In The Frame: Theatre Interviews from West End Frame

Broadway star and Olivier nominee Sierra Boggess is In The Frame!

Sierra is preparing to return to London for a one-night-only concert at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane.

She is one of Broadway and the West End’s most beloved sopranos, best known for originating the role of Ariel in Disney’s The Little Mermaid on Broadway, for which she received Drama Desk and Drama League nominations, as well as the Broadway.com Audience Award for Favourite Female Breakthrough Performance.

Sierra has a long history with The Phantom of the Opera, having played Christine Daaé on Broadway and in London for the special 25th anniversary concert at the Royal Albert Hall. She also originated the role of Christine in Love Never Dies in the West End, receiving an Olivier Award nomination for her performance.

Her many other credits include Fantine in the West End production of Les Misérables alongside Broadway productions of Master Class, School of Rock, Harmony and It Shoulda Been You. Sierra has also performed concerts across the world, including appearances at the BBC Proms, Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center.

In this episode Sierra discusses her return to London and her incredible concert career. She also reflects on her journey through theatre, the pressures of playing iconic roles such as Ariel and Christine, social media, sustaining longevity in the industry and lots more.

Sierra performs at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane on Sunday 31st May. Visit www.lwtheatres.co.uk for info and tickets.

This podcast is hosted by Andrew Tomlins
@AndrewTomlins32

Thanks for listening!

Email: [email protected]

Visit westendframe.co.uk for more info about our podcasts.
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Jyuddah Jaymes is playing Watson in Sherlock Holmes.

Directed by Sean Holmes, this new mystery by Joel Horwood is receiving its world premiere at Regent's Park Open Air Theatre.

Jyuddah played AJ in Choir Boy by Tarell Alvin McCraney at the Bristol Old Vic. His theatre credits also include: Romeo and Juliet (Almeida Theatre), The American Clock (The Old Vic), Twelfth Night (Young Vic) and 1884 (Shoreditch Town Hall).

His screen work includes: Amadeus, Django, Brassic (Sky), Sanditon (ITV/Masterpiece), Hijack (Apple TV+), Criminal (Netflix), Grantchester (ITV), Clique (BBC), The Boys in the Boat (MGM), Fight or Flight (Sky Cinema/Vertical), Hard Truths (Film4/StudioCanal) and The End of It (BBC Film/Elation Pictures).

Sherlock Holmes runs at Regent's Park Open Air Theatre until 6th June. Visit www.openairtheatre.com for info and tickets.

This podcast is hosted by Andrew Tomlins
@AndrewTomlins32

Thanks for listening!

Email: [email protected]

Visit westendframe.co.uk for more info about our podcasts.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Drew Gasparini has written the music and lyrics for Karate Kid The Musical.

The musical just had its UK premiere at New Wimbledon Theatre and is embarking on a UK tour.

Drew is an award-winning songwriter, musical theatre composer, lyricist, playwright, and performer. He has written the scores for Night Shift (commissioned by Warner Bros.); Crazy Just Like Me (NYMF “Best of Fest” winner), and along with good friend/writing partner, Alex Brightman, Drew has written the scores for Make Me Bad (a musical psychological thriller), It’s Kind of a Funny Story (based on the Ned Vizzini novel), and The Whipping Boy (based on the Sid Fleischman novel). On London’s the West End, Drew’s song-cycle I Could Use a Drink(based on his musical theatre concept album) was performed at the Garrick Theater, and in April 2025, his musical We Aren’t Kids Anymore (starring Dylan Mulvaney, Melanie La Barrie, and Aimie Atkinson) played to sold out houses at the Savoy Theater.

