JAMES Williams, better known as drag queen The Vivienne, was competing in last year's Dancing On Ice when fate came calling. "There's a week when you get to choose a song you want to skate to," he recalls. "I chose Somewhere Over The Rainbow. Growing up, I'd always adored the Wizard Of Oz film; and I played the Tin Man aged 10 in a school production."
West End producer Michael Harrison happened to see that edition of the ITV ice dancing show and subsequently approached Viv (it's what he likes to be called) about the possibility of him playing the Wicked Witch of the West in a new stage version of the musical.
"I was asked to send in a tape of me singing Rainbow. I thought it was maybe for a local production. Two weeks later, I posted off the tape. Then I got a call saying that Andrew and the producers really liked it," he says.
"Naively, I asked, 'Who the hell is Andrew? And they said, 'Andrew Lloyd Webber.' It turned out that this was to be a national tour, the revival of the show he'd written with Tim Rice. I'd never done musical theatre before. I went into full panic mode."
It was, admits Viv, 32, the biggest professional gamble he's ever undertaken.
He declares: "It's given me a new lease of life. I've completely fallen in love with that world. It means I've passed into the theatrical mainstream."
The production kicked off at the end of last year and will finally come to rest, for the first time, in the West End for a short run from today.
"We opened in December at the Liverpool Empire, an enormous theatre, playing to audiences of 2,300 people and sold out every night," says Viv.
"It was when we were performing in Southampton that Michael Harrison asked us not to make other plans for August and September because we were going into the West End. I burst out crying: 10-year-old James was screaming somewhere in disbelief."
Diese Geschichte stammt aus der August 15, 2024-Ausgabe von Daily Express.
Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.
Bereits Abonnent ? Anmelden
Diese Geschichte stammt aus der August 15, 2024-Ausgabe von Daily Express.
Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.
Bereits Abonnent? Anmelden
Villa icon was 'real-life superhero' who helped conquer the continent
STAN COLLYMORE hailed the late Gary Shaw as \"a real-life superhero\" and the main reason he started playing football.
'We got Champions League bibs and balls on Sunday... I can't tell you how proud and happy it ano made me'
McGINN LIVING A EURO DREAM
I'm one of the lucky ones' says Margie, 74, after three cancer battles
CANCER survivor Margie Shields says she feels lucky to be alive after beating the disease three times in 20 years.
Where are your eyes, world? Can you not see? People are dying every day
As the Ukraine conflict drags on, a passionate cris de coeur for our ongoing support for the embattled nation. But is its author a politician or soldier? No, she is a 15-year-old girl whose words should inspire us all, writes Lord Ashcroft
Firestorm as missiles hit border city
UKRAINE has pounded Russia's border region of Belgorod in a series of surprise missile strikes.
Putin boosts total soldier numbers by 180k to 1.5m
VLADIMIR Putin has ordered army chiefs to increase the number of Russian troops by 180,000 to 1.5 million.
Man City's defence over finance claims kicks off
THE landmark legal battle between the Premier League and Manchester City over 115 allegations that the club broke financial rules began yesterday behind closed doors in London.
Baby Reigndeer
Stalker hit rises above furore to win 4 gongs
'I will be glad when you gone... suspect's years of Trump hatred
THE alleged would-be assassin of Donald Trump formed a hatred for the former US president - despite voting him into the White House.
Painful proof my pal Esther's fight is right
DAME Esther Rantzen has been my friend, mentor, confidante, companion and let me unleash my true fan-girl here - inspiration for almost 30 years.