BWW Interviews: LES MISERABLES' Samantha Barks!

Jody Vodden

"It's like Christmas, you get to see what everyone will unwrap and see if people will like what you have done," smiles Samantha Barks. She's talking about the challenges of learning a brand-new song to perform in an exciting new concert at the end of February.

You might think that nothing fazes Barks at all. Finishing at the young age of 17 in the top three of Andrew Lloyd Webber's contestant show Oliver! in the search for the new Nancy, and debuting in Cabaret as Sally Bowles and as the principal boy in Aladdin at the Theatre Royal in Windsor, she has evidently progressed quickly in her career in the short space of three years, and is living out, as she describes, "her wildest dreams."

She has recently landed a leading role as Zoe in an upcoming Disney television series due out later this year, which is clearly different to what she is used to, but it means she is able to use her talent across a wide range of roles. "The character of Zoe is half-animated and couldn't be more different from all I have done before," she admits.

She's also currently playing Eponine in Les Misérables, marking the beginning of a West End career, and prompting theatre producer Simon Greiff to invite her to sing never-heard-before songs written by American composer and lyricist Bobby Cronin amidst an all-star cast.

Cronin won the 2010 Midtown InterNational Theatre Festival Award for his musical contribution, and with songs already performed across America Sam considers it an honour to be chosen to be a part of the official London concert at the New Players Theatre at 8pm on Sunday 27th February.

Sounding a little nervous about the prospect, Barks has no previous versions of the Cronin song "That Girl Should Be Me" to familiarise herself with. "I can't listen to old versions to get inspiration, this time it's about doing my own thing," she said, before revealing just how much admiration she has for the American composer: "He is such a great writer, and it is just phenomenal to be listed to sing this new material."

Having not met any of the other guests for the prospective show, her childlike excitement is evident at the unveiling of everyone's material. Guests include Sally Ann Triplett (Mamma Mia) and LeAnne Jones (Hairspray) alongside a variety of guests from shows including Wicked, Grease and Fantasticks. Grabbing her inspiration from the experiences she has achieved in her career to date, she admits it is about being adaptable: "I'm not like Eponine (Les Misérables) in real life, but I draw on things I can relate to; it is similar with the song, it contains lovely words, which evoke lovely memories."

Les Misérables is a particular area of her career that Barks speaks most fondly of, depicting a passion for the show and the pleasure of being featured within the 25th Anniversary shows. Reaching a stage in front of around 20,000 people is sure to be a highlight of any actress's aspirations and her voice is highly animated when talking about the experience as a whole. "I am having the best time of my life so far, I'm doing what I have always wanted," she says. For the first five weeks of rehearsal for the lavish anniversary concert at the O2 she worked alongside talented singer Nick Jonas who she knows, alongside brothers Kevin and Joe, already has a lot of young fans, and which evidently brought a wider audience range to Les Mis. Alfie Boe and Matt Lucas also featured, bringing a further range of audience to the respected West End show and giving Les Mis, as she describes, "a win-win situation."

Landing in what appears to be her dream role, Samantha Barks has gained opportunities that many would be highly envious of. When questioned on whether she ever feels a little starstruck at the talent that she has met, and worked alongside, throughout her journey, she remains level headed and reveals an opinion of others that would put so many admiring fans at ease. "It is so nice to see the people that I have met as totally normal, I look up to them. If I had met them and they were not like I had expected, I would have been disappointed; when you finally meet someone, and they are really nice, it's such a good feeling!"

At only twenty years old, Samantha Barks is relaxed when she speaks about her career, which she is evidently proud of, proving that success is there if you are willing and determined. Admittedly very busy at the moment with gigs and working on the current song for the show her overriding comment is how fortunate she has been: "I have been so lucky, and I appreciate everything that has come my way."

Samantha Barks currently stars in Les Miserables at the Queen's Theatre. She will also feature in The Songs Of Bobby Cronin at the New Players Theatre on Sunday 27th February.

 

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