The BWW Q&A: TOP HAT's Kristen Beth Williams

Tell us a little bit about the show and the role you're taking.

Top Hat is a new musical based on the 1935 Fred Astaire/Ginger Rogers film of the same name. The basic story is that Broadway star Jerry Travers goes to London to star in a new review and meets American socialite Dale Tremont (that's me). They start to fall in love, and then, through the beauty of musical comedy, she mistakes him for her best friend's husband, and runs away. He pursues her...and, well, any more and I would spoil the whole thing!

I play the role of Dale Tremont, originally played in the film by Ginger Rogers, so I have some big shoes to fill!! It's really a "triple-threat" role! Singing, acting, dancing...and not just a few high kicks here and there... I dance five numbers in the show-two of which are based on two of Fred and Ginger's most iconic routines, "Isn't It A Lovely Day (To Be Caught In The Rain)?" and "Cheek to Cheek" - slightly daunting at first but ultimately so rewarding!

When were you happiest?

The day I got to tell my family I had booked my first Broadway show! I happened to be on tour in my hometown at the time, so it was meant to be!

What is your greatest fear?

I'm not too keen on snakes...or spiders...

What is your earliest memory?

Sitting on a wooden deck, surrounded by giant legs...I was 2 or 3, at a party with my parents. ...no wonder those legs all looked enormous!

Which living person do you most admire, and why?

My mother. She has been a coach, a mother, a nurse, an educator...she's done everything she wanted to do, and she has always encouraged me to follow my dreams.

What is the trait you most deplore in yourself?

Procrastination.

Where would you like to live?

In a house on a lake.

What makes you unhappy?

Meanness. Rudeness. Bullies.

Which words or phrases do you most overuse?

Um...

What is the best job you've done?

This one is pretty amazing!

Who is your best friend in theatre?

Do I have to pick just one? My boyfriend, Jimmy Ludwig.

If you could go back in time, where would you go?

1930s Hollywood. It's definitely my era. And...I want to dance with Fred Astaire!

Where would you most like to be right now?

On a beach somewhere with my boyfriend.

Tell us a secret.

If I told you, it wouldn't be a secret anymore, would it?

Kristen Beth Williams stars in Top Hat at the Aldwych Theatre.