JADAR

Best-known for winning the inaugural series of RuPaul’s Drag Race UK and appearing on many iconic TV programmes – coming third place on the most recent series of Dancing on Ice – The Vivienne has now stepped into musical theatre, playing the Wicked Witch of the West in the first-ever UK and Ireland tour and West End revival of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s The Wizard of Oz.

The Wizard of Oz is perhaps the most iconic film of all time. Groundbreaking, monumental, and ahead of its time, it has been entertaining (and terrifying) children for almost 100 years – every single generation, since its release, has grown up with it. Who better to adapt it for the stage, then, than the King of musicals himself, Andrew Lloyd Webber?

The musical premiered on the West End in 2011, played Toronto, Canada in 2021, and toured the US in 2013 and Australia in 2017. It was not until 2022 that the musical had its regional premiere – as a brand-new production at Curve, Leicester – ahead of a 2023 West End revival, 2023-2024 UK and Ireland tour, and 2024 West End revival.

On tour, The Vivienne shared the role of the Wicked Witch with none other than Craig Revel Horwood, with The Vivienne now leading the West End cast alongside Aston Merrygold as the Tin Man (at selected dates).

Before hopping on a broom to Manchester, I had the pleasure of sitting down with The Vivienne, ahead of a two-show day (on her birthday!), to talk all things Oz. The interview was for my Beyond the Stage social media series with ATG – but I’ve decided to also turn it into an article.

I began the interview by asking her about the pressure of starring in the stage adaptation of such an iconic movie.

“It was one of the first movies that I ever saw that really opened my eyes and made me fall in love with a story and certain actors – you know, like Judy Garland” – if you didn’t already know The Vivienne was queer, you do now!

Indeed, The Vivienne relates to the story as a queer person: ‘”Growing up as a young LGBTQ+ youth, it was kind of like a metaphor for my life. I grew up in North Wales, which was a beautiful place but I kind of new there was something bigger out there – I certainly know The Vivienne never would have thrived in North Wales. But I moved to Liverpool when I was 16, and that was me finding my Emerald City; Liverpool became that for me. The whole story’s about growing up and finding your tribe and finding the people that can help you along the way, and Dorothy learning that that thing that you’re searching for is within yourself – for her, it was the power to get back home, but that was secondary to her finding herself and knowing that she could do that without any magic.”

Believe it or not, this is not The Vivienne’s first time performing in some sort of iteration of The Wizard of Oz.

“I was the Tin Man [in a school production of] The Wizard of Oz – even though I auditioned for Dorothy; I didn’t quite get that… And then on Dancing on Ice, we got to choose a song that meant for so much for us, and I chose Over the Rainbow – which the producers saw and thought, ‘Let’s put Vivienne in this’ – and here we are, over a hundred shows later, about to do a West End run – it’s absolutely crazy!”

Whilst the original West End stage production honoured the film very closely, this revival is a mix of old and new. Nikolai Foster has captured the spirit of the original but given it its own aesthetic identity, which is similar enough to the film’s iconic aesthetic, but with a 1950s edge that makes the production feel more hip and fresh – and not just a basic stage adaptation.

“I think [Foster’s] vision was just absolutely perfect,” The Vivienne said. “You see many a show that are brought right up-to-date. Nikolai hasn’t done that; he’s brought it slightly more [ahead]. It’s just slightly more forward – you know, Kansas still looks very much like Kansas in the movie; Oz is just a tiny bit more neon, a bit more Las Vegas. I don’t want to ruin anything but Glinda comes in on a pink Vespa, rather than a flying bubble, and the Wicked Witch of the West, she’s like Bette Davis – she’s got these huge Dior gowns on, she’s got a martini glass on hand; she’s fabulous – but still menacing and evil.

“But she’s definitely someone you kinda root for – I’ve always rooted for the villain, you know, growing up watching Disney films and stuff, it was always the Maleficent or the Ursula that I kind-of fell in love with.

