UK Theatre Network

As April in EastEnders, Debbie Arnold was a funny and flirty sister. Her latest role sees her playing another sensuous sibling – this time to the snobbish Hyacinth Bucket. She talks to STEVE BURBRIDGE about her fascinating career, the pride and love she has for her daughters and the pressure on women to always look good.

She may be best-remembered for her portrayal of April Branning, Carol Jackson’s fun-loving sister, in EastEnders but few people realise that glamour-girl Debbie Arnold has the dubious honour of appearing as a regular character in all of the major British soaps.

During her highly successful career, she has also played Sylvie Hicks in Coronation Street, Debbie Wilson in Emmerdale and Janice Bolton in Hollyoaks. It’s an achievement that Debbie is extremely proud of.

‘I think a lot of people may have appeared in a lot of the soaps, but possibly not as regular characters, and I don’t know if anyone else has actually done all four,’ she says. ‘All my characters have been totally different and there was even one period when I was on air playing Janice in Hollyoaks and April in EastEnders at the same time.’

A showbiz career was, perhaps, inevitable for the Sunderland-born actress. Her father, Eddie, was an impressionist and her mother, Mary, a theatrical agent. After a brief spell working as a secretary, Debbie’s talent for mimicry was spotted by comedian Johnny More, who introduced her to the producer of Now Who Do You Do?, and her fate was sealed.

Over the next few years, Debbie established herself as a consummate comedienne, working alongside legends including Eric Sykes, Ronnie Barker, Ronnie Corbett, Russ Abbott and Jim Davidson.

‘They were all fantastic to work with,’ Debbie recalls. ‘But you’ve got to be able to control yourself and be prepared that they might go off on a tangent.’

She went on to appear in many of television’s top-rated sitcoms, such as The Liver Birds, Terry and June, Don’t Wait Up and Birds of a Feather. Her latest role sees her touring nationally as Rose in the stage production of Keeping Up Appearances.

‘It’s great fun,’ enthuses Debbie. ‘She’s a complete madcap character and so opposite to me.’

Debbie actually knew Mary Millar, who played Rose on television for four years. Her ex-husband, David Janson, played the postman in the series and Debbie remembers going to watch many of the episodes when they were being recorded in front of a live studio audience.

‘I remember thinking: “That’s a part that I should play in a few years time and, lo and behold, here I am”.’

The task of portraying a character who is already strongly associated with another actress may be difficult enough, but Debbie’s challenge is doubled as the character of Rose was not only played by Mary Millar, but also by Shirley Stelfox.

‘Although people have strong images of Roy Clarke’s characters in their heads, the minute we step out on stage everyone kind of forgets the old faces and we become the characters, really,’ Debbie explains.

The Keeping Up Appearances tour, which runs at Whitley Bay Playhouse all next week, provides Debbie with the chance to reacquaint herself with the North East.

‘I was actually brought up in Ashwood Terrace in Thornhill, Sunderland,’ she reveals. ‘It used to be a toss-up, every night, whether to wet the bed or get up and go to the toilet because it was so cold,’ she laughs.

However, Debbie has only fond memories of her former home city and adds that she still supports the Black Cats.

Despite having perfected the art of portraying the fun-loving bubbly blonde, Debbie has played diverse roles in hundreds of television dramas, including County Court, Holby City, Footballers Wives, Doctors, The Bill, All Creatures Great and Small, Miss Marple and Minder, and yet still managed to avoid becoming typecast.

‘It’s just how it happens, really,’ she says, modestly.

In addition to her successful television career, Debbie is also an acclaimed stage actress and has many West End credits to her name, such as Women Behind Bars, Four in a Million, Lives of the Wives, Last of the Red Hot Lovers and The Sleeping Prince, in which she was leading lady to Omar Sharif.

She also received the award for Best Actress for her performance as Mae Hudson in the 2009 movie Photoshoot, in which she played opposite her former EastEnders co-star John Altman.

Just as Debbie followed her father’s footsteps into the world of showbiz, the tradition looks set to continue with the next generation of the family. Her eldest daughter, Ciara Janson, played Nicole Owen in Hollyoaks for three years and, last year, marked her West End debut in New Boy opposite Nicholas Hoult. Her youngest daughter, Talia Janson, is a member of the pop group Phacebook, who recently supported X-Factor runner’s-up JLS on tour.

