Page 14 - Phonebox Magazine November 2015

The Buzz speaks to Gary Wilmot
The actor and comedian talks about playing Widow Twankey
Gary currently lives in Bletchley and is starring in this year’s pantomime, Aladdin, at Milton Keynes Theatre as Dame Widow Twankey – a role that he is well accustomed to. Gary laughs, “I enjoy
playing a woman’s part and getting dressed up in the clothes.
I played Widow Twankey last year in Birmingham too.” Gary is definitely up for the challenge of performing over fifty times in Aladdin this festive season; it’s a play that he also starred in over ten years ago!
“The response is great and I’m so excited about it.”
Many people recognise Gary from his days on television, starring in and hosting programmes such as New Faces, Copycats, Cue Gary, So You Want To Be Top and Showstoppers, but he is also very experienced in theatre, having now had an acting career spanning nearly forty years! But out of television and theatre, which does Gary prefer? “That’s a bit like asking if
I prefer football or cricket! I enjoy both. They’re such different things, but, in theatre, the response is great and I’m so excited about it.”
With only a few weeks until their opening show, Gary spoke about their rehearsals: “We have a very short rehearsal time, in fact just two and half weeks. It’s
a really taxing time but it’s great fun. You do have
a say on the script and, during rehearsals, you get to recognise what’s going to work and what’s not
Phonebox Picks
Vincent Simone and Flavia Cacace really are making their last appearance in The Last Tango this
November at Milton Keynes Theatre. After over 20 years of performing together, this duo will be dancing the night away in this innovative, thrilling performance. Tickets: £19.50–£59.00 on atgtickets.com.
14 Phonebox Magazine
going to work.” The writer of this year’s pantomime, Eric Potts, has actually played the role of Widow Twankey himself, so Gary feels “confident about Eric’s writing” and his role as the
extravagant character!
“It’s a collaborative art.”
Many actors and actresses have rituals and ways of preparing themselves before big performances on the stage. Gary, on the other hand, jokes, “I put my make up on... That’s it! I don’t have any rituals or anything like that; I’m not superstitious. I like to learn lines in a repetitive way, and it helps once you get to rehearsals as you can bounce off each other. Sometimes people do catch you out when they say a line in a different way to what you were expecting, but generally it’s great.
It’s a collaborative art.”
Gary also spoke about his singing career and whether
he has any future music projects. Having already released three solo albums, he jested, “I’ve been there, done that... Although not got the t-shirt! But in the future there might be certain projects.” So is there one performance from his whole career that really stands out for the comedian? “The first West- End performance in Me and My Girl in 1989. That was great. Also playing Fagin in Oliver was brilliant.” Gary is performing as Dame Widow Twankey from 4th December to 10th January at Milton Keynes Theatre.
Tickets can be booked at atgtickets.com.
On Saturday 21st November, Sandi Thom will be gracing the stage at The Stables for a very intimate
performance of her latest and greatest hits. Not only is she a fantastic singer but she also plays the piano, harmonica and guitar. This definitely isn’t one to miss. Tickets: £17.50 at stables.org.
At Royal & Derngate Theatre on Wednesday 25th November for one day only, Jools Holland and his
rhythm and blues orchestra will be joined by KT Tunstall, Ruby Turner and others to create a fantastic, musical performance. Last year, his show was completely sold out so book as soon as possible! Tickets: £37 upwards on royalandderngate.co.uk.