Amy Lennox is currently playing Lauren in Kinky Boots at the Adelphi Theatre. I caught up with her backstage to talk about the show….
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 my career at the age of 21 playing children…!
My first job was playing Liesl in The Sound of Music alongside Connie Fisher at the Palladium. I then played Wendy in Stiles and Drewe’s Peter Pan at the West Yorkshire Playhouse, Jenny in The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie at the Assembly Rooms in Edinburgh. I went even younger playing a ten year old Mary Lennox in The Secret Garden at the Birmingham Rep but I finally started to play my actual age –ish when I landed the role of Margot in the original London cast of Legally Blonde and understudied Sheridan Smith as Elle Woods. One of my favourite jobs was joining Headlong Theatre and working on a ground-breaking site-specific piece about 9/11 with Rupert Gould called Decade alongside the likes of Tobias Menzies and Emma Fielding. I also originated the role of Velcro in Stiles and Drewe’s Soho Cinders at the Soho Theatre before playing Doralee Rhodes in the UK premiere of 9 to 5.
You are currently playing the role of Lauren in the West End premiere of Kinky Boots. For anyone not familiar with the story, what is the show about and what role do you play?
It centres around an ailing shoe factory in Northampton- Charlie Price inherits the factory very suddenly when his Dad passes away and initially plans to sell it off to developers with the help of his fiancé Nicola- with no passion for making shoes, he decides his only option is to make the workers redundant – but Lauren (one of the factory workers) gives him a kick up the bum telling him to change the product and look for a niche market instead of giving up. As fate has it, an idea strikes him when he meets a drag queen called Lola and together with the help of the whole factory, they go on a journey that eventually takes them to Milan fashion week – with a few emotional surprises along the way…one being Lauren and Charlie falling for each other – much to her surprise! It’s essentially a story about being true to yourself and accepting people for who they are.
I called the show ‘the most fun the West End has seen since Priscilla’. Is it as much fun to perform as it is to watch, and what are your favourite moments in the show?
Why thank you, and…yes! As cliché as it sounds, we genuinely all do get on like a house on fire and have the best time onstage and off- we are very lucky. End of both acts feels like a big party – ‘Everybody Say Yeah’ and ‘Raise You Up’ leave the audiences going bonkers which feels pretty electric. I also love performing ‘History of the Wrong Guys’ – it’s a gift of a song and allows me to be as weird and whacky as I want…can’t complain with that!
You’ve performed in huge shows like 9 to 5, The Sound of Music and Legally Blonde. Do you have any dream stage roles that you would like to have a go at playing?
Not specifically- I am always eager to originate roles and make things my own so I tend to look out for those opportunities! However I do think that when I’m older I’d love to play Miss Adelaide in Guys and Dolls…I played her in a school show when I was about 15 and I loved it – just need to be the right age now!
If you could be the opposite sex for the day, which male theatre role would you like to play?
Hamlet- because that’s probably the biggest and most challenging role there is!
Have you ever had any funny/disastrous on-stage experiences?
Absolutely- the first time I ever went on as Elle Woods in Legally Blonde I did a whole number with my jeans undone /falling down and I didn’t realise until later- I was like a bunny in the headlights!
There’s some too embarrassing to tell you Wilma! You will have to buy me a few drinks first…
Why should people come and see Kinky Boots?
It’s not only great fun but it is hugely uplifting and heart-warming. Oh and just wait until you see Lola’s Angels in action…I am in awe of them on a daily basis and that’s not even mentioning their jaw dropping outfits…
Thanks for having tea with Wilma
Anytime Wilma, it was a pleasure!
Kinky Boots is now booking at the Adelphi Theatre until 28 May 2016. Click here to book tickets