‘I’m very proud of both of them,’ says Debbie.

Aside from her career as an actress and voice-over artiste, Debbie is a regular beauty journalist for magazines and radio and also runs her own beauty and well-being website, Looking Gorgeous.

‘When I first left EastEnders I became the face of quite a few brands, including Etam and Goldwell,’ she says. ‘And I became very interested in how people keep themselves looking good. Then, after the trauma of what happened to Leslie Ash, I wanted to know how something like that could happen.’

Debbie was inspired to help women gain more knowledge about the cosmetic products that they used and enable them to make more informed decisions regarding their personal beauty regimes.

‘Actresses, and indeed women in general, are under intense pressure to look good all the time,’ Debbie says. ‘It upsets me when people look fantastic but deny having had any treatment. It’s not possible to look younger now than you did fifteen years ago. If people were honest about the treatments that they’ve had I think attitudes would be slightly different.’

One thing is certain, though, Debbie Arnold will be ‘keeping up appearances’, both on stage and off.

Keeping Up Appearances is at Whitley Bay Playhouse from Monday, October 25 until Saturday, October 30. Evening performances are at 7.30pm, with matinees at 2.30pm (Thurs & Sat). Tickets cost from £15 to £22.50. To book, call 0844 277 2771 or log on to www.playhousewhitleybay.co.uk  For more information visit www.keepingupappearancestour.com

She’s wowed the West End, blown-away Broadway and frozen the famous with her cool comments when judging on Dancing on Ice. Now, though, award-winning singer and actress Ruthie Henshall tells Steve Burbridge why she firmly believes there’s no business like show business.

Having performed leading roles in a multitude of theatre smash-hits, including Cats, Miss Saigon, Chicago, Les Misérables and Oliver!, Ruthie Henshall has rarely been absent from the stages of Broadway or the West End for the past quarter of a century.

Now the illustrious leading lady is set to take Tyneside by storm when she headlines Sounds Of Hollywood at The Sage, in Gateshead, later this month. The show is described as a step back in time to the glamorous era of the greatest musicals, made legendary through

the big screen, and Ruthie cannot wait to begin performing in the tour which premieres in the North East.

‘For me it’s a bit of a dream come true because ever since I was a little girl I have been obsessed with the MGM musicals,’ admits the 43-year-old performer. ‘I knew, as soon as I’d watched them, that was what I wanted to do.’

The show will see the Olivier award-winning actress performing live, in her own incomparable style, such classics as, ‘There’s No Business Like Show Business’, ‘Wouldn't It Be Lovely’, ‘People’, ‘Don't Rain on My Parade’, ‘Anything You Can Do, I Can Do Better’, ‘The Man That Got Away’ and ‘Somewhere over the Rainbow’ from Oscar-winning movies such as My Fair Lady, Funny Girl and A Star is Born.

‘I am really looking forward to performing a programme of such fantastic songs that have become defining moments in each of the movies in which they appear,’ Ruthie enthuses. ‘To do this tour and sing the songs of legends such as Judy Garland, Ethel Merman, Barbra Streisand and Liza Minnelli is a once in a lifetime opportunity, really.’

After training at Laine Theatre Arts School, Ruthie made her West End debut in Cats at the tender age of 19. Such success may have daunted a less assured young performer – but not Ruthie.

‘I didn’t find it daunting at all,’ she says, matter-of-factly. ‘I’d always been a very ambitious little girl and I didn’t doubt that I was going to get where I wanted to be and I went all-guns for it.’

As well as the combination of raw talent, hard work and burning ambition, every performer hopes and prays for fate to throw a little bit of luck their way and Ruthie was no exception.

‘I’ve been very fortunate in my career,’ she says. ‘Cats came about because the associate director saw me play Maggie in a touring production of A Chorus Line and asked me to come down and audition. That’s really been the story of my life; one job has led to another and it’s been a real knock-on effect.’

She went on to star in Miss Saigon, Les Misérables, She Loves Me and Oliver! before originating the role of Roxie Hart in Chicago in 1997. Her association with that show is particularly strong and she has returned to the production several times, both in London and on Broadway, to play Roxie Hart and Velma Kelly. After three years in America, Ruthie returned to the West End stage in 2001 to star as Peggy Sue in Peggy Sue Got Married, gaining her a fourth Olivier nomination. In December 2001, she joined Michelle

Gomez and Loretta Swit in The Vagina Monologues at the Arts Theatre.

