With her MOBO Award-winning voice, West Midlands singing sensation Beverley Knight certainly has plenty of experience of casting a spell over her audiences. But this Christmas, the Wolverhampton-born wonder will be exercising magic powers of a very different sort in the guise of Cinderella’s Fairy Godmother.
Following more than 20 years’ experience as a recording artist, and critically acclaimed stage performances in The Bodyguard and Memphis, Knight now returns to her regional roots, making her pantomime debut at Birmingham Hippodrome. Flawlessly kitted out in sparkly dress and wings, she’s positively glowing with enthusiasm about the task ahead when she meets us for the panto launch - and with good reason.
“I’m really looking forward to it!” she gushes. “This isn’t just any panto, it’s the biggest one in the world, and to have that as my first - I don’t think it gets any better. Often when you’re in theatre over Christmas, you kind of feel a bit removed from it all. But panto is Christmas, so this year I’ll be the one helping people to get into the Christmas spirit, which will be brilliant.”
It’s not only the unparalleled reputation of Hippodrome pantos that persuaded her to take up the part. Having previously worked with Qdos’ Michael Harrison on The Bodyguard, she was initially asked by the producer if she’d consider appearing in the show. That pre-existing relationship was certainly a draw, but perhaps even more important was the location, enabling her to spend the festive season at home surrounded by her family. And if the crowds of fans who flocked to meet her at the stage door during The Bodyguard’s Birmingham run are anything to judge by, she can certainly expect a warm welcome back.
“The thing about performing here is that people actually know me - a lot of them are people who’ve grown up with me or hung out with me, which gives it a whole different energy. There’s a sense of ownership, I think, because I’m very much part of the fabric here in the West Midlands. So I can imagine that trying to get home every night after the show will be a process!”
As one might expect, Christmas in her family household has always been very much a musical occasion.
“I come from a massive musical family and we do all like to sing, so we do a lot of singing together. I don’t know what we’re doing this year, but we always end up singing something at Christmas - usually a cappella at the dinner table. I love Christmas songs. I think it’s a beautiful time of year for inclusivity and getting together with the people you love. Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas I absolutely adore - I’ve sung that a few times myself.”
A rendition of that song is part of a major new recording project for Knight, undertaken together with fellow musical theatre stars Amber Riley and Cassidy Janson. Under the banner Leading Ladies, the trio recently released their first joint album, Songs From The Stage.
“I’d been in talks with a record label about the possibility of recording an album to reflect the work I’ve been doing in theatre recently, but I wasn’t too sure about it. But soon after that, when I was watching Graham Norton, Amber Riley came on to promo Dream Girls. She’s an amazing singer, and suddenly I had this thought that maybe I could do something with her. And then, when I saw Cassidy in Beautiful, it just seemed to me that if the three of us did something together, it would be much more interesting than me doing an album on my own. It would be unprecedented. Thankfully the label were all over it, and both Amber and Cassidy said yes, so here we are, a new vocal supergroup, and I’m really excited!
“We’ve got a mix of old classics like Memory and Wind Beneath My Wings from Cats and Beaches, and future classics like Helpless from Hamilton. There are songs that feature in each of our respective shows too - so I’ll be doing songs from The Bodyguard and Memphis. And then there are some that have all of us singing together as an ensemble.”
At the time of writing, details of the script and songs for Cinderella remain tightly under wraps, from the cast as well as the public. But fans can rest assured that there’ll be ample opportunity to hear Beverley sing, including in a duet with Hear’Say’s Suzanne Shaw, who takes the title role.
Suzanne’s Cinderella is certainly blessed in this choice of Fairy Godmother - it’s hard to imagine anyone looking more at home in the part. But while it might be Beverley who’s ensuring happy endings both for Cinders and her audience, if roles were reversed, what Christmas wishes might she be hoping to have granted?
“Well, number one, my Fairy Godmother would get Wolves into the Premiership,” she laughs. “But I think the main thing for me would be to make all my endeavours really successful. If I could be sure that I’ll still be doing this when I’m really old, I’d be happy. I love what I do and I want to do it for as long as I can.”
Beverley Knight stars as the Fairy Godmother in Cinderella at Birmingham Hippodrome from Tuesday 19 December until Sunday 28 January.
