Page 32 - Phonebox Magazine November 2014

The Buzz speaks to... I’d Do Anything star Jodie Prenger
“I burst into tears when Liza Minnelli said I was her favourite”
The dressing rooms, passageways and winding corridors underneath the Nottingham Theatre Royal make it seem a little bit like a
concrete maze. It’s a stark contrast to the stomping, rollicking performance of Calamity Jane bouncing on the boards above just minutes before.
I’d Do Anything winner and West End actress Jodie Prenger arrives for the interview in full make-up and straight from the stage, beaming and pulling me into a hug. Starring as the gun-touting tale-telling star of the show, Jodie will arrive at MK Theatre this month, along with the rest of the cast, to perform the new musical.
And it seems she knew the role long before she was cast in it, as she explains: “Oh I watched Calamity Jane (the 1953 film) far too many times when I was younger. I loved Doris Day and I used to sing Secret Love all the time.”
The Hollywood film and musical are based on the records of American frontier Martha Jane Canary, who was involved in long- running military conflicts with Native America Indians. And it was Doris Day’s take on the iconic woman that brought her to the public eye.
It’s a role that Jodie is delighted to have, and it is one of many the actress has had since winning the BBC’s 2008 search for a new Nancy in the West End production of Cameron Mackintosh’s Oliver!
Week after week, the Blackpool native impressed the judges and the millions of viewers at home, and opened the multi- million pound production in the West End
Just blew in from the windy city – Jodie Prenger, centre, as Calamity Jane.
alongside Rowan Atkinson as Fagin.
“You think that after playing Nancy it will all stop, that you will just go home and sit with your dogs again, but it didn’t,” smiles Jodie. She went on to appear in Spamalot, One Man Two Guvnors, Street of Dreams, as well as a range of TV shows, and released her autobiography It’s A Fine Life in 2009.
Not that her celebrity status has changed her much: “When you appear on a TV show, you get your own runner to get things for you, but I think well I’ve got two arms and two legs. I can do it myself!”
But Jodie won’t forget the moment her idol complimented her, calling it her own ‘claim to fame’ moment.
Jodie adds: “The Liza Minnelli came and watched me in Nancy and she said I was her favourite to win! Her secretary said she’s so glad you won. I was backstage and just burst into tears like oh my god, she remembers me! She’s the queen.”
Going from a cockney accent to the mid-
West, Jodie is all too aware of the skill needed to accurately put on an accent, spending hours learning with dialect coach Anthony Dunn (who also plays Henry Miller in the show) on how to create the rootin’ tootin’ accent.
“I mean, she’s based on a real life character,” Jodie explains, “and we know she was an alcoholic but with a big heart. It’s really interesting to learn about them.
“And Anthony has worked in America and Canada, and knows a lot about American history. so told us all about it.”
And from November 25-29, Jodie will be performing in the show that also features all the actors playing their own instruments on- stage, the last time she was in Milton Keynes being for the Spamalot tour (she thinks). “I’ve been to so many places on tour you almost forget, but I remember performing there!”
Tickets: £10 to £35 on (0844) 8717652 or go to atgtickets.com.
Swanning around - The English National Ballet.
Top picks for November
Theatre
The English National Ballet will battle against an evil sorcerer, fall into a fateful encounter and recreate a lasting love story with the classic tale of Swan Lake, at the MK Theatre from the 11th until the 15th.
Looking back more than two thousand years ago, Simon Callow will grace the Northampton Royal & Derngate stage on the 3rd in his one-man show, The Man Jesus. One of Britain’s most prolific actors, he gives an account of biblical stories including the journey to Jerusalem.
Already feel like Christmas is just around the corner? A world premiere production of Merlin is being performed at the Northampton Royal & Derngate from November 26th until January 4th. An adventure of sorcery and chivalry, it’s peppered with heroic battles and romance.
32 Phonebox Magazine