Next week sees the all new production of the hit musical comedy Sister Act, directed and choreographed by Craig Revel Horwood, appearing at the Brighton Centre from Wednesday 11th to Saturday 14th January 2017 as part of the show’s, year long, UK tour.
Starring Alexandra Burke and based on the smash hit movie starring Whoopi Goldberg and Maggie Smith, Sister Act tells the hilarious story of Deloris Van Cartier, a disco diva whose life takes a surprising turn when she witnesses a murder. Under protective custody she is hidden in the one place she won’t be found – a convent! Disguised as a nun and under the suspicious watch of Mother Superior, Deloris helps her fellow sisters find their voices as she unexpectedly rediscovers her own.
Alexandra Burke was last seen on stage starring as Rachel Marron in the critically acclaimed national tour of The Bodyguard, a part she also played in the West End. She originally rose to fame after winning the fifth series of The X Factor. Her debut number one single Hallelujah sold over one million copies in the UK, a first for a British female soloist. Burke’s first album, Overcome saw the release of her subsequent number one singles Bad Boys and Start Without You. In 2011 she embarked on her first solo tour and was invited by Beyoncé to support her I Am… Tour. Her second album, Heartbreak on Hold, was released in June 2012.
Recently, I was lucky enough to get to chat to Alexandra so I asked her about taking on such iconic roles, and about her first love – her music…
How is the tour going?
It’s going really well thank you. It’s very different to The Bodyguard, as you can probably imagine if you’ve seen the Sister Act film, but the show is really doing well. I only had 5 days off after finishing the tour of The Bodyguard, to visit my family and stuff like that, before going into rehearsals for Sister Act.
The Bodyguard was such a fantastic experience but Sister Act is different in so many ways and, for me, is even more of a challenge. What I am really enjoying is that there is a lot of comedy in the show and, although I never thought that I would be suited for it, it turns out that I am having just the best time ever with it.
How did your transition happen from pop star to actress?
The two jobs are very different, and I love both equally, but doing my own thing and releasing my own music is always going to be my priority, my first love. But appearing in theatre is something that I have always wanted to do and, although I never thought that I would be doing it right now, it’s just something that has fallen into place really and, to be fair, it’s something that I am really enjoying.
I had to give up acting at quite a young age to concentrate on my music and I’m very grateful now that I can fulfil a part of my dream that had spent some time “on the back burner”, so to speak. I am so happy that I am still learning so much and with every day that goes by, every performance that I give – even when it’s my own shows – I want to give 110% and make sure that, when the performance is over, people leave the venue either wanting more, or just very happy that they have seen a really good show.
Well, we certainly felt like that after seeing you in The Bodyguard. It was spectacular.
Ahhh Thank You. The Bodyguard was fantastic for me. It was a fantastic team to work with, especially the stage management who, each week, moved the whole show to a different venue and, somehow, managed to put up that, really complicated, stage – it was amazing.
It’s quite mind-blowing how these people do what they do and, with Sister Act as well, we are moving the whole show weekly. I do feel a bit sorry for them as well really because I don’t think they get a lot of rest because they are determined to get the show up and running. They work above and beyond to make sure that the show goes smoothly in every new venue.
I think it will be amazing to see the show in a theatre setting, but in the Brighton Centre’s big arena.
Yes, I can’t wait. It’s going to be great. With me it’s all about giving the audience a really great experience because, at the end of the day, what matters to me is looking out and seeing people smiling at the end of the show and them enjoying it. To me, that is all that ever matters and I’m really excited. We will make sure that we give Brighton some really great performances.
Let’s go way back, for a moment, to series two of The X Factor when you made it to the Judge’s Houses.
Wow, that was way back when I was 16. Well, that was quite a journey for me as I was so young, and only just out of school, and a journey that I will, of course, never forget, but it was quite a crazy time. The producers opened up The X Factor to 16 year olds and I remember that all of them got knocked out, including myself, and, with hindsight, I look back and think that it was the right thing to happen because I then got to learn so much in the three years that I went away.
I learned so much about myself as a person and as an artist, I did loads of live work, recording etc. and I can only thank my Mum for all of her help with that, for being my teacher – which she still is. Of course it was devastating to leave the show that first time and I was heartbroken but I snapped out of that in a couple of days because I’m such a fighter. I’m such a go-getter, a spirit I get from my parents, so I just go for what I want and hope for the best.
And just three years later, you went back to The X Factor and won.
Yes. I never thought that would happen and, to be honest, I never planned to go back to The X Factor, because I didn’t think that I could get past that Judge’s House barrier, but again I have my Mum to thank for that as well because it was her who dragged me out of bed and made me go and audition.
I see that you have signed up to tour with Sister Act for a year, what happens after that?
Well, I’m hoping that the show, fingers crossed, will go into London, because the company absolutely deserve it, and, whether that’s with me or someone else, who knows. After whatever happens with Sister Act I definitely want to get back to my music. I am still recording my third album and I really want to get back into that and into doing my own thing because I miss it so much.
Doing the album is something that I never wanted to rush. I’ve been recording it now for about three years. I’m in and out of the studio because it’s quite difficult to do six shows a week and then record as well but music is my focus, and will always be my first love, so getting back into music is the priority for me.
Sister Act can be seen at the Brighton Centre from Wednesday 11th January to Saturday 14th January with nightly performances at 7.30pm. There are two matinee performances at 2.30pm on Friday and Saturday when the role of Deloris Van Cartier will be played by Aiesha Pease. Tickets, priced between £21 – £50, can be booked by visiting www.thebrightoncentre.co.uk or by calling the box office on 0844 847 1515.
