Niamh Perry From LOVE NEVER DIES Talks Ramin, Sierra, Lloyd Webber And Nancy...

Hi Niamh, how are you?

I'm fine, thanks.

And how's the run going?

It's really good.  We've settled in now.  I don't cover anything, so I don't have to come in for any cover rehearsals.  It's been stressful.  I've never done a new production before, and creating a character took a lot more out of me than I expected, but in a good way, a positive way.  It's been interesting, very interesting three or four months.

You have done quite a diverse range of stuff in a small space of time, from I'd Do Anything to Mamma Mia!

Yeah, I've got a new philosophy now that I need to start appreciating what I've done in the past year and start patting myself on the back for it!  I'm not really that type of person.  But I have done quite well for myself in the past two years, and enjoyed every minute of it.  This has been great.  It's very different to Sophie in Mamma Mia!, which was my last gig.  As an actress, that's what you want to do - different stuff.

When were you first approached to do this job?

I started the workshop for it in July 2008 right after the TV show [I'd Do Anything].  It's been a long process.  A year and a half ago it was a completely different show in quite a few ways.  It was brilliant back then, it is on a different level now.

Even in the past two or three weeks you've had quite a few changes.

It's very different.  We had made all the right changes, I think.  There may be some more going in!  You never know.  People who have done original productions before say that usually in the first year there can be little bits and pieces that change, so that's something that's really cool to be involved in.

How do you go about creating a character, particularly one like Fleck, who's a bit bizarre?

We got a story we were given, pages of A4 from Jack O'Brien, telling us about what our characters were.  I had a lot of help at the beginning and then I kind of embellished it.  Andrew sees me as a bit of a quirky freak anyway!  I think that's the only way of putting it!  It's not actually that difficult to be freaky, it comes quite naturally!  I adored Mamma Mia! and it will always be the dream first job, but I stepped into someone else's shoes, as it's been running for 10 years, they know what they want with it.  With this, you kind of have free rein.  It's a luxury you don't have very often.

The quirky thing obviously they talked about that a lot on the TV show...do you worry about being typecast?

I really liked being quirky.  It's one of those things where you never know if it's a good thing or a bad thing.  It can be quirky as in "you're really weird, I don't want to talk to you", or it can be quirky as in "I've never met many people like you".  It wouldn't bother me if I was typecast; I'm kind of playing myself in a very weird way in there, there's an element of me.  There is a split personality for Fleck; she's quite flamboyant when she's on stage but when she's doing anything more serious she is quite introverted, she's got a softer side, she's got a real link with the Phantom.  It's good to show that.  I definitely have that as a person.  When you meet me, I have my barriers are, no one can get in, it's all funny, it's all sarcastic. 

So you've had a lot of hard work over the past few weeks.

Rehearsals were really intense in a good way.  I was exhausted by the time press night came.  There are always times when you doubt if it's going to happen.  It's a brilliant piece, you can't fault it as a work of art, which it is  The acting is brilliant, we've got some brilliant leads here; the music itself, it it's just so brilliant, and to be part of it is a huge privilege.  I will for ever be known as the original Fleck.  It's really cool.

But that's so much responsibility as well!

Yes, definitely!  If I get this wrong and they don't tell me about it, then every Fleck is going to get it wrong because they'll just do what the original wanted!

There's been a lot of hype around the show as well.

There's been an incredible amount of hype.  I knew it would be a huge deal but I didn't think it would be as huge a deal as it was.  I have been so lucky. 

Do you have anything else on the wish list to play at some point in future?

Eponine.  I'd love to play Christine as well.  The original one, and then when I'm older this one.  Phantom was the first show that I'd heard of.  It's a crossover between opera and musical theatre.  That's what started me off.  Scaramouche in We Will Rock You.  I would love to go back into Mamma Mia!.  That was one of the best experiences of my life.  I live with Samantha [Samantha Barks] from the TV show; she would be an amazing Elphaba, and I'm leaning towards Glinda at the minute.  We're trying to figure out the time of life where we can do that together!

Rachel and Louise have managed it!

I know! She is going to be incredible.  I can't wait to see her.  And I'd love to do little things too, or some TV, something like Waterloo Road.  I can't believe The Bill's going!

It's part of the law of theatre!  Everyone has to be in it!

I know!  There's always Holby City and Casualty.  And Emmerdale.  I don't think they'd see me for that. I'm a bit quirky, probably....

Niamh Perry stars in Love Never Dies at the Adelphi Theatre.

 

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