Call To Stage with Amber Davies

On this episode of Call To Stage, Amber is joined by the effortlessly sharp Debbie Kurup - a performer whose career CV reads like a greatest hits of British musical theatre.
An Olivier Award-nominated actor (for her performance as Nicki in the World Premiere of The Bodyguard in the West End), Debbie has taken on some of theatre's most iconic roles, including in the West End productions of Chicago, Rent, West Side Story and Sister Act. On tour, she has also starred in Fame and as Cher in The Cher Show, and she appears on the Original West End cast albums of The Prince of Egypt, Girl From The North Country, Tonight's The Night and Sister Act.
Debbie currently covers the iconic role of Miranda Priestly in the West End production of The Devil Wears Prada.
On this episode of Call To Stage, Amber and Debbie talk about the unspoken pressure of stepping into the shoes of a a character based on a real person, the remarkable experience of going straight back into Chicago as Velma just three months after giving birth and the importance of representation in the industry.
Debbie also shares stories from the UK Tour and West End productions of Rent, her iconic turn in The Bodyguard and she shares her thoughts on why the material will always matter more than the money, and how she completed a university degree in a dressing room.

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On this episode of Call To Stage, Amber is joined by the warm and funny Meg Hateley.
Growing up backstage while her mum Lindsay Hateley performed in shows such as Mary Poppins and Mamma Mia!, Meg Hateley has become a force in theatre in her own right. She currently stars in the West End revival of Avenue Q, having previously starred as Sophie in Mamma Mia! as well as roles in Fantastically Great Women Who Changed The World at the Other Palace and Coven at the Kiln Theatre.
On this episode of Call To Stage, Amber and Meg talk about the complete breakdown that puppetry rehearsals put the entire cast through, the full-circle moment of joining Mamma Mia! and being hugged by backstage crew who had known her as a little girl and the unexpected career path of someone who deliberately chose the acting course to avoid eight shows a week... and has ended up doing eight shows a week with a puppet on her arm!
There are also stories from Avenue Q, Mamma Mia! and her first Southwark Playhouse production, as well as a joyful conversation about watching Maz Murray sing Winner Takes It All every single night.

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This week on Call To Stage we are joined by the talented Noah Harrison!
You may recognise Noah from stealing the show as Giulio in Pretty Woman: The Musical where he also shared the stage with Amber!
Noah has also played the role of Anthony Hope in Sweeney Todd at Opéra national du Rhin, Strasbourg and La Filature and Roger in Grease at the Dominion Theatre. Currently, Noah is on stage at Avenue Q playing the wonderful Rod. Check out Rod's exclusive interview with Amber on our YouTube channel now!
On this episode of Call To Stage, Noah and Amber discuss the skill that goes into working a puppet, manifesting dream roles and how a vape nearly stopped Noah from performing.

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We are joined by one of the most extraordinary figures in British musical theatre on this episode of Call To Stage - the legendary Maria Friedman.
A three-time Olivier Award winning, Tony and Grammy Award nominated actor and director, Maria's mark on musical theatre is indelible.
As an actor, she won the Olivier for Best Actress in a Musical for her turns in Passion, By Special Arrangement and Ragtime; she is also known as a beloved narrator in the 1999 film of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, as well as starring as Roxie in Chicago, Dot in Sunday In The Park With George and originated the role of Marian in The Woman In White on the West End and Broadway.
As a director, Maria directed the acclaimed revival of Merrily We Roll Along in the West End and on Broadway - earning nominations at the Oliviers, Drama Desk Awards, Tony Awards and Grammy Awards. She also directed the revival of High Society at The Old Vic.
On this episode of Call To Stage, Amber and Maria talk about the audition room wisdom she has learned that every performer needs to hear, the full-circle moment of opening Merrily We Roll Along on Broadway and her experience as the first Kimberly Levaco in the first ever London production of Kimberly Akimbo.
There are also stories from Passion, Sweeney Todd and a legendary night at Carnegie Hall, as well as a conversation about hanging on to your corners and edges and why kindness really is the cheapest and most powerful thing in this industry.

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We're joined by an absolute icon of British music and theatre - the one, the only, the incomparable Beverley Knight MBE is on this episode of Call To Stage!
Beverley's career spans four decades and multiple industries. A self-described "born singer" who was performing by the age of four, she spent two decades as one of the UK's most celebrated soul and R&B artists before making a seamless - and Olivier Award-winning - transition into musical theatre as an adult.
Beverley's theatre career includes the West End casts of The Bodyguard, Memphis, The Drifters Girls, Grizabella in Cats, Deloris in Sister Act and more. Along the way, she has earned three Olivier Award and WhatsOnStage nominations, including one Olivier win for Best Supporting Actress in a Musical for Sylvia.
She currently stars as Emmeline Pankhurst in Sylvia, which tours the UK before culminating at the Royal Albert Hall.
On this episode of Call To Stage, Amber and Beverley talk about the decision to leave music behind and audition for the West End with no stage school training, getting an Olivier nom for Memphis and her tradition of 'Bev's Bomb Bom Fridays' which she's kept going across every show she's ever done.
There are also stories from The Bodyguard, The Drifters Girl and Sylvia as well as a heartfelt conversation about keeping going in the face of rejection.

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