BWW Interviews: ROCK OF AGES's Amy Pemberton

Hi Amy, how's it going?

Really good. I'm shattered, it's been so busy, but it's nice to finally get in front of an audience.

And they're responding well?

Totally. We're getting people who've been travelling round the world to see different casts of Rock of Ages, and it's just, wow.

And probably the drinking in the audience helps with all that fun? [At Rock of Ages, audiences can buy alcohol during the performance!]

Yes! And you can see them too!

So tell us about Rock of Ages.

There's lots of storyline. It's a love story which goes wrong, but of course they get there in the end, and the tracks just slot in. It's a great night out, and so much fun for us. It's not rocket science, but it's a great script. Actually, I really want to watch it!

What's your character like?

Sherrie is really cute. I play her a bit differently than previous actresses. She's an actress wannabe, she wants to live it up, meet a man, but of course she runs into a few problems along the way.

Did you know the music before you auditioned?

A little bit. A few I didn't know at all. The older crowd lap it up, though, and the teens are loving it and on their feet anyway.

You've got a hectic performance schedule with your double shows on a Friday...

Yes, it's back to back! It's actually not that bad. Doing that with Footloose was a killer - this is vocally harder than physically. I was worried for front of house, actually - we were all, how are they going to turn it round in 20 minutes?

And the Shaftesbury's such a big and gorgeous theatre!

It is nice! We're not worried about the "curse" of the Shaftesbury. Hairspray did really well here. The only thing is that we're just outside the main centre, so we don't get the walk-through trade, but even so we've been packed.

Shayne Ward and Justin Lee Collins must be playing a part in that.

They're both fantastic. Shayne's bringing in screaming girls, and everyone went crazy for Justin. They're lovely to work with.

And you featured at Proms in the Park!

That was brilliant! We did two shows, then got on a coach, and got stuck in traffic! But we've got to get out there and push the show. We were performing to 40,000 or 50,000 people - it went really well.

So sell Rock of Ages to us in a few sentences.

It's just the most fun, buzzing, enjoyable night out. You'll laugh the whole way through!

Rock of Ages is playing at the Shaftesbury Theatre.