BWW Interviews: Rebecca LaChance On MACK AND MABEL With Michael Ball!

When BWW:UK speaks to Rebecca LaChance, she's in the middle of a chaotic tech week before Mack and Mabel opens for previews at Chichester Festival Theatre. She doesn't sound tired, though - just sparklingly enthusiastic!

Hi Rebecca, and thank you for joining us! We've just seen the pictures the theatre have released of rehearsals - it looks like you're all having so much fun!

We're having an amazing time! I can't believe how much fun it is to go to work!

They made a very big deal about searching for the right Mabel - and they found you. What was the process?

I started auditioning in New York in February, and I had a couple of initial auditions with our musical director and the producers, and they videoed those and sent those back to London for Michael Ball and our director Jonathan Church to see. A couple of other girls and I went for callbacks, and Michael and Jonathan came to New York, and auditioned with me, and I found out the next day.

Wow, they decided quickly!

It was a whirlwind, definitely.

So you met Michael on that day? You hadn't met him before?

No, I hadn't!

That must have been a hell of an audition!

It was a Sunday morning, the end of my week at Beautiful [in which she was appearing at the time]. I had done seven shows already, and had to do my eighth that afternoon. I had to wake up at the crack of dawn to warm up my voice, wake up, get everything together and get to this audition in the middle of February, in freezing cold New York, with snow outside!

Were you nervous?

I wasn't too nervous. I was convinced I wasn't going to get the part, so I was pretty low stress because I didn't think I stood a chance. So I was like, "It really doesn't matter if I mess up." However calm I was because of that probably helped me significantly.

So how did you react the next day when they rang and said, "Tthe part's yours"? You must have been shocked.

I was absolutely flabbergasted. My agent called me. A call from an agent is like something important has happened. I answered my phone and said, "Hey, what's going on?" He said, "Are you sitting down?" and I said, "No, why?" He said, "You got Mack and Mabel." I could not believe it. There was no chance, for me! It was not even on the radar of being possible, and then - ta-dah!

When did you arrive in the UK?

At the end of May.

And how are you settling in? And what do you make of our very special weather?

It's actually been so beautiful lately. It's amazing here. I really love it. I never expected to love it as much as I do. The people here are so incredible, and just the beauty of London and Chichester is mind-blowing. It's the most beautiful place I've ever been.

Well, you'll get to see a lot of it because you're going to do the UK and Ireland tour afterwards.

Yes! It's the perfect situation to be in, never having been to the UK before, I get to see it all for work! That's amazing.

So what are you planning to see?

I'm excited to do Dublin and Edinburgh - cities where friends have been and they say I have to go. So to go there with the show and spend time with the cast there is going to be awesome. This company is absolutely incredible, and our creative team has been working tirelessly to make every moment so clear and so beautiful and powerful. I think people will love it.

And what's Michael like?

He is fabulous. Obviously there's a reason that he's a huge superstar; his stage presence is incredible, he is so charming and thoughtful and kind and generous as a scene partner and as a person, and we have the best time together. We're constantly making fun of each other and getting on each other's nerves - but it all comes from this place of respect and love, and I'm so grateful.

Mack and Mabel is currently in previews at Chichester Festival Theatre.