Ruthie has an extremely philosophical attitude towards her career and the roles that may or may not come her way.

‘As I’ve got older, I really just trust in the process and believe that what is for you will not go by you. I just love the fact that, in this business, you never know what you might be doing tomorrow or what you might get offered.’

That said, she does admit that she would have loved to play the title role in the stage version of Mary Poppins.

‘I would have liked to have played that role because I just love the film and the show, but I think I’m a bit out of the age bracket now.’

Ruthie juggles the demands of a high-profile career with the responsibilities of being a single mother to her two young daughters, Lilly Amalia, 7, and Dolly Olivia, 5. Her marriage to actor Tim Howar broke down and they divorced in January, but remain ‘good friends.’

Ironically, the Queen of Musical Theatre could have ended up as a real life Countess if an early relationship had turned out differently. Ruthie dated Prince Edward ‘solidly’ for two years, but ‘on and off for five years’. Would she have enjoyed a royal lifestyle?

‘No, thank you,’ she replies, decisively. ‘I wouldn’t want my life under scrutiny like that. I would have had to have given up what I do and that would never happen. Can you imagine if I still had to do eight shows a week? They’d have to get sniffer dogs in the theatre every night!’

In addition to her popularity as a leading lady in the theatre, Ruthie became a television personality as part of the fearsome judging panel on Dancing on Ice. It was a position she held for two years, but which never felt comfortable for her.

‘It never felt like a fit for me,’ she admits. ‘I feel much more comfortable being the one performing than the one judging. You have to give soundbites and you only have so many seconds to give your opinion and I didn’t like that kind of pressure. I’d much rather mentor a contestant than criticise them.’

 It’s safe to say, though, that Ruthie will be more than comfortable when belting out blockbusting songs from the shows!

Ruthie Henshall: Sounds of Hollywood is at The Sage, Gateshead on Tuesday, October 26 at 7.30pm. Tickets cost from £15.50 to £35.00. To book, call 0191 443 4661 or log on to www.thesagegateshead.org

THREE years ago he was pipped to the post in the hit series Any Dream Will Do. Now Keith Jack has finally got the chance to wear the coat of many colours and play the title role in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. Ahead of a week in Darlington, he tells STEVE BURBRIDGE about his amazing journey.

DESPITE winning the hearts of the nation with his sparkling charisma and sensational singing voice, Keith Jack was nudged into second place, finishing just a hair’s breadth behind winner Lee Mead, in the TV talent contest Any Dream Will Do.

An amazing 21 million viewers tuned into the final of the series, in June 2007, and Lee Mead went on to wow the West End critics as Joseph in Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice’s magical musical. But Keith Jack couldn’t even console himself with the prospect of performing the role in the touring production of the show. That opportunity had already been offered to Craig Chalmers, who finished fifth in the competition. Surely, Keith must have been gutted and, perhaps, even a little resentful?

‘Not at all,’ says the 22-year-old Scot, who hails from Dalkeith. ‘I was actually still competing in the programme when Craig was eliminated and Bill Kenwright offered him the part of Joseph.’

To prove that he held no hard feelings, Keith accepted the role of Narrator in the touring version, alongside Craig Chalmers, as Joseph, and fellow competitor Chris Barton, who finished in eighth place, as Benjamin.

‘I loved it,’ he says. ‘And, actually, it’s a bigger singing role than Joseph.’

They say, though, that everything comes to he who waits and, at last, Keith is now actually playing the role that he competed for – and relishing every minute of it.

‘It’s just a really nice feeling to finally get to do it,’ he enthuses. ‘We’ve had some great audiences on the tour, so far, and it’s been nice to see all different parts of the country.’

Keith is following in some impressive footsteps, though, as the title role in the Biblical tale of Joseph, his eleven brothers and the coat of many colours has previously been played by Jason Donovan, Donny Osmond, Phillip Schofield, Ian ‘H’ Watkins and the late Stephen Gateley. However, he feels that there is less pressure on him now than there would have been had he won the competition.

