Carly Bawden: Rock Follies, Reflections & More

Victoria Hamilton-Barritt is one of the most acclaimed leading ladies on the West End scene today. After taking the West End by storm in the UK premiere of In The Heights, she has went on to tackle key roles in TheWild Party, Murder Ballad and Cinderella, earning Olivier award nominations for the latter two. Now, she is currently preparing to make her Charing Cross Theatre debut in the UK premiere of Bronco Billy, a musical adaptation of Clint Eastwood's 1980 Western, featuring a book by Dennis Hackin who also  wrote the screenplay. Here, audiences will get to see Victoria take on the role of Constance Lily, the wicked stepmother of Emily Benjamin's Antoinette Lily. Of course, this is not the first time Victoria has played a villain and throughout our interview, we hear her talk about her love for bringing out her naughtier side and how she goes about developing characters like Constance and the Stepmother in Cinderella.

In this brand new interview, Victoria Hamilton-Barritt shares her excitement at reuniting with Tarrin Callender after working together on The Odyssey at the National Theatre last Summer. As a long-time champion of new musicals, she tells us about the joy of getting to create a character and her passion for building comedy in an intimate venue like Charing Cross. We also hear her talk about the challenges of working in such a high pressure industry as she reflects on the juggle of being a West End performer and a mother to two young children. It's a fascinating conversation where we hear about some of the harsher realities of being a West End leading lady as well as the joys that come with the job. Indeed, Victoria happily admits to her love for playing villains and we can't wait to see what she does with Constance Lily in this new show.

Bronco Billy runs at the Charing Cross Theatre from 24 January - 7 April with tickets on sale now!

Ahead of the opening of Exhibitionists at the new King’s Head Theatre, award winning writer Shaun McKenna sat down with us to talk about his brand new show and how it feels to have his work premiere at the theatres brand new home. After successful revival of his musical adaptation of The Lord of the Rings last year too, Shaun seems to be experiencing a new high in his career, working with many other celebrated names in the industry. In our interview, he talks to us about the joy of collaborating with Andrew Sickle on developing this comedy which he hopes will appeal not only to gay audiences but to all audiences who go to see it.

During the course of our conversation, we also hear Shaun McKenna reflect on his career. Having started out as an actor, he tells us why he left acting and pursued writing instead. Since then, he has worked as a playwright, lyricist and screenwriter. He has written both original works and adaptations and gives us a glimpse into his passion for the entertainment industry.

Exhibitionists opens at the Kings Head Theatre on 8 January and runs till 10 February!

Olivier Award winner Elliot Levey was last at the Almeida for Nine Lessons and Carols, and before that in Three Sisters. Now, he has returned to London's top producing house in Cold War: Conor McPherson's adaptation of Pawel Pawlikowski's Oscar-nominated film. Over the course of his career, Elliot has established himself as one of the most recognised actors in British theatre. As Kaczmarek, he helps set up the story of Cold War, setting out the importance of traditional folk music in post-war Poland. Indeed, music plays a very important role in the story of Cold War and audiences are treated to a luscious score by Elvis Costello in this exciting London premiere.

In this brand new interview, Elliot Levey opens up about his career working with the likes of Rupert Goold and Elvis Costello, but he also talks about working with Mike Bartlett on Snowflake and his experience of working on unsuccessful pieces like Take Flight at the Menier Chocolate Factory. He tells us about his love for telling compelling stories and seeing audiences moved after a performance. With one of the most familiar faces on stage and screen, he remains constantly excited by new collaboration opportunities having worked with directors such as Stephen Frears, Rebecca Frecknall and even Madonna. Naturally a curious thinker, audiences continue to be delighted by his performances and it's likely we'll have more intriguing performances from him to look forward to.

Cold War runs at the Almeida Theatre until Saturday 27th January 2024.

After winning the coveted role of Cilla Black in Bill Kenwright's tour of Cilla the Musical, Kara Lily Hayworth quickly became one of the industry's most exciting newcomers. After the tour finished, Kara took on the iconic role of Sally Bowles in Cabaret, working opposite Anita Harris and John Partridge. Over her career, Kara has also taken on the role of Maggie May in a production at Finborough Theatre and was also in Stand and Deliver at the King's Head Theatre. Most recently, she finished filming on Assassin's Guild with Stuart Brennan and is now regularly a feature guest in West End Sings... at The Crazy Coqs.

