SOUTHEND THEATRE SCENE
  • Home
    • About
    • Contact
    • Main feature writer - Kim Tobin
  • COMING UP
  • Reviews
  • Interviews
    • David Streames Interview
    • Daniel O'Donnell
    • Matt Wycliffe Interview - Million Dollar Quartet
    • Ian Anderson - Jethro Tull
    • Tony Stockwell Interview
    • Priscilla Queen of the Desert Tour - Interview with Emma Crossley
    • Phil Walker - Guitar Heroes
    • Rock for Heroes Review
    • Once the Musical - We interview Daniel Healy & Emma Lucia as we are invited to watch the cast rehearse!
    • The Overtones 2019
    • Derren Brown - Showman
    • Stephen K Amos Interview
    • Geoff Norcott INTERVIEW
    • Diversity and Kev Orkian Interviews
    • Giles Cooper talks about Nigel Slater's TOAST
    • Kristian Lavercombe - Riff Raff - Rocky Horror Show
    • Dan Partridge & Martha Kirby talk Grease the Musical
    • Village Green Festival 2019
    • Lee Mead, David Streames & Richard Foster
    • Craig Revel Horwood
    • Jenny Gayner
    • Nigel Slater
    • Alex Bourne Interview - Annie Tour 2019
    • Beverley Craven Interview
    • Gary Barlow and Tim Firth Interview - Calendar Girls
    • Tom Stade 2019 Interview
    • Karen Gibson - The Kingdom Choir
    • AJ Pritchard
    • Jonathan Wrather - The Picture of Dorian Gray - Tilted Wig Productions
    • Kevin Clifton & Graziano Di Prima Interview - Burn the Floor
    • Elesha Paul Moses Interview - Tina Turner - What's Love Got To Do With It?
    • Juliet Mills & Maxwell Caulfield Interview
    • Juliet Mills Interview
    • Holly Liburd - The Bodyguard
    • Alexandra Burke - The Bodyguard
    • Janine Duvitski Interview
    • Matthew Kelly & David Yelland
    • Aled Jones Interview
    • Quadrophenia Live Interview with Doug Freeman
    • Diversity's Ashley Banjo, Jordan Banjo, Perri Kiely & Terry Smith
    • Ali James & James Cranfield
    • Ed Speleers, Mairi Barclay & Adam Lilley
    • Rachel Lumberg & Faye Christall Interview
    • Rain Main - Mathew Horne & Ed Speleers
    • Charles Sharman-Cox
    • Matt Terry & Antoine Murray-Straughan
    • Collabro Road to the Royal Albert Hall Interview
    • Steve Michaels - Elvis
    • Paul Young Interview
    • Joe Pasquale
    • Jersey Boys Interview
    • Colin Blunstone - The Zombies
    • Dave Kelly - The Blues Band
    • Clive John - Johnny Cash Roadshow
    • Paul Opacic & Richard Walsh
    • Vincent Simone & Flavia Cacace
    • Alexander O'Neal Interview
    • Kevin Whately - Our Finest Hour
    • Jenny Eclair - Grumpy Old Women Tour
    • Séan Aydon - Great Expectations
    • Joe McElderry Live in Concert
    • Nichola McAuliffe Interview
    • Natalie Anderson & Jonathan Halliwell
    • Geoff Norcott Interview
    • Mark Steel - Comedian Interview
    • Debra Stephenson & Alice Barlow
    • Dr Feelgood's Kevin Morris
    • Ali James Interview - Oh Yes It Is!
    • Tom Stade Interview
    • Sarah Earnshaw - Nativity the Musical
    • Karina Jones - Wait Until Dark
    • The Stylistics
    • Tom Chambers & Charlotte Wakefield
    • Jessie Wallace - Deathtrap
    • Paul Bradley - Deathtrap
    • George Kemp - The Wipers Times
    • Joe McElderry - Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat
    • Ian Hislop & Nick Newman - The Wipers Times
    • Chris Simmons, All or Nothing the Musical
    • Caroline Flack, Tom Chambers Interview
    • Ruth Madoc
    • Scott Reid - Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time