‘I’ve been able to relax and settle into it a lot easier than I would have done if I’d come to it straight from the show,’ he says.

The former supermarket worker has also learned to cope with the instant fame that is often the result of such shows.

‘At first it was strange,’ he admits. ‘You don’t change as a person but everyone else changes around you. It’s very strange to walk down the street and have people following you and trying to take your picture.’

Keith also reveals that he has been sent some unusual gifts since he participated in Any Dream Will Do.

‘I’ve had underwear, nude pictures and daft things like that posted to me,’ he laughs.

His boy-next-door good looks have ensured that Keith has a loyal fan following –and not just from the girls, either!

‘I was very proud to be featured on the front of a gay magazine, recently,’ says Keith. ‘When I first went on to Any Dream Will Do, John Barrowman told me: ‘You haven’t made it until you have a gay fan base’, so to be the cover boy on such a magazine made me very happy.’

Despite some former talent show contestants claiming that the process leaves them feeling manipulated and exploited, Keith is adamant that his experience was a very positive one.

‘We were kind of moulded and helped and nurtured to be the kind of performer that Andrew Lloyd Webber wanted,’ he explains. ‘I never felt as though I was just a cog in a money-making wheel.’

Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat is at Darlington Civic Theatre from Tuesday, October 12 until Sunday, October 17. Performance times vary. Tickets cost from £13.50 to £26 (concessions available). To book, call 01325 486 555 or log on to www.darlingtonarts.co.uk 

ALTHOUGH she is best known for her hit 1976 duet with Elton John, Don’t Go Breaking My Heart, Kiki Dee’s career has spanned four decades and encompassed successful song-writing, pop super-stardom and a spell as a West End leading lady. STEVE BURBRIDGE catches up with the performer as she prepares to bring her acoustic concert to the region.

WHATEVER happened to Kiki Dee? It’s a question that you might well ask, as even the performer herself admits, ‘I’m not particularly high-profile these days.’

But, far from fading into obscurity, the 63-year-old is still writing, recording and performing songs. And it doesn’t worry her in the least that she isn’t under that relentless level of celebrity scrutiny any more.

‘I kind of like it better because I can be more artistic and it’s given me more freedom as I’ve got older,’ says Kiki. ‘And I never saw myself, at 50 or 60, still trying to get onto Top of the Pops.’

In fact, Kiki is as busy as ever and her current tour, which she performs with Carmelo Luggeri, is heading to the region with a concert taking place at the Customs House in South Shields this month.

‘We’ve been working together for fifteen years, believe it or not,’ she explains. ‘Carmelo is a producer, musician and guitarist and our show is a mixture of our own material, covers of people we like, such as Kate Bush, and some of my own hits. It’s a real mix and a very intimate show.’

This all seems to be a far cry from the Kiki Dee who stormed the pop charts in the seventies and eighties with hits that included ‘Amoureuse’, ‘I Got the Music in Me’ ‘Star’ and, of course, her hit duet with Elton John, ‘Don’t Go Breaking My Heart’, for which she is still best-remembered.

‘I always say that there are a lot of talented people out there who never get a vehicle like that or an opportunity to be known, if you like,’ Kiki says, with reference to the 1976 number one track.

Surely, the fact that people still associate her with the song, 34 years after it was first released, must be a little frustrating?

‘There were times in my life when I tried to move away from it and develop,’ admits Kiki. ‘But I’m very positive about it now.’

Kiki did move on professionally and went on to carve out a successful career in musical theatre, most notably playing the pivotal role of Mrs Johnstone in Blood Brothers, for which she was nominated for an Olivier Award for Best Actress in a Musical.

Kiki as Mrs Johnstone.

‘Those parts don’t come along every day and Blood Brothers came at the right time for me because I needed something to get my teeth into,’ Kiki recalls. ‘Bill Kenwright asked me to audition for the role two weeks before the show opened in rep in 1987. We then toured for seven months around the UK before taking the production back to London, where it’s been running ever since.’

Kiki is amazed by the longevity of the show and the reaction it still receives from audiences.

‘I can’t believe that the production I started with Bill Kenwright is still running today,’ she says.

Born in Bradford in March 1947, as Pauline Matthews, Kiki’s stage name was the brainchild of the songwriter, Mitch Murray. But what inspired him to come up with something so quirky?

