Interview: Millie O'Connell Talks SOHO CINDERS at Charing Cross Theatre

After an incredible run as Anne Boleyn in SIX and an Olivier Award nomination, Millie O'Connell is ready for a new musical adventure in Stiles & Drewe's Soho Cinders. Directed by Will Keith, the show is a modern take on the classic fairy tale.

Did the huge success of SIX make a difference to going to work on a daily basis?

Every time you'd go into that theatre, there would be magic in there. Not only with me and my girls, but when the audience come in, and you put your in-ears in, you can hear them before you go live. It just sets the atmosphere, I would always put them in a little bit earlier, down on stage, waiting for the curtain to come up. It gives you a sense of what kind of crowd they are - it was really good.

Do you still have a favourite line in it?

Yes, I do! Natalie [Paris] as Jane Seymour is saying her really in-depth, beautiful speech on how she is the strong one, how she loved Henry, and I cut into the line saying "Yeah, actually there was this really cute time when I had a daughter and he chopped my head off" - and it's just brilliant. It's such a great part in the show, it brings light to something that's actually horrendous, as we do in the whole show.

What is Soho Cinders about?

It's a 2019-in-Soho Cinderella story. It's LGBTQ+ meets politics, and there are a lot of storylines. It shows love and courage and fear.

Who do you play?

I play Velcro. I honestly fell in love with her straight away. I read the lines and I was like "Oh my gosh, I have to play this character!" She really is, almost, the heart of it all.

She exudes love, and courage, and she wants to protect Robbie at all cost by giving him tough love. But still, she is so sweet, kind, and calm. Her humour also carries her through - she is really lighthearted. She creates this feeling of hope on stage.

Are you anything like her?

Velcro doesn't think before she speaks. She just says it and whatever the outcome is, the outcome is there. I'm very much a thinker. I think before I do... Sometimes! In that aspect we're very similar, our personality, our mannerisms; I felt connected to her immediately. We are similar but she chats and chats and chats, while I have to think before I chat, in case I say something wrong. She won't mind if she says something wrong.

Do you think the politics of it will resonate with people?

Yeah, I really do. I think for us an audience, it will resonate. Because it's current, it's happening now. This is what's happening in London, and I think that the crossover between politics and LGBTQ+ is fantastic, because both parties at the same time are rarely spoken about. So, the fact that we're speaking about both things at the same time in one musical is brilliant. We're addressing issues that are happening right now, and I think it's fab.

What can audiences expect from the show?

First off, the score is absolutely stunning. Honestly, Stiles and Drewe have made a beautiful show. They capture these rhythms and these emotions and they put them into music. To me, as an audience member, that's one thing I enjoy. It's fantastic music and they did that incredibly.

The story is full of love and joy. It's this journey of a boy in Soho who goes through struggles, happiness, love. And it addresses so many things that are currently happening. It's just a beautiful story.

What would you say to convince someone that they need to see the show?

I'd say you need to see it because not only it's a fab night out and incredible music, but you get to take something away from it. You end up feeling elated, lifted, happy. And by addressing so many that are happening and aren't spoken about, I think that if you'll come to this, you'll feel like you've helped a bit. You'll help spread the word of something that is going on, and you'll have seen a fantastic musical at the same time.

Soho Cinders runs at the Charing Cross Theatre 24 October-21 December.

Images: PND Photography