed it, but I was working in like this. Like, talk to me about that side of the industry where it's not so glamorous. Like, have you ever like struggled with auditions, had muggle jobs that you don't enjoy? Like, talk to me about that side of it.

SPEAKER_02 47:58

Um, I'm wearing a t-shirt right now given to me from Zara.

SPEAKER_00 48:03

So sorry, not so I've okay. That was a part of it. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Not not me asking you a question, but you thinking to watch your outfit of the day. So I'm wearing Zara.

SPEAKER_02 48:13

This is the outfit of the day. Did dude dude.

SPEAKER_00 48:16

It's giving Hannah Lauda.

SPEAKER_02 48:18

Uh love. Um, so yeah, sorry, where was I? Oh yeah, so this t-shirt basically was given to me as uniform from as a part of Zara's, you know, archive. Um archive of uniforms. Um so yeah, I have definitely done my fair share of not being in work at times um and had to just make a living like everyone else.

SPEAKER_00 48:38

Um and it's tough, right?

SPEAKER_02 48:40

Yeah, it can be very um humbling. It can be a humbling experience. Um because I think what we do is so special and um a niche. Niche than the niche. Yeah um and it really is a gift, it really is a blessing, it really is um a privilege. It's a privilege to be doing what we do. Yeah, um, and I think it's really really easy to forget that when you get caught up with work and it becomes your nine to five, essentially. It really does.

SPEAKER_00 49:07

Um for the people that partly is okay, because at the end of the day, it is a job, but also because we're not, you know, not all of us are constantly working, we want to really take it in.

SPEAKER_02 49:19

I think once you've done, you know, a uh a performing job, whatever that may be, I think there's a huge stigma and like there's such a negative uh like mindset over people that haven't done the West End, for example. There's like huge expectation and pressure, like if you haven't been in the West End, like have you really worked? And it's like girls, shut up. Like there's so many areas of performing, of dancing, of artistry that's in big.

SPEAKER_00 49:44

Oh, yeah, the amount of fringe productions which are just phenomenal. Honestly, like honestly, and and there's still this stigma with like West End. Yeah, it is crazy.

SPEAKER_02 49:54

And like, um, you know, what's it called? Undervalued fringe as well, like things that deserve funding but don't have it or don't get it. Yeah. Um you know, the people that essentially have to spend their own pocket money to make shows um before they become something and then get funding and then it becomes a huge musical.

SPEAKER_00 50:12

Six started off in fringe.

SPEAKER_02 50:13

Exactly. Um so I think it's I think it's really important to sometimes be faced with hardships like that because if you're not faced with hardships, I agree.

SPEAKER_00 50:22

You don't appreciate that's what I feel with like he's you know. This sounds really silly, but that's what I feel like with emotions, like without sadness, you don't get happiness. Without happiness, you don't get sadness.

SPEAKER_02 50:31

It's all a balance.

SPEAKER_00 50:32

It is, it's just about finding that.

SPEAKER_02 50:34

As a Libra once said, you know, Libras as I am, are scales, and I'm always trying to to balance my life out. Sometimes it's like this, and girl, it's negative, negative, negative, and there's a lot going on and nothing at the same time, and then other times it's like nothing going on, but we're so calm, and then other times it's like everything's high, and it's like it's yeah, it's such a good analogy.

SPEAKER_00 50:55

I really like that actually.

SPEAKER_02 50:56

So you just it's it's so important to just remember you can't have the highs of other lows, and you can't have the lows of other highs. It's a whole piece of life, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 51:03

Yeah, gorgeous.

SPEAKER_02 51:04

It's the circle of life, honey.

SPEAKER_00 51:05

Um, we're gonna go into our five-minute call, which is the last segment of our podcast and um of our podcast, and um it's where I give guests uh time to just tell me your dreams, your goals, what you want to achieve. Can be within the theatre industry, can be without um outside of it, sorry, dream roles, anything you want. The drama that you give, it's iconic.

SPEAKER_02 51:29

The tra I don't know what happens to me. You put a camera and a microphone in my hand, but I don't know how to hold one of my hand and we just get crazy. Um I was flipping and dancing and granchettoing and singing out of the womb. Um, so I haven't really thought of doing anything other than what I do. Like, and I I I'm so happy and blessed to to still be doing what I do at 31 years old. But um I still have very, very high expectations for myself when it comes to like what I want moving forward and stuff. Um everything needs to be a progression for me.