“Visually, it’s just a stunning show – everyone needs escapism – especially now – so being able to come and see a show like this for two hours, with such a stellar cast – I mean, Aviva Tulley, who plays Dorothy, Emily Ball, who plays Glinda, my arch-nemesis, but we’re best-of-friends off-stage – there’s just so many amazing names – Al Bourne, Ben Yates, and Nick, who plays the Lion – they’re just absolutely fabulous.”

Not only is The Vivienne starring in a stage adaptation of one of the most iconic films of all time – she’s also playing one of the most iconic characters of all time – who has been played by many huge names over the years, from Margaret Hamilton in the original film to Cynthia Erivo in the upcoming live-action adaptation of Wicked!

“Margaret Hamilton was the most amazing original, so it is kind-of playing homage to her but also putting your complete own spin on it – and then Idina Menzel in Wicked, Hannah Waddingham [in the original West End production], Dianne Pilkington played it before me in the Palladium.

“So, when you put it like that, it is crazy, and the Imposter Syndrome sets in a little bit, but we’re nearly 130 shows in now, the reviews have been great, and people have really connected to my version of the Witch, so that’s really nice to know; it makes you very self-aware of what you’re doing but it’s also a nice, little cherry on top that people are liking it. when the call came in, I was like, ‘Oh my Lord, what’s going on? I can’t do this! Big Andrew Lloyd Webber song! But it’s so much fun. I love getting to do it – it’s my birthday today and I’m doing two shows, but it beats the dole queue, my love!”

As The Vivienne touched upon, this Witch is noticeably more glamorous than previous iterations, especially the old crone in the original film. I asked The Vivienne if she was pleased that she gets to play a more attractive version of the Witch – especially as a drag artist.

“I’m always kind-of glamorous and gorgeous!” she laughed. “So I was excited to kind-of get a bit more grotesque, but then we sat on the creative call and [the producers] were like, ‘No, this is the version that we’re doing’. I was like, ‘Okay, okay, I’ll be glam again’. But it’s so much fun ’cause I’m green, for a start! But it’s also kind-of nice getting away from the idea that just because you’re evil, you have to be this ugly kind-of person that’s got a prosthetic nose on and everything else. It’s nice to show that evil people can be fabulous!” she cackled.

As a drag artist, The Vivienne is obviously used to spending ages getting ready, but I was curious how long it takes getting green!

“I get like a 14-minute quick-change in the show – when you read that on paper, my heart stopped, I thought, ‘Well, it’s never gonna work ’cause I usually take three hours to get into drag’. Most gigs, I’m usually the only drag queen on it. Every TV show I’ve ever done, I’m the only drag queen on it, apart from Drag Race, so I’m used to being the first in, the last out.

“You know, I’m here at 10 o’clock every morning, leave at half 10 every night. So I’m always the first here, painting on my face for two hours, then we go to warm-up, then I’m back, get my hair and everything on. Then between shows, on a two-show day, I have to take all the green off, leave my eyes on, then Miss Gulch back on ’cause I’m Miss Gulch at the beginning of the show. So yeah, it’s a lot and it’s a big commitment but… someone’s gotta do it!

“It’s very tiring, you know, eight shows a week, we’re doing nine shows this week, and when we get to the West End, we’ll be doing twelve shows a week. We’ll have been on tour for seven months, come to the end of this, and you’ve got to wave goodbye to your social life and squeeze the gym in when you can – you know, I love to go to the gym but you make sacrifices but it’s all for what I’ve loved and [built] my career up to so it’s completely worth it.”

Drag is obviously a form of theatre but I wondered if The Vivienne had ever envisaged a career in theatre theatre.

“Never in my wildest dreams. It’s always something I wanted to do; I’m a big musical theatre geek anyway so any time I get to see a show on the West End, I’m there. You never knows the doors that are gonna be open. You always think, to be on the West End or something like that, you have to [have] years of training and everything else. But I kind-of did do years of training but it was just an unconventional way. You know, treading the boards for years, getting changes on bear barrels, and then doing big drag tours and touring the world, so that kind-of geared me up to it.”

However, she admitted to questioning herself at the beginning: “I didn’t know how I’d handle doing eight shows a week, if my voice would hold out, ’cause it’s quite a streneous part as well, you know, the screaming and being evil – and then doing a big number at the opening of Act 2. But it’s held up, and a lot of disciple, a lot of water, and not so many wines at night!”

