Bobby Crush is starring in feel-good musical Summer Holiday when the bus parks up at Milton Keynes Theatre from Tuesday (May 15).
He will be taking on the role of Jerry, the long-suffering agent.
Bobby came to public attention some 45 years ago - primarily for his work as a pianist, and he is staggeringly good.
But Bobby also excels as a songwriter, actor, broadcaster and television presenter,and he has a huge list of credits to his name - too many to mention here and now.
In April, Total MK was among those eagerly tuning in to see Bobby in the ITV series Last Laugh in Vegas, which documented his adventure to star in a Las Vegas show alongside other artists including Cannon & Ball.
Bobby talked all things theatre with Total MK - including a dodgy encounter with Rod Hull's Emu!
Tell us about your first memory of the theatre
My parents took me to see ‘Sweet Charity’ at the Prince of Wales Theatre in London in 1967 when I was 13. The moment the lights went down and the overture struck up I was hooked and I knew I’d found my natural home.
And the moment when you realised the theatre was your calling
I’d been playing the piano since the age of 4 and performing on stage at the age of 12 in concert parties and amateur dramatics. In my teens, I realised that there was no other profession for me. Little did I know that, just a few years on, I’d be given my television break and the dream would become a reality.
Any dreadful calamities, or funny happenings on stage that you would care to share with us?
Preparing to go on stage for the Royal Command Performance, I shared a dressing room with Rod Hull and Emu. He’d painted the emu’s beak just before the show and the bird’s neck was draped across the sofa. Just before I was called out on to the stage, I brushed past it… I was wearing a white suit!
With no time to change, I walked out on stage looking like a Jackson Pollock painting! I can laugh about it now, but at the time I was mortified!
Which stage actor, living or dead, would you most like to meet, and what question would you ask them?
Dame Edith Evans. I’d ask her if her delivery of the ‘Handbag’ line in ‘The Importance of Being Earnest’ was her own invention or whether she was given it by a director.
Do you have any superstitions, or pre-performance routines?
I don’t really observe any particular superstitions apart from never whistling in the dressing room.
The best piece of advice given to you when you started in the business
My first manager, Leslie Grade, told me to always stay in decent places when I’m out on tour, ‘because if you’re not happy away from the stage, it will show when you ARE on stage’.
What do you think has been your steepest learning curve
To be prepared for ‘peaks and valleys’. Unless you’re extremely lucky in this business, no one works at a steady level.
This is a tough industry and the standard of work might not always be what you’d wish for, but do the best you can with what you’re given and remain resolute.
How do you fill your spare time while on tour
I’m a voracious reader… proper books, not ‘Kindles’! Big fan of biographies and autobiographies. I’ve just finished ‘Then and Now’ – the memoirs of the late Broadway star, Barbara Cook.
Also, while out on the road, I do like to try to get out and see some of the local sights.
Nerves or excitement? Which takes over just before the curtain rises?
A mixture of the two. I used to get quite nervous, especially before big events like live TV or something like ‘The Roya Variety Performance’ but if my hands shake it affects my playing and does me no favours – so over the years I’ve learned to calm myself down with various breathing exercises.
How can the future of theatre be safeguarded? What would you do to entice new blood to audiences?
First of all, I’d like to put a signal blocker in every theatre so that no one could use their blasted mobile phones! Theatre should be something to enjoy without the distraction of phones going off or screens lighting up with text messages.
As a theatre patron, it drives me mad.
Also, I think young people should be encouraged to attend the theatre with cheap seat deals. I started taking my nieces to shows when they were very little and now both are regular theatre-goers in their early twenties.
Now tell us about the three favourite roles your have played so far, and what makes them special.
1 ‘Frank N. Furter’ in The Rocky Horror Show because it was my first role in a musical.
2 ‘Billy Flynn’ in Chicago because it’s such a cracking score.
3 ‘Vernon Gersch’ in They’re Playing Our Song because, to all intents and purposes, it’s a two-person show and my character was hardly ever off stage. It was an awful lot to learn and memorise and I was proud to have pulled it off.
Finally, for those yet to take a ticket to Summer Holiday, sell the show…
What’s not to love? All those wonderful Cliff songs from the 60s, lively exciting choreography, family-friendly show (not a single swear word!). Ray Quinn – who plays the ‘Cliff’ role – is a revelation and I can guarantee that everyone will leave the theatre on a high.
To book your Summer Holiday tickets click here
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