INTERVIEW: Vivienne de Vil, who is about to bring her one woman show to the Underbelly on the Southbank

Vivienne de Vil, Broadway veteran and confidant to the stars, is bringing her one woman show to the Underbelly at the Southbank this summer. In the show she celebrates some of the most iconic women of Musical Theatre; From Streisand to Minnelli, Paige to LuPone. With One Look is an intimate evening of untold stories and the songs these women made famous featuring live musicians, read our ★★★★ star review here. We managed to catch her for a brief few minutes to chat to her about this wonderful show. 

Tell us a bit about your solo show at the Underbelly at the Southbank

It’s a celebration of some of the most iconic women of Musical Theatre, with little known stories from their careers, and the music they made famous. It’s also my big return to showbiz after a nasty divorce!

What inspired you to put together this show?

I’ve written and performed several solo shows throughout my career, but this show is much more intimate, and gives the audience a chance to get to know me better. And, being such a close friend of so many stars means that I’ve got a lot of stories about their lives that you won’t find in the history books.

Did you get any tips from any of your famous friends in the creation?

It was actually Julie Andrews who convinced me to write the show in the first place! I’d been away from the biz for a while and was nervous at the thought of treading the boards again, and Jules suggested I invite a small crowd of friends to dip my toe back into the water!

MENTAL HEALTH AWARENESS WEEK: Gregory Hazel's Story

Mental Heath Awareness week was started by the Mental Heath Foundation, who are in their 70th year, in 2001. Combating issues such as stress, relationships, loneliness, altruism, sleep, alcohol and friendship with this years theme being body image. 

Here at Pocket we put some feelers out to some of our friends who responded with such bravery and pride. Working in this industry we call 'show business' is tough at the best of times, Mental Health Awareness week is our chance to educate people and help us understand one another. 

Our mission as people who are in and adore this industry is to support and help everyone in it. To promote Mental Health Awareness week we have been joined by a few of our friends who have written some wonderful guest posts for us. The more we speak about this, the better. 

Click here to view them all.

We'd like to introduce you to Gregory Hazel, a London based performer who has recently performed as Vivienne De Vil in the 5 star production of With One Look. He has very kindly shared his story with us. 

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REVIEW: With One Look at the Union Theatre

With One Look’ is Gregory Hazels one man show as his drag character, Vivienne De Vil. The show is set in her living room and as the evening goes on we hear all her stories about her friends (some of the most famous Broadway divas) and Vivienne takes us on a journey to look back at some of the greatest female musical theatre numbers and greats of our time. 

This show is truly a celebration of these fabulous women who have shaped and moulded what it is to be a Broadway star. From Judy Garland to Lea Salonga, we go through a huge repertoire of songs filled with interesting stories about each and every superstar. 

This is every stageys dream, a glamorous drag queen and some of the campest and best musical theatre numbers? You’ve certainly sold me!

As Vivienne De Vil, Gregory Hazel provides stunning vocals and has a presence that would make any Broadway Diva shiver in her stilettos. He knows his character inside out and from the moment Vivienne walks on stage you know you’re in safe hands for the evening.