BWW Interviews: Aled Jones on WHITE CHRISTMAS!

You've had a varied career so far - how do you feel about your West End debut?

It's really enjoyable, you know, I've sang on the West End stage loads. I sang as a little boy soprano in Andrew Lloyd Webber's Requiem at the Palace Theatre, I've also sang in the Palladium in concert and onstage in Drury Lane as well in concert. But this is my first kind of proper show. I've been involved in it twice before and it is such a feel good show, we've had I would say, 99% standing ovations so far in the 28 or so shows we have done so people are going away having really enjoyed it.

You're returning to a role you've played in the regions - what's it like playing the epic Dominion Theatre?

To me it's the same as performing wherever you are. I was lucky to perform it at the Lowry in Salford which is a beautiful theatre and also in Dublin, Liverpool and Southampton as well. Of course there is an added excitement with press night and the West End and all that business but as far as I'm concerned people have paid to see it wherever we've done it so it is up to us to put on the best show we possibly can.

Can you tell us a bit about the show?

Well, it's based on the film and it's about Phil and Bob and we first see them when they're in the army together. Then we fast forward ten years and we see them become Broadway stars. I'm the singing part of the duo and Tom Chambers is the dancing part of the duo. We bump into our General who is down on his luck and we save the day. it's a feelgood show where good prevails and everybody is happy at the end!

How does it feel that you are always going to be linked with Christmas, with Walking In the Air still one of our favourite songs?

It's no bad thing really. I'd much rather be linked with Christmas than something more negative. It's a time of year when everyone is happy and everyone is nice to each other and is in good spirits so if I'm linked to that then that's no bad thing!

Do you want to do more musical theatre?

I'd love to, I've done quite a bit. It's quite funny because some of the nationals that have reviewed the show have insinuated that I've never done anything like this before. I did two years at Bristol Vic as a student and then went into a year playing Joseph and that was the largest musical in the world at the time on tour. Since then I've been very lucky to dip in and out of musical theatre because of everything else I do I can't really, unless it was an amazing role... I mean I'd never say never, but I don't think I could really give a year of my life to something because of the TV and the radio. What's happened with the likes of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and White Christmas is lovely because I can kind of dip in for twelve weeks and then go back to doing the day jobs.

Are you watching Strictly this year, and if so who are you backing?

I am watching Strictly, I watch it every year - I love all those programmes. One of my best friends on the show is Brendan but I'm very good friends with Pixie Lott and I'd like her to win. I think she's a phenomenal dancer.

Tell us a bit about your album that came out last week.

It's a bit of departure for me because it has quite a folky feel to it. There's lots of original songs and there is also a couple of songs from White Christmas, I do my favourite song from the show "Count Your Blessings". In such a fast paced musical there's this one moment of calm where I get to sing this beautiful ballad. There's a couple of Welsh songs on it and also it all stemmed from a folk song I heard by a Scottish band called Capercaillie, a song called In The Heart Of It All. That's basically what influenced the making of the album so I recorded that song as well.

White Christmas runs at the Dominion Theatre until January 3rd.

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