In this brand new interview, Kara Lily Hayworth looks back on her career highlights and also shares about how motherhood has changed her as a person. She talks fondly of her former co-performers and about the shows she's gotten to do so far. Kara also tells us about her hopes for the future as the industry continues to recover from the effects of the pandemic and we look forward to seeing what else she does next.

After previously starring in the last West End revival of Oliver!, Jenny Fitzpatrick is preparing to return to Dickens' England in Leeds Playhouse's eagerly anticipated revival of the much-loved musical. Now starring as Nancy, Jenny tells us about her journey to the role having previously covered Jodie Prenger at Theatre Royal, Drury Lane. This also marks the first time Jenny has returned to Leeds since her outing in Aladdin in 2010. We hear in this interview her excitement at returning to Leeds and getting the opportunity to play the pivotal role of Nancy in James Brining's reimagining of Lionel Bart's classic show.

Over the years, Jenny Fitzpatrick has played some of the most memorable roles in the West End and on tour in shows such as Tina: The Tina Turner Musical and Ghost the Musical. More recently, Jenny took on the role of Fama in the world premiere of Berlusconi the Musical at the newly opened Southwark Playhouse Elephant. In the course of interview, Jenny tells us about her love for playing challenging and complex characters. We hear her talk about the rewards of getting older in the industry - being able to bring new layers of depth to her characters dealing with difficult issues such as abuse and rejection. The upcoming revival of Oliver! will see Jenny also reunite with Chris Bennett who also featured in the West End revival of the show and we hear Jenny talk about the joy of working with the esteemed company and her hopes for what audiences will take away with them from seeing the show.

Oliver! opens at Leeds Playhouse on 24 November and runs to 27 January at Leeds Playhouse with tickets on sale now!

After previously working together and winning an Olivier Award for Passion, David Thaxton has reunited with Jamie Lloyd on his 5* production of Sunset Boulevard. Having been an admirer of Andrew Lloyd Webber's musicals, he tells us in this brand new interview about the joy of getting to now work on Sunset Boulevard having previously worked on Jesus Christ Superstar, Love Never Dies and The Phantom of the Opera. Since starting his career in the mid-2000s, David Thaxton has carved out one of the most varied CVs among his peers, taking on roles in both limited engagements and in the long-running shows. David is also a member of the band Divisions Real and regularly records and performs live with his bandmates when not on the West End. Alongside his partner Nancy Sullivan, David also delivers W1 Workshops, a service aimed towards providing aspiring young performers skills and experience to work on the West End at an affordable price.

In our interview, David Thaxton looks back on his remarkable career from playing Enjolras to Javert in Les Miserables, his experiences working with Jamie Lloyd on Passion and now Sunset Boulevard. He remains humble about his achievements and offers some reflection on how the industry has changed in recent times. He has a lot of praise for his fellow cast in Sunset, remarking on the talent and work ethic of those he's working around. Throughout our interview, he is also brutally honest about the realities of working in musical theatre and the hardships that come along the way. Still, it seems it's unlikely David would ever walk away from musical theatre and we look forward to seeing what the next 20 years will bring him.

Sunset Boulevard runs at Ssvoy Theatre until Saturday 6th January 2024.

After starring in Translations and Othello at the National Theatre, Jack Bardoe is currently touring in Richard Eyre's acclaimed revival of A Voyage Round My Father. The production opened in Theatre Royal, Bath and is currently making its way around the UK, bringing John Mortimer's much loved piece to audiences throughout the country.

In an exclusive interview, Jack Bardoe opens up about his experiences working with some of our most esteemed directors such as Sir Richard Eyre and Ian Rickson. After leaving RADA, Jack also been seen in shows such as Belgravia as Charles Pope as well as played Toby Phillips in SCREW. Now, Jack stars in a brand new revival of John Mortimer's semi-autobiographical piece opposite award-winning actor Rupert Everett as the Father. Since leaving drama school, Jack has played principal roles in Translations and Othello, both at the National Theatre, a venue he grew up visiting. He talks fondly about the experience stepping out onto the Olivier and Lyttleton stages in 2 landmark productions of great texts. Now, as he continues on tour, he looks back at how theatre continues to be a strong passion and he tells us how this motivates him forward to continue looking for challenging and interesting work.