‘Well, Kiki was a derivative of the sixties pop word ‘kinky’ and there was a lot of that Sandra Dee and Simon Dee stuff going on, so that’s where the surname came from,’ she reveals.

At the tender age of 17, Kiki was signed to the Philips-Fontana record label and started working as a session singer. She began her career as a backing singer for the legendary Dusty Springfield.

‘Suddenly, I was working with this big star,’ says Kiki. ‘I was quite star-struck but it was great because I got to sing on a couple of her hits, Some Of Your Loving and Little By Little.’

Kiki looks back on that time in her life with great affection.

‘She was special, Dusty, there’s no doubt about it,’ she says. ‘And to get to sing in the studio with her, at 17, was quite something.’

Despite being highly regarded by others in the music industry, Kiki did not achieve solo success in the UK for quite some time. In the United States, though, she became the first white British artist to sign with Tamla-Motown, releasing her first single with the label in 1970.

It was when Kiki signed to Elton John’s label, Rocket Records, three years later, that commercial success really materialised. 'Amoureuse', the first single from the album 'Loving And Free', became Kiki's first Top Twenty hit and remained in the charts for thirteen weeks. Following singles were 'I Got the Music in Me' and 'You Don't Know How Glad I Am'. However, it was in 1976 that 'Don't Go Breaking My Heart', the duet with Elton John, became a surprise number one single in both the US and UK. The rest, as they say, is history.

These days, though, Kiki harbours no desires to sell out vast arenas.

‘We don’t play at huge venues because we like the intimacy and it suits the music, so art centres and smaller theatres are perfect for us,’ she explains. ‘But, having said that, we can still make quite a noise because the concert is quite big, dynamically.’

So, does Kiki have any ambitions for the future?

‘Just to stay healthy, keep writing and go on as long as I can, really. I can’t believe I’m lucky enough to be still doing it after all these years. Although I do like my home comforts, I still really enjoy the experience of touring and being out on the road.’

Kiki Dee & Carmelo Luggeri: An Acoustic Experience is at The Customs House, South Shields on Saturday, October 16, at 7.30pm. Tickets cost £18 (concessions available). To book, call 0191 454 1234 or log on to www.customshouse.co.uk For more information visit www.kikiandcarmelo.com

AS lead singer of The Nolans for thirteen years, Bernie Nolan travelled all over the world and enjoyed phenomenal success with her sisters. The group’s global record sales topped 25 million and earned them more than twenty gold, silver and platinum discs. After pursuing a successful solo career, Bernie is back with Linda, Coleen and Maureen on a sell-out UK Tour, which comes to The Metro Radio Arena on Friday. Ahead of the gig, she tells STEVE BURBRIDGE why she’s really in the mood for dancing.

THREE decades ago they rocked the nation. Their wholesome brand of pop preceded The Spice Girls, Bananarama and Girls Aloud, earning them a place in British chart history as one of the most successful girl groups ever and cementing their status as disco diva’s.

Now, thirty years after the release of their smash-hit, I’m In The Mood For Dancing, The Nolans have reunited and are touring the UK.

‘We’ve been asked a lot, over the years, to get back together,’ says Bernie. ‘But it just never seemed like the right time.’

‘When Universal approached us it was almost like fate – I’d just finished a job and Maureen had just finished a job. So, we all texted each other and said: ‘Let’s do it.’’

It’s twenty five years since the four sisters last performed on stage together, so the tour hasn’t come a moment too soon for their legions of fans.

‘The response we’ve had has been just amazing and completely overwhelming,’ admits Bernie. ‘We hoped there’d be a good reaction, but this is just phenomenal.’

When the group announced they were reforming and going on tour many of the sixteen dates sold out immediately and, due to public demand, a further nine were added. The story even made it onto News at Ten.

‘The public reaction has been a great endorsement,’ says Bernie. ‘And we’ll give them a bloody good time.’

Bernie describes the concert as ‘the ultimate girls’ night out.’ It boasts a mix of all their greatest hits, a selection of diva anthems from the 70s to the present day and some songs from their new album.

‘We’ve got seven male dancers, great dance routines, six costume changes, a fabulous band and a big set,’ explains Bernie. ‘So, it’s much bigger than anyone thought it was going to be.’