In 2019 Drew wrote the score for Super Bowl ad turned major publicity stunt, SKITTLES COMMERCIAL: The Broadway Musical (starring Golden Globe winner Michael C Hall) alongside book writer Will Eno. The project earned virtually every advertising award under the sun and was considered the most successful Super Bowl commercial of the year. In 2023, Drew was tapped to write the song for another major ad campaign for booking.com called Somewhere, Anywhere starring Oscar Nominee Melissa McCarthy. Drew’s songs have been heard in ads for Toyota, Ford, Dreyer’s Ice Cream, and more. He was also a songwriter for the cult-favorite TV series, SMASH season 2.
Drew’s sheet music is some of the most popular amongst theatre students around the globe thanks to the success of his albums I Could Use a Drink (released in 2013 by Broadway Records), which continues to be a mainstay in the musical theatre canon—as well as his album We Aren’t Kids Anymore (released in 2020): the basis of the new musical of the same title which continues it’s development in the UK. Concerts of Drew’s music have been performed in six of the seven continents, translated into countless languages, in venues from The Kennedy Center to the Sydney Opera House. And in 2018 Drew performed a night of this musical with the 80 piece Virginia Symphony Orchestra in Norfolk, VA.

Coming up: Drew is currently working on a meta-concept musical called The Unthought Known, and a new musical called Captain (again, with Alex Brightman), which is the gritty “true” origin story of Captain James Hook. Drew also just completed work on his first novel: a dramedy titled Fathomless Space, and is currently shopping it to publishers.

Karate Kid tours the UK until August and then plays in Toronto from September. Visit www.thekaratekidthemusicaluk.com for info, tour dates and tickets.

This podcast is hosted by Andrew Tomlins
@AndrewTomlins32

Thanks for listening!

Email: [email protected]

Visit westendframe.co.uk for more info about our podcasts.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Akmed Junior Khemalai recently finished his run as George Washington in the UK & Ireland Tour of Hamilton, after being a standby in the tour’s original cast.

Akmed trained at Brit School and ArtsEd, and made his West End debut in The Book of Mormon (Prince of Wales). His theatre credits also include: Mandela (Young Vic) and the original West End cast of Ain’t Too Proud (Prince Edward Theatre).

In this episode, Akmed discusses how he discovered musical theatre, his Hamilton journey and the realities of experiencing disappointment and tough lessons in the theatre industry... plus lots more!

Follow Akmed on Instagram: @akmed_khemalai

This podcast is hosted by Andrew Tomlins
@AndrewTomlins32

Thanks for listening!

Email: [email protected]

Visit westendframe.co.uk for more info about our podcasts.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Olivier winner Eleanor Worthington-Cox is starring as Cilla Black and Cynthia Powell, John Lennon’s first wife, in the world premiere of Tom Wright’s play Please Please Me at the Kiln Theatre.

Directed by Amit Sharma, the play tells the story of Brian Epstein, the influential manager often described as the “fifth Beatle”.

Eleanor won an Olivier Award for Best Actress in a Musical when she was one of the original Matilda Wormwoods in the West End production of Matilda The Musical.

As a child, her credits also include: Chorus in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat (Liverpool Empire), Jean Louise “Scout” Finch in To Kill a Mockingbird (Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre), Blousey Brown in Bugsy Malone (Lyric Hammersmith) and Jess in Tomcat (Southwark Playhouse).

More recently her theatre credits have included: Phaedra Cox in Jerusalem (Apollo Theatre), Lily in The Secret Life of Bees (Almeida Theatre), Alexandra Giddens in The Little Foxes (Young Vic), Hero in Much Ado About Nothing (Royal Shakespeare Theatre, Royal Shakespeare Company) and Mary Page Marlowe in Mary Page Marlowe (The Old Vic).

Eleanor starred as Natalie Goodman in Next to Normal at the Donmar Warehouse and in the West End at the Wyndham’s Theatre, receiving an Olivier nomination for Best Actress in a Supporting Role In a Musical. The production was filmed and has been released internationally to huge acclaim.

She has worked across film and television too, with projects including Maleficent, Cucumber, The Enfield Haunting, Hetty Feather, Action Point, Britannia, Gwen, The Irregulars and About A Bell.

Recorded during a break from rehearsals, in this episode Eleanor discusses all-things Please Please Me including how she’s perfecting her portrayal of Cilla and why it's important for her to champion queer storytelling. She also reflects on the impact of Next To Normal, and her journey from Matilda to sustaining a career across stage and screen.

Please Please Me runs at the Kiln Theatre until 29th May. Visit www.kilntheatre.com for info and tickets.

This podcast is hosted by Andrew Tomlins
@AndrewTomlins32

Thanks for listening!

Email: [email protected]

Visit westendframe.co.uk for more info about our podcasts.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.