“I bet you can’t wait until the end of the run and you can have as much wine as you want,” I said.

“Oh, I know. I’ve got a little break soon – I can’t wait!” she admitted.

Now that The Vivienne is a musical theatre star, I wondered if there is a part that she would kill to play – it sounds like the Wicked Witch is her dream role, but is there another?

“There’s definitely some more villains. The Child Catcher in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, that’d be cool. I love Miss Andrew in Mary Poppins – she’s kind-of like the anti Mary Poppins. You’ve got Miss Hannigan in Annie. But then I’d love to do something a bit more straight, a bit more serious acting ’cause I know I’ve got it in me. Maybe step out of the heels and put some work boots on one day – maybe.”

Whilst The Vivienne is best-known as a drag artist – and specifically for winning the inaugural season of RuPaul’s Drag Race UK – she has also dabbled in reality TV, TV competitions, presenting, and now musical theatre.

“Whatever else?!” I asked.

“I’m developing a movie. We’re trying to get that off the ground – I can’t say what it is but it’s a huge story that needs telling, I think. Lots more acting I wanna do. I’ve been approached with a role that’s very iconic with an amazing writer – so trying to get that off the ground as well. Gotta throw things at the wall and see what sticks, I suppose. Possibilities are endless, I suppose. Drag’s an amazing thing; you get to use every creative bone in your body so why not flex ’em?”

On a more serious note, I wanted to ask The Vivienne about the rising queerphobia in recent years, including anti-drag sentiments, even perpetuated by our own government – a manufactured culture war that has travelled from across the Atlantic and somehow infested our liberal, secular society.

Queer people are but one marginalised minority community that the previous government (the current government at the time of writing) scapegoated – heck, at the time of writing, they had begun scapegoating the disabled and those with mental illnesses – but as one of the most recognisable drag artists and queer people in the country, I wanted to talk to The Vivienne specifically about how her communities have been targeted.

Yet, drag is incredibly popular – and The Wizard of Oz, a family show starring a drag queen, is selling wonderfully all over the country – so it seems like the fear-mongering and scapegoating have not been all that successful.

“Its been wild ’cause you do think, ‘We’re under such attack’, which we are, but you’ve got to remember that there are more people on our side than not. We did four weeks in Liverpool; it completely sold out; it was the biggest-selling show in the Empire Theatre’s history. We did a week at the Edinburgh Playhouse, which is the biggest theatre in the UK, three and a half thousand people – we sold it out every night. It’s wild.

“On the flip-side, hate crimes are on a rise, and I’ve been a victim of one recently, and I reported it, but there’s over a hundred thousands cases a year that aren’t reported, that we know about – which means, if you flip that coin, there’s a hundred thousand committing these crimes, if not more, that are getting away with it because people aren’t reporting it. And people can be scared to report it. It’s a long process – I get it ’cause I went through it, and it’s Hell, it’s constant emails, everything else, phone calls, and then putting yourself back through that trauma. But unless you report it, there’s never gonna be a change, so I’m a big advocate for that. Whatever it is, hate crime is not just homophobia – any sort of hate crime – racial, sexual – it needs reporting.”

To end it on a more positive note… There is so much theatre out there, and theatre is getting so expensive, so I wanted to know why people should go to see this show specifically.

“Yeah, theatre is expensive, it’s one of those things, but it’s also such an expensive thing to do, to put a show on of this scale, it is expensive but it’s just amazing escapism and opening especially the younger generation’s eyes to theatre. Especially after Covid, when all the theatre shut and everything else, didn’t know if it’d bounce back but it has. Just come and get a smile put on your face for two hours and you can remember it and make amazing memories and see that the hard work that we put in.

“Theatre’s one of my favourite things ever. I go on my own – I prefer going on my own ’cause you get to enjoy it more. Come to the theatre, have a great time, and let us take you away to Oz for two hours – two and a bit.”

What a lovely way to end it!

You can catch The Vivienne in The Wizard of Oz at at the Gillian Lynne Theatre until September 8.