Interview: Emma Williams On MRS HENDERSON PRESENTS!

Hello Emma, and thank you so much for talking to us. You're about to move into the West End with the new musical Mrs Henderson Presents - premiering new work is something you've become known for in your career.

Yes, I have a real passion for getting to work on new material. It's really exciting to be involved in that early stage of a new piece, when you get to work with writers and composers, the director and choreographer - it's something really special that you don't necessarily always get when you take over a role. If you're fortunate you do! But there's something great about being in the room for the early stages. I was in the workshops for this show, so it's particularly nice for me to get to carry that journey through - quite often you'll workshop something and by the time they get round to doing the show, you've aged out of the role, so I'm thrilled.

Was the show in workshops similar to how it is now, or have there been lots of changes?

It is fairly recognisable, the production we have. Obviously it's based on the film so it's not vastly different, like some shows might be, but there are some changes - there's a massive production number in Act Two, which never existed at all in the workshops. Even the song didn't exist - but I can't remember what WAS there, which says so much to me about how what was there before wasn't right. When you work on something, you see the changes, and every change feels a little bit more correct, more appropriate to the story, serves the purpose. You don't miss the things you have to cut. So many great songs get cut from shows all the time - there are concerts all the time about missing songs, great songs that are lovely but just didn't serve the piece. It's really nice to see a show developing in a cohesive manner. There are little changes we're making from the Bath production to the London production, because certain things you don't know until you put it in front of an audience. That's why out-of-town try-outs are really important - put it in front of a really discerning audience, they know good theatre, then their response is really useful to see what works and what doesn't. We hope the London production is even better.

Quite often we've seen a lot of musicals go straight into the West End, and the response hasn't been as positive as some might have hoped. Try-outs would have given them the chance to check.

Yes, it's difficult because it's not so commonplace in this country as it is in the States. The problem is the budget involved with doing a show out of town first before finding a theatre to match it to. We see it all the time with Chichester - shows transfer but it takes a year. We've had six months off and we're very fortunate we've got most of the same cast. I do think personally try-outs are really useful. There's never any guarantees. We finished in Bath after 25 shows, thinking, "I need to do this show again!"

That must be frustrating as a performer?

What was really interesting was that we had six weeks of rehearsal for three weeks of shows!

Do you have muscle memory when you come back to a show after a length of time?

There is a sense of that. We had a chance to go back over it, and it's up to you to do your work in your own time. Everyone works really hard - not just in the rehearsal room, but sometimes I think people don't necessarily realise that! The interesting thing with a short run hoping for a transfer, you have to put yourself in suspended animation. You think, "This can't be the end, because this is a good show, we'll transfer." We always think that, with a new show; you always tell yourself it as you don't ever want it to be the end. In that respect it becomes really satisfying - you become proud of the work you've achieved. When I look at 'Love Story', there's a part of me that feels, "I was part of that." That's really special.

How has the company with its additions and tweaks gelled?

We'd all become very, very close. When you have to put yourself in a vulnerable position, particularly when it involves nudity, you have to become close and protective of one another. That's been really great. The new guys have embraced that and run with that. We're all part of the same team. The camaraderie is brilliant.

People still think so fondly of the film.

When I saw it, I remember loving it, and thinking, "Why is this a film? It's a show! It's a theatre show! Set in a theatre!" Most of the production takes place on the stage of the Windmill Theatre, so effectively the Noel Coward becomes the Windmill Theatre. It's one of those shows that belongs in that environment.

And in the film, there were also the national treasures Judi Dench and Bob Hoskins...

We're so fortunate to have Tracie Bennett and Ian Bartholomew. We're incredibly lucky. They're theatre stalwarts, their musical credits are astonishing, it's a privilege to work with them. I did my very first job ever with Tracie - when I was 14, in Heartbeat, I played a Girl Guide getting lost on the moors of Yorkshire, and she was my Girl Guide captain! I've worked with her four times now. Every time is like a masterclass. You don't get to work with people like that very often - you want to soak up every moment with them, and watching her and Barty work together is amazing. You forget yourself and sit there and watch and try to take everything in. I hope that one day, many years down the line, someone will be doing the same thing with me - and it will only be from what I've learnt from them.

Mrs Henderson Presents opens at the Noel Coward Theatre on Tuesday Feb 9.

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