Interviews with some leading lights of musical theatre by Mark Shenton
Michael Ball | Elaine Paige | Linzi Hateley | Sally Ann Triplett
Elaine Paige
On becoming an 'overnight' hit
Elaine trained at the Ada Foster Theatre School and her first professional appearance was in a tour of The Roar of the Greasepaint, The Smell of the Crowd in 1964. She had her West End debut in 1968 when she took over as a member of the tribe in Hair, but it wasn't until 1978 that she came to the public's attention, originating the role of Eva Peron in Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice's Evita. Credits since have included originating the role of Grizabella in Cats (in which she was the first person to sing 'Memory'), Chess, Anything Goes, Sunset Boulevard and The King and I. Elaine Paige certainly served a long apprenticeship before she was suddenly acclaimed an 'overnight star' for Evita.
How did it feel to be finally 'discovered'?
'None of it seemed real. To be discovered overnight, after 15 or 16 years in the business, was a joke in itself! But the attention and spotlight on me was extraordinary and wonderful and very exciting. My whole life was taken up with it – I was consumed by it! Everyone wanted a little piece of me.'
What were the particular demands of the show itself?
'For that role, you needed to have some craft. All the stuff I had done before had prepared me. You need enormous stamina to play a role like that. It was a huge part and an emotional one – it was a wonderful role to play, and a great acting role as well as a singing one. The extraordinary thing about musical theatre in this country is that most people, both in and out of the industry, don't think you have to act. But I actually approach everything from an acting point of view. When I studied at stage school, my goal was always to be a good actor first and foremost.'
You've also acted in straight plays and on television. How does musical theatre compare?
'Having taken a stab at most things in this profession, whether it be drama, recording albums, singing in concerts, or performing in musicals, I think that musical theatre is probably the most difficult of all the different genres to pull off, because you've got to be able to do all of it. You've still got to tell the story, but the music is demanding you to stay in time and sing in tune.'
