Interview: Cassie Compton On Her Solo Cabaret, WICKED And More!

Hi Cassie! Thanks for taking the time to talk to us. Tell us about your cabaret.

Stuart Piper, my agent at Cole Kitchenn, asked if I'd like to do my show there. The theme is a tribute to the great female singer-songwriters - Joni Mitchell, Dolly Parton, Adele, Amy Winehouse and more, so it's right across the board. I've got some great guests with me - Simon Bailey, Tim Driesen, Matt Wycliffe and Jodie Jacobs, so I'm thrilled. I'm doing a Friday and a Saturday, so I've asked them to pick a night. For me I like to go off on tangents, so I'll sit down and put together a set list and an hour later I'll still only have three songs. It's about variety - everyone loves ballads, but you need up-tempo songs too. I just want great songs, amazing guests, in a beautiful venue! It's a lovely throw-back feel there, a real cabaret venue.

There's been a great line-up of artists down there in recent months - so you've got to carry that on now!

That's why I've roped in great people to come and support me!

You've been doing a broad range of work in recent months - this must be a very exciting time in your career.

It's quite scary. I was incredibly lucky to do Les Miserables and Dirty Dancing, and I wanted to have the opportunity to do shorter runs, new shows. Doing eight shows a week, working as a company, that was incredible training. I did Molly Wobbly at the beginning of a year - I've never done pure comedy before, so that was a challenge, as was the Irish accent. See What I Wanna See - I've not sung like that in a long time, but Audra McDonald has done it, Idina Menzel did it, so that was a challenge - it stopped me from being lazy.

What's the attraction of working on new pieces?

It's exciting and terrifying to create something, to create a part. It's solely you and the creative team developing this character and this story; that freedom to make a mistake or find something new, it's all fresh. New writing is so important. As wonderful as the classics are, new writing should be the way forward. There are so many up-and-coming writers that don't necessarily get the opportunity to showcase their work - and they're out there.

Is there anything you really want to do in the next 12 months?

I'd love to do some more TV. I really enjoy it, I enjoy that intimacy and that challenge.

And Wicked fans are often wondering whether you might like to return to the show in one of the lead roles...

Oh gosh! I'd love to play Glinda, to be honest. I admire everyone who does take on either of those roles - Rachel Tucker, Louise Dearman, they're all incredible, and I like to go and watch them do it! I really enjoyed my time in the show - so maybe not right now, but it's always lovely to be thought of - perhaps in the future!

Cassie Compton is in cabaret at the Crazy Coqs on 20th and 21st November.

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