Interview: Vincent Hooper of THE WIZARD OF OZ at Crown Theatre

It seems almost unavoidable to grow up without having heavy exposure to the classic Judy Garland film The Wizard of Oz. It's one of those movies that seems to find home in every collection, and the storyline and score is familiar to many. Starring as the Cowardly Lion in the musical adaptation at Crown is Perth born Vincent Hooper, who sat down to chat about the character, the show, and his other projects.

"There were three movies my family and I always watched growing up; Wizard of Oz, Mary Poppins and The Sound of Music. Not only did I get to know these movies so well I really feel that they influenced what I've done with my life," said Hooper, reflecting on his experience with the movie. "The show is very similar to the movie, so these familiar songs and music really pull you in to memories of the movie, and for me that means memories of growing up watching it. Whilst I try to put myself into the character, I am also very much paying homage to the movie and to Bert Lahr's version of the Lion from the movie."

Whilst there's many familiar parts to the character, there's still work to be done to be the Cowardly Lion. "I feel I really need to channel my inner child for this role," said Vincent. "The child within me needs to come out and play as much as anything. On one hand I approach this like I approach any show I'm in, so I spend time ensuring all my timings are right and I know the band's tempo and how the other characters work, but if that child can come out then I can connect with the child within those in the audience, and the actual children in the audience! The Lion is cowardly, obviously, but there's still so much joy and spontaneity there and capacity to have fun. Honestly, I play the part as if I'm a big cat, so anyone who has ever had a cat will hopefully see that. There's a lot of bravado, but he's very easily spooked."

Indeed, THE WIZARD OF OZ may be so embedded in people's minds from a young age that they skim over the meaning of it, however none of it is lost on Hooper. "There is so much meaning in the show! Maybe the most contemporary proof of this is from Ru Paul, who often mentions the movie or the characters," he explained. "There's definitely strong connections for the LGBTIQ+ community because it's all about finding your people or your tribe and having the courage to step outside of your comfort zone to find those people who love you for who you really are. It shows us those people come in all shapes and sizes... in this instance the form of a Lion, a Tin man and a Scarecrow. There's also a reminder to be true to yourself and to trust yourself. All the main characters learn in the end that these things that they always thought they were lacking were actually with them the whole time."

Hooper has played a variety of roles, with his most recent Perth foray being as Kyle in Legally Blonde before playing Rocky in The Rocky Horror Show in Hobart. From the confidence of Kyle to the Cowardly Lion via Rocky is a strange transition, but Hooper takes it in his stride. "In every role you learn something about yourself," he said. "I'm a very empathetic person and each role I like to look into and really consider why they're the way they are so I can play that role well. My next role is in The Who's Tommy where I play Cousin Kevin, and he's terrible, he's a bully. Even if the character is bad in the show, as a performer you can't see them that way."

Whilst he's an accomplished theatre performer, Vincent Hooper has also made a foray into music, writing an original album through the course of teaching himself to read and write music. "I put out an album called Here Today, Gone Tomorrow last year and intended to tour it but of course those plans were shelved. Hopefully I get to tour it later next year. It's part jazz with a bit of musical theatre theming." With so many strings to his bow, it's hard to categorise Vincent Hooper as any one thing. "I don't see myself as just an actor or just a singer or a performer; often if I'm in a musical or singing I just want to be in a play, but then if I'm in a play I just want to sing again. I guess I gravitate more towards musical theatre, but at the end of the day it's all performing, and I love performing in all its forms."

THE WIZARD OF OZ features a very talented cast, many of whom are based in Perth. Hooper, however, knows most of his co-stars very well. "The four core characters are all very close. Amy (McCann, who plays Dorothy), Bella (McSporran, playing the Scarecrow), and Ethan (Churchill, playing the Tin Man) all studied through APAN Academy, and I've been invited over through the years to perform with them and mentor them. I've literally seen them grow up, one of them I met when they were an infant, but I knew them all as they really started their journeys into performing so I've seen how they've grown and evolved. It's actually incredible, knowing the journey these people have been on to be starring alongside these amazing performers." Whilst Hooper has been tasked with teaching them at times, he also gains a lot from being alongside them. "When I started out, it feels like the expectation was that performers should be grateful for whatever we got, to jump when told to. These performers haven't had that. They've lived through a whole revolution of Me Too, and all the power shifts, so now performers can speak up if something isn't working for them, so their attitude is different. The confidence they have on and off stage often makes me compare their experience to mine and I like working with them! I also think their confidence and certainty mean the performers now are more mature than my contemporaries when I graduated."

Vincent Hooper's debut album Here Today, Gone Tomorrow is available on Spotify and Apple Music. Find more about him at VincentHooper.com

THE WIZARD OF OZ is at Crown Theatre Perth for an extended season from December 31 through January 22nd. Tickets and more info at Crown Perth.

Pictures thanks to HAMA Productions and Vincent Hooper.

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