BWW Interviews: Olivier Nominee Debbie Kurup Of THE BODYGUARD

Hi Debbie - first of all, congratulations on the Olivier nomination for Best Performance in a Supporting Role a Musical!

Thank you - oh, my goodness, I'm so thrilled. I was talking to a friend about it last night - we love what we do anyway, we're so lucky to do as a career what we'd be happy to do as a pastime, so doing my job is reward enough. But we keep plugging away, and this nomination is just so amazing.

And of course you have three other nominations as a show - Heather Headley as Best Actress in a Musical, Tim Hatley for design, and the production as Best New Musical.

We're so utterly thrilled. I think the show deserves to be recognised. I would love to see Heather win too; and sometimes when I'm in the wings I look out on to the stage, see Tim's designs, and I'm still flabbergasted.

How do you approach putting together a show like The Bodyguard, which isn't a jukebox musical per se, but draws on the back catalogue of Whitney Houston, which means it can't be an easy sing?

It's not easy to sing, no! Actually, there's no different approach than there would be with any other show. You still break down the songs in the same way. It's the same process. Of course, the songs and the story are well known, so there is a certain expectation, and we have to hit certain marks. Whitney Houston's legacy is in our hands, and we're very aware of that, but we've adapted things to suit us to create our take on the piece. I'm very proud of it.

You must have seen the film before you auditioned...

Of course, it was the soundtrack of my teen years! I grew up with the film, so I really embraced the role and the show.

So have you picked out a dress for the Oliviers yet?

Not yet. I have a lovely stylist coming next week to do a fitting, so I can't tell you anything more until then!

And it'll be a big occasion too, with the TV and radio coverage...

That's as it should be. The Tonys are televised - we need to make that happen, with full coverage - live coverage. I really think the whole country needs to recognise what we contribute to the economy and to tourism - and to really embrace London theatre.

Debbie Kurup stars in The Bodyguard at the Adelphi Theatre.