Jessie Buckley Fan Blog

Whats On Stage Theatregoer Awards 2010

k_r_cook@hotmail.co.uk (Katie) — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 13:26:00 +0000

Every year, Whats On Stage host the Theatregoers' Choice Awards which celebrates the success of British theatre and promotes a selection of the most talented actors and actresses and this year is no different.

The first stage is the short-listing of the shows and individuals and this is where you can come in. If you think Jessie or A Little Night Music deserve to be nominated to go through to the final round of public voting, you can submit your nominations via the voting form.

However, there are some exceptions: A Little Night Music can be nominated for Best Off West-End Production for it's run at the Menier Chocolate Factory but it cannot be nominated for Best West End Musical because it is no longer running.

So if you'd like to see Jessie, A Little Night Music or indeed any other favourite theatre productions or actors be short-listed for an award then getting voting!

Jessie Buckley - Musical Superhero

k_r_cook@hotmail.co.uk (Katie) — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 12:46:00 +0000

It would appear there are no limits to the scale of Jessie's talent as she managed to step into a role last night at very short notice and will be continuing to the end of the shows run, reports Whats On Stage.

Jessie Buckley Shows Perfect Timing???

"I'd Do Anything runner-up Jessie Buckley, last seen in the West End in Trevor Nunn's production of A Little Night Music, has shown herself to be something of a musical superhero this week.

Twenty-year-old Buckley, who came second to Jodie Prenger in the BBC casting show, was called on at the very last minute to understudy an actress in the Whatsonstage.com-supportedPerfect Pitch new musicals showcase, currently running at Trafalgar Studios 2

According to Perfect Pitch producer Andy Barnes: “On Tuesday, Jessie stood in for Fiona Sinnott, who was struck down with suspected pneumonia. She had an hour and a half to look at the script before going on to play the role of Mairin in Dougal Irvine's In Touch.”

“We have no understudies due to the nature of what we do so we put a frantic call in yesterday morning and Jessie cancelled a singing lesson to come over and help us out. She did an amazing job and barely even needed the script she had with her!”

Buckley, whose fellow Nights Music cast member Kaisa Hammarlund who is also currently performing in a Pitch Perfect production 'From Up Here' this week, will be playing the role for the rest of the duration of the run."

Further information about 'In Touch' can be found here

Link to WOS article

Show Synopsis: In Touch

The internet is running our lives. Or at least it soon will be. Never before have humans had access to so much information. It could seriously blow your mind! In this dark comedy from the writer of Departure Lounge, two characters completely dependent on this other world clash with two others looking for escape. Then the internet itself gets involved, and all hell breaks loose! All beg the question; in our quest to be in touch with everybody, are we losing touch with ourselves?

A Little Less Ordinary

k_r_cook@hotmail.co.uk (Katie) — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 18:54:00 +0000

Last night saw Jessie take part in her first public performance since finishing her stint in the West End in the summer. The occasion was a night at the Apollo Theatre and featured a score of newly composed songs by Michael Bruce who is something of a prodigy in the world of musical composition and remarkably talented at the meagre age of 25 years old. Unfortunately I was not in attendance myself and not able to write a personal entry, I am therefore leaving it up to The Stage to give a run-down of last nights events. As and when (if) more reviews/photographs become available, they'll be up here.

http://www.thestage.co.uk/reviews/review.php/26098/michael-bruce-a-little-less-ordinary

"Two years ago, a young composer called Michael Bruce won the Stage-sponsored Notes for The Stage competition, as a result of which his entry, Children, was heard as part of the 2007 Christmas in New York concert at the West End’s Lyric Theatre. I should declare an interest here - I was part of the judging panel that made that choice. And now I’m relieved to be able to report that our faith in this exceptional talent was fully justified - but more importantly, so has the faith that the producers Neil Eckersley and Paul Spicer have invested in him, in every sense, in nurturing him to the next stage.

Given how, outside of Andrew Lloyd Webber, hardly any British composers of new musicals are ever heard in the West End, it’s a stunning act of belief that they now given him a full West End showcase all of his own. And in an evening of nearly 30 songs, he seizes the moment - a little tentatively at first, but with growing confidence - as he leads it from the piano.

Although I’m tempted to echo the Blossom Dearie song and declare, “You wear too much puce, Bruce” in reference to the vivid purple suit he sports, he certainly stands out from the songwriters that are trying to make their mark in this crowded field.

