She was nominated for an Olivier Award and lost to Samantha Spiro (HELLO, DOLLY).
I saw her in BLOOD BROTHERS. She was excellent, with a strong singing voice and good stage presence. But Mrs. Johnstone isn't Evita.
"You travel alone because other people are only there to remind you how much that hook hurts that we all bit down on. Wait for that one day we can bite free and get back out there in space where we belong, sail back over water, over skies, into space, the hook finally out of our mouths and we wander back out there in space spawning to other planets never to return hurrah to earth and we'll look back and can't even see these lives here anymore. Only the taste of blood to remind us we ever existed. The earth is small. We're gone. We're dead. We're safe."
-John Guare, Landscape of the Body
Just came back to correct myself. If her singing on "I Don't Know How To Love Him" is anything to go by, she shouldn't be allowed near Andrew Lloyd Webber music.
Why was her Mrs J so revolutionary? It's a role that's been played for 25 years, what did she do with it? It's like when Maria Friedman came in to play Roxie in London's Chicago and she was nominated for an Olivier (takeovers can be nominated over there)... Wonder why she was so brilliant
Being nominated for an Olivier generally means nothing if someone is 'a name'. It basically just comes down to, 'oh you're famous and in a show, here's your nomination.'
It's a favorite show of mine. A guilty pleasure I guess. I've seen it a dozen times, in London and on Broadway. I usually see it every time I go to London (although that will be coming to an end, considering it's closing). Melanie C is easily my favorite Mrs. Johnstone. She's not the best singer I've ever heard in the part, technique-wise, but she sounded terrific, and the level of commitment in her performance was fantastic. She deserved her Olivier nomination and the many rave reviews she received.
And yes, she did revitalize the show to a degree. People were really interested in BLOOD BROTHERS again. People wanted to see her in the show.
As I said, this doesn't mean I think she would be perfect as Evita. She'd sing the role a hell of a lot better than Roger, but that's not exactly a hard thing to do. If she were cast, though, I'd certainly be first in line to buy a ticket.
"You travel alone because other people are only there to remind you how much that hook hurts that we all bit down on. Wait for that one day we can bite free and get back out there in space where we belong, sail back over water, over skies, into space, the hook finally out of our mouths and we wander back out there in space spawning to other planets never to return hurrah to earth and we'll look back and can't even see these lives here anymore. Only the taste of blood to remind us we ever existed. The earth is small. We're gone. We're dead. We're safe."
-John Guare, Landscape of the Body