SPEAKER_00 52:09

Okay, that's good. I like that.

SPEAKER_02 52:11

Which is which is just a standard I set for myself. I don't think it's necessary to have high standards and progress in everything you do. I think if you're happy doing what you're doing and you're fulfilled and you're happy like period.

SPEAKER_01 52:24

That's it.

SPEAKER_02 52:24

You know, for me personally, I just don't feel I feel like an I feel like an underachiever. Maybe that's maybe I need therapy. Um but I feel like an underachiever if I if I don't progress job to job and um I'm given more and are faced with more challenges in the next projects that I become a part of, then I feel a bit like too stagnant. I feel like oh I'm not really achieving my full potential. A bit toxic, but also it's worked to this point.

SPEAKER_00 52:50

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 52:50

Um but I don't really have any roles per se that I really want to achieve. The roles that I do want to are things that I'm never gonna be casted for. Um really? Oh my god, yeah. So like Lola, Lola in kinky boots. Um never, right? But that's just a dream. But I think that just comes from me wanting to be potentially a drag queen in the future.

SPEAKER_00 53:17

That's cool.

SPEAKER_02 53:17

I think I might eventually cross bridges um and put all of my time and energy into getting a sewing machine, learning how to sew, and maybe become a drag queen and just, yeah, and like do it in my hometown.

SPEAKER_00 53:30

You would slay. Sorry, slay.

SPEAKER_02 53:33

Yeah, you're having no you would whack.

SPEAKER_00 53:38

Yeah, you would whack.

SPEAKER_02 53:40

I I would I would like to think so and I would hope so.

SPEAKER_00 53:42

I see that for your future.

SPEAKER_02 53:43

And yeah, I would just I'd really love to, you know, break that, break that barrier and just explore that side of artistry very much so, just because I think it's so liberating. It's something that I've I have suppressed, I think, over time and from my ends that I'm from. There's just not there isn't a drug scene um where I'm from, my town, my city. And I'm like, I think I should spice this up a little, put some colour in the in the walls.

SPEAKER_00 54:08

You are that market, you get in that gap.

SPEAKER_02 54:10

Exactly. And honestly, whenever I get dressed up into drag, you cannot tell me nothing. Like, I'm not sure. And that that side of myself I love. I don't like the other side of myself that can be really self-critical and um really negative and um we've all got that, it's a work in progress, isn't it? Yeah, like just just self-critical to another level of you know, toxic. Um, but that side of me, I'm like, that person can achieve great things, so I just need to maybe take and pinch from that person. So that would be fun to do some drag potentially. Um, but I also want to potentially on the side or not, do a barbering course.

SPEAKER_00 54:50

Barbering, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 54:52

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 54:52

Oh, I love that.

SPEAKER_02 54:53

I've always been into um, and also, how am I gonna find myself a man? Become a barber. Duh.

SPEAKER_00 54:58

Got it.

SPEAKER_02 54:59

Who needs the haircut every week? A man. Every what every one week or two weeks.

SPEAKER_00 55:04

That's so true.

SPEAKER_02 55:05

So I can make clientele, maybe find a husband.

SPEAKER_00 55:08

Um, I love that.

SPEAKER_02 55:09

And yeah, and I actually don't drive yet, so I really wanna. I know this is not like a huge deal, but it is to me. No, yeah. I'm 31 and I still don't drive.

SPEAKER_00 55:16

So you want to learn how to drive?

SPEAKER_02 55:17

I would love to drive.

SPEAKER_00 55:18

Maybe it will give you the independence like no other.

SPEAKER_02 55:21

Exactly.

SPEAKER_00 55:21

Can't even tell you.

SPEAKER_02 55:22

I'm like, I've travelled, I've worked, I've done all these fabulous things, but like I don't do like basic things like driving. Like that's a huge skill that you must have.

SPEAKER_00 55:32

It's crazy that like when you put it like that, like I do all these things, but actually the things that like probably every day people do, we're like, wait, we haven't done them.

SPEAKER_02 55:39

Babe, the essentials, essentially, like, you know, that like writing and reading, I think driving's one of those things. I really think I need to drive. Like, this is not okay for me.

SPEAKER_00 55:50

Like, no, I th I feel like you would love it.

SPEAKER_02 55:53

I honestly and be careful, everyone.

SPEAKER_00 55:55

Because once I'm once I'm on that road, and my radio is on, baby.

