Danielle Hope and Jon Robyns are about to star in a production of Jason Robert Browns musical, The Last Five Years, at Greenwich Theatre. I had a quick chat with them over a cup of tea about the show and themselves.
For those who may not be familiar with you work, can you tell me about yourself and some of your career highlights?
Danielle – I’m best known for winning BBC’s Over The Rainbow when I was 17 and then playing Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz at the London Palladium. After that, I played Eponine in Les Miserables in the West End.
Jon – I’ve been working professionally in musical theatre for ten years and in that time have performed in the West End in shows such as Les Miserables, Spamalot and the original London cast of Avenue Q.
You are about the star in a production of the well loved musical The Last Five Years at Greenwich Theatre. Can you tell me what the show is about and the character that you play?
The Last Five Years is about two New Yorkers, Cathy and Jamie, who fall in and out of love over the course of five years. Jamie’s story is told chronologically while Cathy’s is told in retrograde.
Danielle plays Cathy, who is an aspiring actress and Jon plays a novelist who achieves success very quickly.
If you were going to write a musical about your life, what would it be called?
Danielle – Late Nights and Early Mornings
Jon – Cereal for Dinner: The Musical
Do you have a favourite Musical Theatre show or song that means a lot to you?
Danielle – Mary Poppins because the movie was a huge part of my childhood and the show has always felt like pure magic to me.
Jon – One Day More at the end of the first act of Les Mis because it never got old.
What has been the funniest or most embarrassing thing that has ever happened to you on stage?
Danielle – during Munchkinland, Toto found himself in a tricky situation and needed to use the Yellow Brick Road as a bathroom. I also fell over after singing ‘Over the Rainbow’ the first time my mum watched the show.
Jon – I fall over a lot on stage, but the worst time was probably at the Menier when I had to push backwards on a wheeled chair, but the brakes had been left on, so I tipped back and ended up in a heap on the floor.
If you were going to name a pet after a musical theatre character, would would it be?
Danielle – I’d have a fish called Flounder so I could be the Disney princess Ariel.
Jon – I’d like a pet chinchilla called Schmuel – if you come and see The Last Five Years you’ll understand what I mean…
Thanks for having Tea With Wilma
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The Last Five Years plays at the Greenwich Theatre 15-17 May 2014. Click here for tickets