The beautiful Lauren Hall will be appearing as Cinderella in this year’s pantomime at the Cliffs Pavilion, Southend on Sea. She’s thrilled to be sharing the stage once again opposite Brian Conley as they both teamed up as Cinders and Buttons last year in Southampton and had a fantastic time.
Lauren, 27, is no stranger to the stage. She has been lucky enough to appear in many shows, including Singing in the Rain, Loserville, Jersey Boys and 42nd Street, since she left The Arts Ed drama school and has recently taken over the coveted part of June in Gypsy at The Savoy Theatre, London in October and has already played Louise, (as an understudy) alongside the amazing powerhouse that is Imelda Staunton who plays Mama Rose.
She tells me, “Working with Imelda is incredible. There’s an intensity she has when she’s performing that I’ve never seen before. I don’t know how she does it. She makes my job so easy because she is so good. You don’t have to act you just listen to her and respond. You’re so in the moment and blown away. It’s wonderful!” Lauren will be performing in the last show of Gypsy at the end of November as the show is closing and will be heading straight into rehearsal for Cinderella. So with all this excitement, I managed to grab a few minutes of Lauren’s time to ask her some questions.
So this is your 5th panto? (according to the notes I was given)
Lauren: I’m not sure, I know I did the first one in 2003. I’ve done three Cinderella’s, two Peter Pans and a Jack in the Beanstalk and a Robin Hood so this is my 7th for QDos.
Have you got a favourite?
Lauren: It’s got to be Cinderella. Peter Pan is my favourite fairy tale because I love the book but it’s not as much as a panto to me as Cinderella. Cinderella is the traditional one and especially this particular one with Brian. This is in a league of its own for me. Maybe I’m being biased but it is pretty special.
Were you really pleased when they asked you to come back and do it again?
Lauren: Yes, and also I’ve grown up watching Lesley Joseph in Birds of a Feather. I’ve not met her yet but I just think she’s just going to bring a lovely Fairy Godmother to the show that we didn’t have before, which is great. I’m quite good friends with David and Martin (the Ugly Sisters) as well and I feel like I know her through Martin because they’re really close. I can just imagine that we’re all going to fit together really nicely.
Lauren, 27, is no stranger to the stage. She has been lucky enough to appear in many shows, including Singing in the Rain, Loserville, Jersey Boys and 42nd Street, since she left The Arts Ed drama school and has recently taken over the coveted part of June in Gypsy at The Savoy Theatre, London in October and has already played Louise, (as an understudy) alongside the amazing powerhouse that is Imelda Staunton who plays Mama Rose.
She tells me, “Working with Imelda is incredible. There’s an intensity she has when she’s performing that I’ve never seen before. I don’t know how she does it. She makes my job so easy because she is so good. You don’t have to act you just listen to her and respond. You’re so in the moment and blown away. It’s wonderful!” Lauren will be performing in the last show of Gypsy at the end of November as the show is closing and will be heading straight into rehearsal for Cinderella. So with all this excitement, I managed to grab a few minutes of Lauren’s time to ask her some questions.
So this is your 5th panto? (according to the notes I was given)
Lauren: I’m not sure, I know I did the first one in 2003. I’ve done three Cinderella’s, two Peter Pans and a Jack in the Beanstalk and a Robin Hood so this is my 7th for QDos.
Have you got a favourite?
Lauren: It’s got to be Cinderella. Peter Pan is my favourite fairy tale because I love the book but it’s not as much as a panto to me as Cinderella. Cinderella is the traditional one and especially this particular one with Brian. This is in a league of its own for me. Maybe I’m being biased but it is pretty special.
Were you really pleased when they asked you to come back and do it again?
Lauren: Yes, and also I’ve grown up watching Lesley Joseph in Birds of a Feather. I’ve not met her yet but I just think she’s just going to bring a lovely Fairy Godmother to the show that we didn’t have before, which is great. I’m quite good friends with David and Martin (the Ugly Sisters) as well and I feel like I know her through Martin because they’re really close. I can just imagine that we’re all going to fit together really nicely.
What’s the difference between musical theatre and panto?
Lauren: I think it’s exciting because although there is comedy in panto, it is very intense. It’s very emotional in places. I think that panto is like the lead up to Christmas; it’s like a giant advent calendar full of Brian Conley, thats what it is! It’s also a bit of light release although we do actually work very hard. You know we do two shows every day as opposed to musical theatre where you do eight shows a week, so actually it’s equally hard but we just have such a laugh. We have a laugh on stage on and off. Last year was crazy!
So you’re in Gypsy at the moment and will be taking over the role of June in October, how do you fit the panto into that?
Lauren: Well, we finish Gypsy on 28th November which is a Saturday, I’ve got the Sunday off and we start rehearsing the panto on the Monday. So it’s worked out perfectly.
So Gypsy is finishing then?
Lauren: It’s closing. It was always going to be that limited run because that’s how long Imelda Staunton is available.
I suppose nobody else could take that part, could they?