SPEAKER_02 56:00

I'm like, ah, like here we go. Um I want to drive and I wanna I wanna be maybe like a freelance bar bar and put my mobile number on my Instagram, you know, on the side of my car.

SPEAKER_00 56:12

And oh my god, he's got it sorted. Babe, I have. You've literally got it sorted.

SPEAKER_02 56:17

I have, yeah, I have ideas. I I am. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 56:19

Um going on to our last question, which is our final question, and it's from a listener. Um, I'm trying to find where it is. Here it is. Um, they have asked, which is a good question, actually. We've not had this one. How do you begin to learn material as a swing who covers multiple tracks? Oh where do you begin?

SPEAKER_02 56:37

Okay, so I think it's different for everyone. Um I learn easiest via video, so via video uh visuals.

SPEAKER_01 56:45

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 56:46

Um some people learn via writing notes, um, mapping, doing all kinds of these these essentials. Um but I I I'm not really a learner that way. I've never really learned that way. Even in school, I've really struggled. I've had to kind of see visually what it is, girl, and then I can reenact it. Um and so I personally watched a video and then I'll make notes on my iPad as to where they go on the stage. Firstly, where they enter, where they exit.

SPEAKER_00 57:19

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 57:19

You know, things like that characteristics of that role that I'm covering.

SPEAKER_00 57:23

Um but it'll you do that one track at a time?

SPEAKER_02 57:26

One track at a time, baby, because when I was in Starlight, um I'd never been a swing before. So I'd been first cut uh first cast with like up to three covers. But that's very different to be in a swing. Being a swing, you're covering multiple roles, and some are very similar.

SPEAKER_01 57:42

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 57:42

So you need specifics. Um, and it was a learning curve, yeah, to say the least. Um, because I was learning on the job and I was just like thinking, I need to I need to do this to the best of my ability, but in my own way. Because if I try and do it like everyone else, all the swings had their ways of doing it.

SPEAKER_00 57:59

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 57:59

I knew it wasn't gonna work for me. You need to work out what works for you, what works for me, and honestly, it was it was getting up, it was doing it, it was doing the choreo, it was going over the details, it was writing the notes via the video, the most recent link that we were sent at that time, and focusing on one role at a time because I would try and do the character categories, so I would try and do the engines, then I'd try and do I can't do yeah, I can't do multiple roles at the same time.

SPEAKER_00 58:26

No, that makes sense, so I don't think I'd be able to do that at the end.

SPEAKER_02 58:28

You miss out on the details, and you miss out on like you know all the nitty-gritty bits.

SPEAKER_00 58:31

Oh, I love that.

SPEAKER_02 58:32

Uh yeah, I would honestly just say focus on one role at a time. Yeah, write down the characteristics of what the role entails, and then just start small, baby, and just make it grow. Yeah, and take your time and do it in your form of how you learn. Don't compare your learning to anyone else's.

SPEAKER_00 58:48

Love that.

SPEAKER_02 58:48

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 58:49

No, I love that. Um, well, thank you so much for coming onto the podcast.

SPEAKER_02 58:53

I'm so honoured to be here.

SPEAKER_00 58:55

It's been phenomenal.

SPEAKER_02 58:57

Honestly, what a kiki.

SPEAKER_00 58:58

And you're gonna come back in Miami, right? Or on the ship.

SPEAKER_02 59:02

On the ship, Miami. I mean, hopefully we'll do a couple of really messy ones.

SPEAKER_01 59:06

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 59:07

After it. Maybe we should do like a like a tequila drinking situation. You know, like when you ask a question about each other and it's wrong, the other person drinks the tequila. You know what I mean?

SPEAKER_00 59:16

Oh my god, this podcast is turning. We're gonna be a bad influencer.

SPEAKER_02 59:20

I cannot, babe. I had already decided that on the cut on the couch over there when you said, Oh girl, and I went, I'm not sure we're good for each other. I think we're gonna cause chaos.

SPEAKER_00 59:30

It's gonna be the best sort of chaos. I think we're gonna have a fabulous time.

SPEAKER_02 59:33

Yeah, always.

SPEAKER_00 59:34

Thank you so much for coming on.

SPEAKER_02 59:36

Thank you for asking me.

SPEAKER_00 59:37

It's been Life in the Wings. He's been Red, and I've been Charlotte.

SPEAKER_02 59:40

Cheers, sweetheart.

SPEAKER_00 59:42

See you next week.

unknown 59:43

Bye!

SPEAKER_00 59:44

Like, button, subscribe, all the chat.