    • Samuel Clemens, Director
    • Elizabeth Elvin
    • Ray Cooney - Out of Order
    • Susie Amy
    • Sue Holderness
    • Shaun Williamson
    • Carrie Hope Fletcher & Oliver Ormson
    • Geoff Norcott
    • Navi - King of Pop
    • Damian Williams Interview
    • Carrie Hope Fletcher Interview
    • Samantha Womack Interview
    • Les Dennis Interview
    • Clive Mantle - The Verdict
    • Stephen Bailey Interview
    • Steve Hackett Interview
    • Alastair Whatley - The Original Theatre Company
    • Paul Carrack Interview
    • Janine Johnson - Back to Bacharach Interview
    • Lewis Griffiths - Dirty Dancing
    • Ben Portsmouth Elvis Tribute
    • Paul Nicholls - Shawshank Redemption
    • Anne Odeke - Night Must Fall
    • Elaine Paige
    • Jimmy Osmond - Christmas Extravaganza
    • Brian Conley & Gok Wan
    • Jonathan Kiley - Qdos Pantomine Producer
    • Lee Mead - Some Enchanted Evening
    • Maximum Rhythm & Blues
    • Joe McElderry - Northern Light Tour
    • Carol Harrison - All or Nothing
    • Paul Cattermole - The Rocky Horror Show
    • Tommy Steele
    • Cheryl Baker - Formerly of Bucks Fizz
    • Gabrielle Cocca from Cats the Musical
    • PJ Proby Interview
    • Ashleigh & Pudsey - Mission ImPudseyble
    • I'm Cold - Alex Thorn
    • Mon Amie - supporting Jason Donovan
    • Chitty Chitty Bang Bang
    • Richard Ede - The 39 Steps
    • Collabro
    • The Searchers
    • Fanny Galore
    • Paul Carrack
    • Rose Marie
    • Gary Wilmot, Noel Sullivan, Carley Stenson
    • Megan Terry
    • Sharon Rose - Little Eva in West End's Beautiful
    • Roy Chubby Brown - Britain's Rudest Comedian
    • Fascinating Aida's Dillie Keane
    • Ben Portsmouth - Elvis Tribute Artist
    • Ugly Sisters, Martin Ramsdin & David Robbins - Cinderella
    • Lauren Hall (Cinderella)
    • Michael Harrison, West End Producer
    • Brian Conley
    • Sharon Rose - X Factor
    • The Bodyguard - Zoe Birkett Interview
    • Alex Bourne (Daddy Warbucks)
    • Michael Corbidge Royal Shakespeare Company
    • Ashton Moore - Samson
    • Joe Pasquale
    • Phill Jupitus
    • Michael Sharp Playwright
    • Ray Cooney OBE
  • MUSIC
  • YOUTUBE
  • Features
    • Echoes From Essex
    • Immersive Actor Training
    • Afternoon Tea at the Cliffs Pavilion
    • N-Act Theatre Stage - Village Green
    • Chameleon Productions
    • Sheku Kanneh-Mason
    • Aladdin - Panto Cast Announcement
    • Sounds Familiar Music Quiz
    • N-Act Theatre in Schools
    • Ray Cooney comes to see Lindisfarne perform his play
    • Theatre Etiquette
    • Leigh Operatic & Dramatic Society's Backstage Crew
Picture
Jessie Wallace Deathtrap interview
The former EastEnders actress tells us about starring in stage thriller Deathtrap and how she fell in love with the stage.
Click here for interview with Paul Bradley
***WIN TICKETS TO SEE THE SHOW ON 26TH SEPTEMBER AT THE PALACE THEATRE, WESTCLIFF ON SEA BY GOING TO OUR FACEBOOK OR TWITTER***
How would you describe Deathtrap?
It’s a play about Sidney, who’s a writer. But he’s had writer’s block for 18 years. Before that, he’d had a massive success on Broadway. He receives a play through the post from a student and thinks it is going to be massive. I play his wife, Myra, who suggests says he should collaborate on it… I don’t know what else I can say without giving too much away. It’s just an edge-of-your-seat, scary, funny, shocking play with some massive twists.

