Interview: Lisa Maxwell on END OF THE RAINBOW
By: Jenny Ell Feb. 02, 2016
A hit in the West End and on Broadway, End of the Rainbow will embark on a UK tour this month, starring Lisa Maxwell as Judy Garland.
It's 1968 and Judy Garland, a once-glittering star, is in London to make her explosive comeback. But off stage, holed up in her hotel room, Judy is battling with her young new fiancé, her devoted accompanist, and her destructive addictions. Will she be able to conquer her demons and reclaim her crown as one of history's great musical icons? Featuring Garland's most memorable songs The Man That Got Away, Come Rain Or Come Shine, The Trolley Song and of course Somewhere Over The Rainbow, End of the Rainbow is a fiercely funny and emotionally charged musical play filled with Garland's legendary tenacity, razor-sharp wit and once-in-a-generation voice.
BWW:UK caught up with Lisa Maxwell in rehearsals to talk about the production ahead of its opening in two weeks time.
We all know you as a television actress but this is your first musical role in a while, how does it feel returning to the stage?
It feels very exciting but it also feels bloody terrifying. I haven't sung in a musical for sixteen years. Someone said to me earlier, they used the words "surprising casting", and I totally get that because there are probably a lot of people out there that still see me as that woman from The Bill or Loose Women. But I went to stage school, I was in the original London cast of Annie when I was fourteen, and I was in Grease at the Dominion Theatre, so I've sung but not in a long time.
Judy Garland has such an iconic voice; is your natural voice similar in tone or will you need to adapt your vocal style for the role?
I've basically tried to go for a Judy Garland sound. I've been having vocal coaching for a good few months and the exercises I do are designed to make me have a Judy sound; including the Judy yelp and the Judy vibrato which everyone will recognise. So I've opted for that but what I also have to do is put it in a place in my voice where I can sustain it night in, night out. So there's a bit of Judy but there's a bit of me too.
How do you prepare for the task of being Judy Garland?
I've been preparing since last summer. So probably five or six months, actually longer! For a good few months I've had some vocal coaching, working with a guy called Stephen Luke Walker, who's an amazing vocal coach. He's known as the voice whisperer. He has given me some very strange voice exercises that I do every day, which build up my stamina vocally for singing so many Judy Garland songs every night. I've also watched every bit of footage on Judy Garland. I've read the autobiographies and I've listened to the songs over and over again. My poor family; it's on in the car! Whenever I get in the car, she comes blaring out.
Were you able to see the West End production of End of the Rainbow?
No, I've never seen it but I was aware of it obviously. I know it was a success, and has been in 22 countries, not just in the West End. And that was partly the reason I said no to it when I was first offered it. It was not a role I wanted to take on and do badly. So as time went on and my confidence grew it was me that said, I need to work with a vocal coach and see whether it is something I can achieve.
What is your favourite musical number in the production?
The Man That Got Away. It's such a fantastic song.
And are you looking forward to touring the UK?
I'm really looking forward to touring. One of the things I love the most about touring is going to new towns. I like seeing how audiences act differently as you go around the country. And it's quite nice to get out!
End of the Rainbow begins its UK on 12th February in Colchester before touring the UK until July 2016.
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