When the sister act originally hit the big time in the mid-seventies they were all still fairly young yet, unlike some of today’s pop stars, fame never sent any of them careering off the tracks and spiralling into self-destruction with drink or drugs.

‘I think that’s because we were a family working together and if ever one of us did start to get a bit ‘big-time’ it would be nipped in the bud by the others,’ Bernie reveals. ‘That’s one of the advantages of working with your sisters. Also, we’ve always put family first and showbiz second.’

Bernie originally left the band back in 1994 to pursue a solo career and achieved great acclaim as a musical actress in shows such as Flashdance, Our Benny and Oh, What A Night. She was also one of four Nolan sisters to play Mrs Johnstone in Blood Brothers, which earned them a place in The Guinness Book of Records as the most siblings to play the same role in the same show at different times.

‘Mrs Johnstone is a huge role and a difficult one,’ admits Bernie. ‘Blood Brothers is a marvellous show and I’ve never done it anywhere where the public haven’t loved it and given standing ovations every night.’

Her stage success spawned pivotal roles in two top-rated television shows, Brookside and The Bill. But, as her career flourished, her personal life was struck by tragedy. In 1998, she discovered she was pregnant but, five-and-a-half months into the pregnancy, her daughter, Kate, was stillborn due to a rare genetic disorder.

Bernie, in typical Nolan style, found the strength of character to carry on. She attributes that survival instinct to her late mother, Maureen.

‘My Mum was very strong and I don’t remember her having a day’s illness in all my lifetime,’ she explains. ‘She just got on with life – even when she was in labour with Linda she went to hospital on the bus. She was a real old fashioned Irish woman who would just get on with it and do it.’

Happily married to drummer Steve Doneathy, since 1996, and with a ten-year-old daughter, Erin, family life is the centre of Bernie’s world. So how does she feel about the very public rift that rages between her sisters, Coleen and Anne?

‘Obviously, it’s not something that you want to happen but these things do happen in big families a lot. It’s heartbreaking because we have always been very close as sisters. I pray that, at some point, they can resolve it.’

For now, though, the tour is at the forefront of Bernie’s mind.

‘I think the 70s and 80s were great times for everyone,’ she says. ‘And now, with the credit crunch and all, it’s quite a down time in the UK and we’re craving something to cheer us up. What better than music?’

So, does she have any personal favourites from their back catalogue of chart hits?

‘I love ‘Chemistry’ and ‘Who’s Gonna Rock You’ to be absolutely truthful,’ she says. ‘Most of our hits were written by the same guys – Ben Findon, Mike Myers and Robert Puzey – but ‘Who’s Gonna Rock You’ is a bit special because it was written by Billy Ocean.’

The four sisters being reunited on stage once more isn’t only a big deal for their fans, it’s a huge event for them, too.

‘It’s a brilliant time for us all and we’re having a great laugh. I’m trying to take it all in and enjoy it even more than I did the first time round.’

The Nolans are at The Metro Radio Arena on Friday, October 23, at 7.30pm. Tickets cost £35. To book, call 0844 493 6666.

I’m In The Mood Again Tour – The Nolans Live DVD is on sale from November 9.

Steve Burbridge In Conversation With . . .

Katy Setterfield

It’s been a hectic time for Katy Setterfield since she won BBC1’s competition to find ‘The UK’s Ultimate Tribute Act’.

‘The One & Only’, hosted by Graham Norton, was a huge success at the beginning of 2008, attracting over 7 million viewers for each of its 7 weekly live broadcasts. Katy emerged triumphantly as a thoroughly convincing and accurate Dusty Springfield as she stole the final show with superb renditions of the soul diva’s best-loved hits, ‘You Don’t Have To Say You Love Me’, ‘Son Of A Preacher Man’ and ‘All I See Is You’

The prize was a 3-month contract to perform in the world famous ‘Legends In Concert’ at the Imperial Palace in Las Vegas. Again, her Dusty wowed the masses and the production can’t wait to get Katy back on their show.

But wait they must. Since returning to the UK last autumn, Katy has barely had time to draw breath between performances and recording a CD to accompany her first solo UK tour which, entitled simply ‘Katy in Concert as Dusty Springfield’, was a huge success around the country, selling out much of the gruelling 50 venue circuit over 10 weeks.

