You had a fairly quick turn around from being in Kinky Boots to moving over to In The Heights, what were the challenges when making the switch over?
Yes, I was really lucky to start In The Heights whilst still at Kinky Boots. My last week at the Adelphi Theatre was a bit crazy because during the days I was in rehearsals for Heights trying to learn the lyrics and lines. I was keen to find my interpretation of Benny's character as quickly as possible because we had quite a short rehearsal period. Then at night I would go to the Adelphi, put on a pair of heels and become Lola. The two roles could not be more different, but it was such an awesome experience. I think the most challenging aspect of the quick turn around was making sure I was off book and had created a fully realised person in Benny because everyone in ‘el barrio’ is integral to the community and I knew that I was stepping into a show that had already been running for the best part of a year. I wanted to make sure that I could bring a fresh energy whilst also being on par with everyone who was staying on for the last leg of the run.
In Kinky Boots you understudied the lead and now you’re playing a lead! How was it making that progression?
The progression was actually relatively seamless because I was lucky enough to become Standby Lola for my last few weeks at Kinky Boots, so that helped ease the transition for me. It’s been a few years since I’ve played a lead in a show so it’s great to be able to sing solos and hear how my voice has developed since I was 18/19. On Kinky Boots it was great to understudy Matt Henry. He’s a good friend and such a talented actor, so being able to learn from him about how to take care of yourself on and off stage was really beneficial too.