Lauren: She’s so good at it. I mean people could take that part but I think this production has been so special and I think that they would rather it be special for nine months than drag it on and make more out of it, when actually it will be remembered for those nine months.
Were you involved in it when it was at Chichester?
Lauren: I wasn’t. I was on tour then with ‘Singing in the Rain’ but I went to see it in Chichester because I love going there in the summer, they do the most amazing things there. I thought it was wonderful and never thought in a million years that I’d be in it. Then I got an audition because they just needed one girl and it worked out perfectly that it was me. I’m very lucky, I’ve had a brilliant year and this is just going to top it off and Christmas is just incredible when your in panto and it’s my birthday around Christmas time. Actually the day before we open it’s my birthday so I’ll be having a full day of tech.
So with that lovely Geordie accent, you’re obviously not from down south?
Lauren: No, I’m from Newcastle but I’ve lived in London for 9 years.
Where did you train?
I trained at Arts Ed on a Musical Theatre Degree Course and I’ve been really fortunate that I’ve worked pretty solidly in musical theatre, fitting in the odd panto as well - which has been brilliant. I’m one of the lucky ones.
Do you all get on well with the other cast members?
Lauren: Oh yeah, absolutely. The difference sometimes when you’re in a venue where you have digs is that you tend to be closer than when you’re in London. Everyone has partners and some people have children so you come to work and it’s much more of a job when you're in the West End. Really it’s not different at all, in the amount of work and everything, but you go to work and you go home so you don’t socialise half as much as when you do panto or touring because you become a unit and you’re all that each other’s got in that particular place. Most of us don’t know anyone in Southend, so we’ll all hang out together.
Well, if Lauren needs anyone to show her around Southend when the panto comes to town, I’m sure there’ll be lots of panto fans on hand to point out the sites and she can always give MyTownSouthend a call. We’re really looking forward to seeing the West End star starring as Cinderella this Christmas.
For tickets for Cinderella, starring Lauren Hall and Brian Conley go to www.southendtheatres.org.uk or telephone 01702 351135
Lauren: I think it’s exciting because although there is comedy in panto, it is very intense. It’s very emotional in places. I think that panto is like the lead up to Christmas; it’s like a giant advent calendar full of Brian Conley, thats what it is! It’s also a bit of light release although we do actually work very hard. You know we do two shows every day as opposed to musical theatre where you do eight shows a week, so actually it’s equally hard but we just have such a laugh. We have a laugh on stage on and off. Last year was crazy!
So you’re in Gypsy at the moment and will be taking over the role of June in October, how do you fit the panto into that?
Lauren: Well, we finish Gypsy on 28th November which is a Saturday, I’ve got the Sunday off and we start rehearsing the panto on the Monday. So it’s worked out perfectly.
So Gypsy is finishing then?
Lauren: It’s closing. It was always going to be that limited run because that’s how long Imelda Staunton is available.
I suppose nobody else could take that part, could they?
Lauren: She’s so good at it. I mean people could take that part but I think this production has been so special and I think that they would rather it be special for nine months than drag it on and make more out of it, when actually it will be remembered for those nine months.
Were you involved in it when it was at Chichester?
Lauren: I wasn’t. I was on tour then with ‘Singing in the Rain’ but I went to see it in Chichester because I love going there in the summer, they do the most amazing things there. I thought it was wonderful and never thought in a million years that I’d be in it. Then I got an audition because they just needed one girl and it worked out perfectly that it was me. I’m very lucky, I’ve had a brilliant year and this is just going to top it off and Christmas is just incredible when your in panto and it’s my birthday around Christmas time. Actually the day before we open it’s my birthday so I’ll be having a full day of tech.
So with that lovely Geordie accent, you’re obviously not from down south?
Lauren: No, I’m from Newcastle but I’ve lived in London for 9 years.
Where did you train?
I trained at Arts Ed on a Musical Theatre Degree Course and I’ve been really fortunate that I’ve worked pretty solidly in musical theatre, fitting in the odd panto as well - which has been brilliant. I’m one of the lucky ones.
Do you all get on well with the other cast members?
Lauren: Oh yeah, absolutely. The difference sometimes when you’re in a venue where you have digs is that you tend to be closer than when you’re in London. Everyone has partners and some people have children so you come to work and it’s much more of a job when you're in the West End. Really it’s not different at all, in the amount of work and everything, but you go to work and you go home so you don’t socialise half as much as when you do panto or touring because you become a unit and you’re all that each other’s got in that particular place. Most of us don’t know anyone in Southend, so we’ll all hang out together.
Well, if Lauren needs anyone to show her around Southend when the panto comes to town, I’m sure there’ll be lots of panto fans on hand to point out the sites and she can always give MyTownSouthend a call. We’re really looking forward to seeing the West End star starring as Cinderella this Christmas.
For tickets for Cinderella, starring Lauren Hall and Brian Conley go to www.southendtheatres.org.uk or telephone 01702 351135
Here's our full interview with lovely Lauren