For those who may not be familiar with your work, can you give me a little run down of some of your career highlights so far?
I started working in 2009 when I was lucky enough to be one of the original London cast members in Spring Awakening. That will always I be a highlight, it was my first job with a group of amazingly talented actors, we just had so much fun. I was then lucky enough to work with Iwan Rheon (Mortiz in Spring Awakening) again on Misfits for E4. I had a reoccurring role on Casualty and Holby City for the BBC. I did a U.S. Tour of Peter Pan, a couple runs of a new musical ‘This is my Family’ in Sheffield’s Studio and in the Lyceum. Worked with the legendary Alan Ayckbourn last year, then most recently Carrie at the Southwark playhouse.
You recently starred as the lead character in the London premiere of Carrie the Musical at the Southwark Playhouse which is famously known for closing on Broadway just days after it opened in 1988. How did this production go down with the audiences and are there any whispers of a possible West End transfer happening?
We were received so so well, it’s hard to take something that has such legendary failure and try to turn it round, I think this was aided by the 2012 off Broadway revival which had a bit of updating. So we took their awesome work and made it our own, I’ve been lucky enough to work on a lot of new writing, work shopping new musicals, so I really did treat it as a new piece and tried to make Carrie mine.
I would love to see another life for Carrie, of course, but we really just focused on making it right for the Southwark Playhouse, it’s such a great flexible space, I can’t imagine it playing anywhere else as I’d be frightened of losing that intimacy. But saying that of course I’d love to be able to share Carrie with more people!
Tell me about ‘An Evening with Evelyn Hoskins’. What can people expect if they come along to see the show?
It’s my first ever solo show so I’m excited to share music I love with people. I’m all about the quirk so fun and different show tunes. I’ll be singing some songs from shows I’d love to be in, as well as some I have been in. I want to sing new stuff that people may have not heard before, and I have some brilliant friends joining me.
Can you give us any clues about who your special guests will be on the night?
I have a very good friend of mine, who I actually went to school with when I was a teenager, she’s currently in Gypsy and will be joining me. As well as a couple of the amazing cast of Carrie! But I’ll leave it as a surprise on the night as to who they are.
Do you have any dream stage roles that you would like to have a go at playing?
Of course!!! The one that immediately comes to mind is Natalie in Next To Normal, and shortly after that is Wednesday in the Addams Family. I saw both shows on Broadway and immediately fell in love with their alternative, dark and quirky characters. I’d love to be able to bring those to a London stage. And then there’s every girls classic dream role of Eponine in Les Mis!
If you could be the opposite sex for the day, which male theatre role would you like to play?
Good question!! I think I’ll say Leo in Parade, I saw Bertie Carvel play it at the Donmar and it just confirmed why I wanted to do what I do. I love watching actors who are just engulfed by their character.
Have you ever had any funny/disastrous on-stage experiences?
The first time I ever set foot on stage at the age of 6 I burst into tears and ran off. So it was a good start!! But in more recent years nothing too crazy, one night on Carrie the blood managed to miss me, it was so bizarre, it all just landed in front and behind me.
Why do you think people should come and see ‘An Evening With Evelyn Hoskins’?
If you like something different come along, I like to give an edge to everything I do, make it my own. And any fans of the amazing work that Sunday at the arts are doing. It’s always a great night and hopefully I can continue that success!
Thanks for having Tea with Wilma.
Sunday In The Arts with Evelyn Hoskins is playing Above the Arts Theatre on Sunday 26 July 2015. Click here for tickets
Click here to see which other West End stars have been having Tea With Wilma