What made you want to appear in the play?
I wanted to do it because Ira Levin is a brilliant writer. He wrote Rosemary’s Baby, which is one of my favourite films. Every time I watch it – which is a lot – I find something new. I’m finding that with Deathtrap too. When I read the script, I thought it was funny but also very dark and shocking. That’s why I’m doing it.

How are you finding playing Myra?
I’ve never played a character like her. She comes across as ditzy, but she’s not. She’s clever and quite calculating. She is besotted with Sidney. She’s stood by him for the 18 years in which he’s not written anything. But she’s nothing like me. There’s no way I would stand by someone who treats me like that. He bullies her and she’s intimidated by him. But that changes. And then it changes again.
I love to play characters that are a million miles away from me. With Kat Slater [in EastEnders] I was a little bit in my comfort zone because I created her from scratch. When you play a character like that for so long you begin to blend into one person. I miss her, actually, but it’s great to do other things.

What has surprised you most about rehearsing Deathtrap?
Just how much I’m enjoying it. The company is so tight. They’re all such fantastic actors. I’ve never worked with Paul [Bradley] before. He’s very funny and has great comic timing. He’s got a lot to do in this. And Beverley Klein is brilliant. She does something different in every performance, which sometimes makes me jump. But it’s good that she does that. It keeps it fresh. That’s the great thing about theatre; you can do something different every night. Not so much that it throws the other cast members, but just enough to keep you on your toes.
Picture
Deathtrap tours the UK for 12 weeks. Are you a fan of touring?
I am. I love meeting different people. And it’s great taking a show to someone’s town. People stop you in the street and want to talk about it, which is lovely.

Is there anywhere you’re particularly looking forward to performing?
Richmond. I love Richmond Theatre. I’ve always wanted to perform in that theatre. It’s because I love theatres designed by Frank Matcham. As soon as I get into a Matcham theatre I immediately feel like I’m home. When you walk on stage, the shape of the auditorium makes you feel like you’re being hugged. 

When did you first fall in love with theatre?
It was when I was a kid of about 10 or 11. I went to see Singing In The Rain with Tommy Steele at the London Palladium. An actress ran down the middle aisle and I felt the breeze as she ran past. I remember looking up at her, touching her skirt and thinking “She’s real!” That, for me, was pure magic. When I meet children now and I get that reaction from them, I think “I know how you feel.”

You started out doing make up and wigs at the Royal Shakespeare Company. How did you make the leap to performing?
I’ve always been interested in acting. As a kid I played the lead in shows. But I didn’t really know what I wanted to do, so I ended up doing wigs and make up. At the RSC I watched people like Iain Glen, Victoria Hamilton, Helen McCrory and Joseph Fiennes. Sitting in the wings, I had this envy that came over me. So I left that behind and went to drama school. 
​

In a sentence, what can audiences expect from Deathtrap?
I hope they can expect joy, to be scared, to be completely engaged and to be shocked.


© Matthew Amer
www.southendtheatres.org.uk

​26th - 30th September 2017​

Seats:  Tue to Thu 8pm, plus matinees - £31.00, £29.00, £22.50

Fri and Sat 8pm - £32.50, £30.50, £24.50
Concs £2.00 off (exc. Fri & Sat eves)
Senior Citizen Mid-week Matinee Special £27.00, £22.50 (Wed & Thu 2.30pm)

Prices shown are inclusive of any applicable booking fees. Groups of 10+ please call 01702 351135 to buy fee-free.

Home

About

MUSIC

INTERVIEWS

FEATURES

Copyright © 2015