A Voyage Round My Father is on tour until 18 November.

After garnering an array of accolades for his role in Dear Evan Hansen, Sam Tutty is preparing to make his stage return in Kiln Theatre's Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York). Sam was named one of the brightest newcomers to the stage in 2019 and fans have been eagerly anticipating what the young star will do next. In a similar way, theatregoers have been eager for a new musical from Kiln Theatre following the success of Blues in the Night in 2019. Jim Barne and Kit Buchan have become one of the industry's most dynamic writing duos and we hear Sam share his excitement at getting to work on this world premiere. With the show continuing to develop, it was great getting to sit down with Sam to discuss the new show and to look back over some early career highlights too.

In this brand new interview, Sam Tutty opens up about his creative process, now approaching a brand new musical, one year after the closing of Dear Evan Hansen. He reminds us of the importance of separating oneself from their character and shares his thanks to his family and friends for allowing him to switch off from playing heavy parts. As he now approaches the role of Dougal, we hear him talk about the importance of playing characters who are flawed and reflective of the human experience. He continues to be ambitious too - sharing his hope to continue diversifying in his career choices with more screen work as well as to continue starring in more musicals. It's a delightful conversation where we hear how much Sam has matured since his early days as a fresh graduate and we look forward to seeing whatever he does next.

Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York) runs at Kiln Theatre from 9 November - 23 December).

Since arriving into the UK 20 years ago, Damian Humbley has become one of the most eminent figures on the musical theatre scene. After taking over the role of Walter in The Woman in White at the Palace Theatre, Damian has since taken on roles such as Seymour in Little Shop of Horrors, Charley in Merrily We Roll Along and is now appearing in the all-star cast of Stephen Sondheim's Old Friends. A lifelong Sondheim aficionado himself, he tells us about his love of Sondheim and how amazing it feels to be working alongside such established talents on Old Friends. 

In this exclusive interview, Damian Humbley looks back over his career, telling us about how the theatre scene has changed and is continuing to evolve. After recently starring in The Great British Bake Off musical, we hear him talk about how it's becoming increasingly challenging creating shows that are as commercially successful as they are critically. After the show premiered in Cheltenham, the show made its way to the Noel Coward Theatre where it had a modest run and gained new fans as well. Old Friends also marks the first time Damian has returned to the Gielgud theatre having previously starred in the acclaimed but short-lived production of Lend Me a Tenor. It's interesting to hear Damian provide his insight and analysis of what is currently happening across the theatre landscape as he looks ahead to the next 20 years of his career. He remains committed to creating high quality pieces of art and shares his hopes of working on more Sondheim pieces going forwards.

Stephen Sondheim's Old Friends runs at the Gielgud Theatre until 6th January 2024

Since her breakthrough in Mamma Mia! in the West End, Kelly Price has become one of the most respected leading ladies on the West End and UK stages. Most recently, Kelly Price has led key revivals of Stephen Sondheim's Passion and played Lady Bellaston in Leeds Playhouse's production of What's New, Pussycat?  Now, she is preparing to play Lady Dant and Madame Colbert in the London premiere of Flowers For Mrs Harris. After the original production won rave reviews from critics and audiences alike in Sheffield and Chichester, musical theatre fans are eager to see the acclaimed British musical arrive at the Riverside Studios.

In our interview with Kelly Price, we hear her talk about her excitement at the recent flurry of new British musicals being produced on our shores. Having established herself as one of the most versatile performers, Kelly tells us about the challenges of learning the material for Flowers For Mrs Harris but also how rewarding it feels to work on such a detailed piece of musical theatre. Last year, audiences also saw her return to the Menier Chocolate Factory for The Sex Party, a controversial new play by Terry Johnson and we hear Kelly reflect upon her experience working on the premiere of that play. Throughout our conversation, we hear Kelly remain very humble about her career achievements, playing a huge variation of roles and gaining a reputation for being a truly versatile actress. It will be interesting to see what other roles Kelly will play in the years to come and we look forward to seeing her make her Riverside Studios debut.

Flowers For Mrs Harris runs at Riverside Studios from 30th September - 26th November with tickets on sale now!