INTERVIEW – LUCIE JONES

Posted on by Ellie Preston

Ellie chats to Lucie Jones ahead of her solo concerts at Cadogan Hall this May.

Firstly, how are you feeling ahead of your solo concerts at Cadogan Hall this May?

I am so excited for these gigs! It feels like I haven’t done a solo show for ages and I have loved choosing my set list and getting creative with it. It’s so fun, building a set around your favourite songs.

How did you choose the line up of songs for this concert?

I have a very long playlist of songs that I would love to sing at some point, so it was about going through those and finding some that would work for me right now. I always like to add a few songs that nobody has heard me sing before, and this setlist is no different. 

You’ve had such an incredible career, having starred in productions including Les Miserables, Waitress, Legally Blonde, Wicked, and so many others. What would you say has been your particular career highlight so far?

It is really difficult to choose, I have been extremely lucky to have had some really special and completely overwhelming career moments. Playing Jenna in Waitress was incredibly special, a once in a lifetime sort of role. I’ll never forget my opening and closing shows at wicked either. Playing Elphaba was something I never thought I would do so those moments will always remain special to me!

I’ve had the pleasure of seeing you as Fantine, Jenna and Elphaba – if you could return to any role for one night only, who would you pick and why?

Can I do the first section of act 1 as Fantine, then turn into Elphaba until early act 2, and finish the show as Jenna?! I can’t choose, that is a mean question! 

You recently played Jenna Rink in the workshops for 13 going on 30: The Musical at Battersea Arts Centre. How would you compare working in a workshop environment in comparison to a west end run?

The workshop / performance experience was a new one for me but I have to say, I really enjoyed it. It was great to put those moments of experiment in front of a small trusted audience to see how they felt. We took songs out, put them back in, changed lines, wrote new monologues- for the creatives it is incredibly intense (as it is for the performs too!) But with a team like the one we had on 13 going on 30, it was an absolute joy.

Could you tell us about your experience on The X Factor in 2009?

I had a positive experience on the show, I was very young! I think my youth and inexperience was helpful. I would be terrified to do some of the things we did now! Danni Minogue was an incredible mentor, I was in the safest of hands.

You also represented the UK in the Eurovision Song Contest in Ukraine in 2017! What was this experience like?

Eurovision was something I never imagined I would be involved in- what a wild dream that would have been! It was a privilege to represent the country for what I do – in music, that isn’t something you don’t anticipate doing. I had a brilliant time, loved my song and have loved being part of the Eurovision community ever since. It is joy and celebration – I adore it!

Things in live theatre don’t always go to plan – do you have any funny or memorable onstage mishaps from past productions you could share with us?

So many things! 8 times a week, every week, all year? There are too many to choose from. I have had loose dogs on stage, children making up lines, me making up lines, people forgetting lyrics, pieces of set or costume not being where they are meant to be etc – my favourite story will always be the dog walking out on stage unattended and free in Legally Blonde, during a speech where my character was fighting to free the dog. You can’t write it.

Do you have any advice for young people wanting to start a career in the theatre industry?

Go and see everything you get the chance to see. Keep learning and raining and playing. Have a good time. It’s fun! 

And finally, why should audiences buy tickets to your concerts at Cadogan Hall on May 12th?

This show is going to be quite different to other solo shows that I have done in the past. There are a load of songs people haven’t heard me singing before. My guests are phenomenal – there will be a song in this gig that I anticipate being my favourite thing I have ever done on stage. I can’t WAIT!

Lucie Jones will be performing at Cadogan Hall on Sunday May 12th – Find out more here!

Leave a Reply