With her MOBO Award-winning voice, West Midlands singing sensation Beverley Knight certainly has plenty of experience of casting a spell over her audiences. But this Christmas, the Wolverhampton-born wonder will be exercising magic powers of a very different sort in the guise of Cinderella’s Fairy Godmother.
Following more than 20 years’ experience as a recording artist, and critically acclaimed stage performances in The Bodyguard and Memphis, Knight now returns to her regional roots, making her pantomime debut at Birmingham Hippodrome. Flawlessly kitted out in sparkly dress and wings, she’s positively glowing with enthusiasm about the task ahead when she meets us for the panto launch - and with good reason.
“I’m really looking forward to it!” she gushes. “This isn’t just any panto, it’s the biggest one in the world, and to have that as my first - I don’t think it gets any better. Often when you’re in theatre over Christmas, you kind of feel a bit removed from it all. But panto is Christmas, so this year I’ll be the one helping people to get into the Christmas spirit, which will be brilliant.”
It’s not only the unparalleled reputation of Hippodrome pantos that persuaded her to take up the part. Having previously worked with Qdos’ Michael Harrison on The Bodyguard, she was initially asked by the producer if she’d consider appearing in the show. That pre-existing relationship was certainly a draw, but perhaps even more important was the location, enabling her to spend the festive season at home surrounded by her family. And if the crowds of fans who flocked to meet her at the stage door during The Bodyguard’s Birmingham run are anything to judge by, she can certainly expect a warm welcome back.
“The thing about performing here is that people actually know me - a lot of them are people who’ve grown up with me or hung out with me, which gives it a whole different energy. There’s a sense of ownership, I think, because I’m very much part of the fabric here in the West Midlands. So I can imagine that trying to get home every night after the show will be a process!”
As one might expect, Christmas in her family household has always been very much a musical occasion.
“I come from a massive musical family and we do all like to sing, so we do a lot of singing together. I don’t know what we’re doing this year, but we always end up singing something at Christmas - usually a cappella at the dinner table. I love Christmas songs. I think it’s a beautiful time of year for inclusivity and getting together with the people you love. Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas I absolutely adore - I’ve sung that a few times myself.”
A rendition of that song is part of a major new recording project for Knight, undertaken together with fellow musical theatre stars Amber Riley and Cassidy Janson. Under the banner Leading Ladies, the trio recently released their first joint album, Songs From The Stage.
“I’d been in talks with a record label about the possibility of recording an album to reflect the work I’ve been doing in theatre recently, but I wasn’t too sure about it. But soon after that, when I was watching Graham Norton, Amber Riley came on to promo Dream Girls. She’s an amazing singer, and suddenly I had this thought that maybe I could do something with her. And then, when I saw Cassidy in Beautiful, it just seemed to me that if the three of us did something together, it would be much more interesting than me doing an album on my own. It would be unprecedented. Thankfully the label were all over it, and both Amber and Cassidy said yes, so here we are, a new vocal supergroup, and I’m really excited!
“We’ve got a mix of old classics like Memory and Wind Beneath My Wings from Cats and Beaches, and future classics like Helpless from Hamilton. There are songs that feature in each of our respective shows too - so I’ll be doing songs from The Bodyguard and Memphis. And then there are some that have all of us singing together as an ensemble.”
At the time of writing, details of the script and songs for Cinderella remain tightly under wraps, from the cast as well as the public. But fans can rest assured that there’ll be ample opportunity to hear Beverley sing, including in a duet with Hear’Say’s Suzanne Shaw, who takes the title role.
Suzanne’s Cinderella is certainly blessed in this choice of Fairy Godmother - it’s hard to imagine anyone looking more at home in the part. But while it might be Beverley who’s ensuring happy endings both for Cinders and her audience, if roles were reversed, what Christmas wishes might she be hoping to have granted?
“Well, number one, my Fairy Godmother would get Wolves into the Premiership,” she laughs. “But I think the main thing for me would be to make all my endeavours really successful. If I could be sure that I’ll still be doing this when I’m really old, I’d be happy. I love what I do and I want to do it for as long as I can.”
Beverley Knight stars as the Fairy Godmother in Cinderella at Birmingham Hippodrome from Tuesday 19 December until Sunday 28 January.
By Heather Kincaid