Since the autumn tour Katy has spent much of the time working throughout Europe and as a resident artist at Berlin’s acclaimed ‘Stars In Concert at the Estrel’ as well as several cruises and many corporate events. This level of non-stop work may appear daunting, but to this High Wycombe girl it’s nothing out of the ordinary. Starting out as a Cher tribute artist in the 90s, Katy went on to join Trevor Payne’s “That’ll Be The Day” – the UK’s hardest working touring show – where, during 8 happy years, she discovered her ability to sound like many more vocalists. There, with a schedule of more than 200 performances a year, Katy learned how to deliver any song to maximum spine-tingling effect and also how to put together a wholly entertaining show of her own.

The product of all this experience and expertise is Katy’s current show, ‘Here Come The Girls’, featuring Katy’s incomparable Dusty. Alongside her equally brilliant Cher and Tina Turner impressions will be the songs of Annie Lennox, Bette Midler and the greatest hits from Motown and much more in an exceptional evening of music and song.

Katy spoke exclusively to Steve Burbridge for UK Theatre Network.

Your last tour involved a pretty demanding schedule. Has that experience dulled your enthusiasm for touring?

No, not at all, I can’t wait to start touring with my new show. I had a huge amount of fun with my first UK tour, and I still can’t get over the nation’s reaction to the show. Every performance is another opportunity for me to thank so many people for voting me the winner on the BBC show. The more live shows I do in the UK and throughout the world the more I realise how well-loved both Dusty and ‘The One & Only’ were.

Tell me what the past year has been like for you, since winning ‘The One & Only’?

Well, it’s been amazing. The minute I finished the tour I went to work in Berlin in ‘The Stars In Concert’, which is basically the best worldwide tribute show there is. I was very lucky to be asked to perform in that and spent all of Christmas there before coming back to have a little rest and going back out again from March until June. I’ve been very fortunate to work on cruise ships as well so it’s just been non-stop, really.

Do you still have to pinch yourself, occasionally, to make sure you’re not dreaming?

I do. It’s been a very interesting journey since winning the show and I don’t suppose it has really sunk in yet. My life changed so quickly and so dramatically that it was like being hit in the face by a juggernaut, really. I suppose, I’m only just beginning to come to terms with it now and I love the opportunity I’ve been given, I feel so lucky and so blessed and I’m grateful that I’ve managed to achieve so much.

When did you discover that you had the ability to make your voice sound like other people. Was it as a youngster or more recently?

It was as a youngster. Going back to when I was about four, I used to tape The Top 40 and, throughout the week, I’d listen to it again and again and try to emulate the voices. I think, over time, it actually taught me to sing and how to use my voice. For instance, doing a Tina Turner voice is only a few steps away from Anastacia, which is also a few steps away from Amy Winehouse. So, once you start recognising what you need to listen for, you begin to imitate the different voices.

Have you had any feedback from any of the artists that you impersonate? If so, what did they say?

Many years ago, when Cher first released ‘Believe’ I started performing that song, probably about three months before it hit Number One. One day, I actually got a letter from her manager, on behalf of her, saying ‘Thank you very much for helping ‘Believe’ get to Number One.’ I’m very proud of that.

During extensive tours, how do you keep your energy up and your performance sharp?

It’s all about getting the balance right. You don’t want to be doing gigs so far apart that every time feels like the first time because you have to keep the momentum up. But it is really tough and I’m very proud of myself for doing 52 gigs over ten weeks without a hiccup. And, ironically, because Dusty Springfield had so many problems with her voice, I managed to fulfil a regime that she would never have been able to.

Katy Setterfield will be bringing her brand new shoe, Here Come The Girls, to The Customs House, South Shields on Tuesday 22 September 2009.

TOUR DATES

September:
13th, Grove Theatre, Dunstable
17th, Pavilion Theatre, Rhyl
18th, Beck Theatre, Hayes
20th, Garrick Theatre, Lichfield
22nd, Custom House, South Shields
25th, Corn Exchange, Kings Lynn
27th, Wyvern Theatre, Swindon

October:
1st, Playhouse Theatre, Weston-Super-mare
4th, Roses Theatre, Tewkesbury
25th, Central theatre, Chatham
28th Swan, High Wycombe

Nov:
16th, Gordon Craig Theatre, Stevenage