He has a remarkable facility to change between different moods and melodies. That bodes well for someone who will need to harness his talent into creating evenings with plenty of both - but there’s also something immediate, fresh and contemporary about his musical sensibility too, that puts one in mind of a younger version of Jason Robert Brown.

And just like his American counterpart, he creates story songs that must be a treat to perform and duly attract high-calibre performers to do so. In fact, it has the slight problem of making his own vocal contributions harder to take - he’s not in the same league as some of those who are performing here. The ever-invaluable Julie Atherton provides a comic highlight with In a Disney Way, written especially for her, and reprises the hauntingly melodic Children with spellbinding emotion. Another comic bullseye comes from Emily Tierney’s hilarious rendition of Continental.

But if the comic numbers score particularly highly, there’s plenty to enjoy from the rest of a stellar line-up that also includes newcomer Phoebe Fildes (who won her own chance to be here by a YouTube competition), Finty Williams, Helena Blackman, Sarah Lark and Jessie Buckley, among others. The future of British musical theatre was being forged before our eyes and ears. It was a privilege to be there to witness it."

Closing comments on A Little Night Music

k_r_cook@hotmail.co.uk (Katie) — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 11:55:00 +0000

We have all seen the glittering praise from the press about A Little Night Music. However, it isn't the journalists and press who make up the audiences each night. Obviously as we know, Saturday night saw the final curtain call for the first-rate cast of the West End's most sophisticated, intelligent and wickedly funny shows. So, I thought it might be nice to post some of the comments from the punters who were lucky enough to revel A Little Night Music one last time. Forget the pomp, verboseness and cerebrality of the press critiques who like to talk in theatre jargon, here is what the paying public thought.

"I went for my final visit to the show last night and yet again I was blown away by how good the show was, the cast were all giving their best and the chemistry between some of the actors was brilliant. It was nice to see the theatre verging on full for once and the cast seemed to really pick up on this and if possible improve on their performances!"

"It was nice to see the show once more before it closes, it is just such as shame that it is closing already.
Afterwards I did go to stage door, not that I was imposing on the cast, but they were genuinely more than happy to chat and sign the programme. Kaisa and Kelly both stopped and chatted for about 5 minutes each and they were genuinely dissapointed that the show was closing."

"Very sorry to see this one die. It does kind of make one wonder what difference, if any, the much-vaunted (on here) tourist season does actually make to ticket sales - if a show with such a pedigree can't even draw in the passing trade."

"Well, what a final night it was! Such touching last performances - it was obviously hard for the cast to play it for their final time and say goodbye to such gorgeous music and fantastic characters. And all the way through the run it's felt like there's a real warmth between the entire cast - last night more than ever.
There was a great energy but definitely a last night feel. I think a lot of the audience had seen it before so there wasn't always the huge laughs that certain lines get when people see it the first time. Kaisa seemed to be the only person who managed to be bubbly and full of smiles to the end - but then she does have a more cheerful part than the others! Hannah seemed completely tortured to be singing Send in the Clowns for the last time, she almost had to snarl the lines towards the end. Alex was on top form as usual but I did see tears in his eyes a few times. Hannah and Alex really took their time building up to You Must Meet My Wife - that song remains my favourite bit in the show - his amazing singing and her hilarious reactions! Gabriel was very solid, like Kaisa, great performance. Every Day a Little Death was very emotional - both Jessie and Kelly shed a lot more tears than usual. The beautiful chorus were stunning as ever, I've really enjoyed them every time.
At the very end, the 2 other Frederikas (Holly was on last night) came on in costume to take a bow and the swings came on too. The whole cast looked very sad but then - a stroke of genius - people started throwing flowers on to the stage and it really lifted everyone and the cast all started picking up a few each and laughing and the audience loved it, it really brightened up a sad moment. There were a few curatin calls, more flower gathering and then Maureen said a few lines. She just explained who the 2 other girls were - she seemed to forget the swings! - and then just said it was such a shame "such an intelligent and lucid show" was closing."

"The show was brilliant as always, and I ended up sobbing like a baby. Shed a tear during Every Day A Little Death, but from Send in the Clowns onwards I was blubbing! Very sad to see it close, I've loved the show so SO much. One of the strongest casts I've ever had the pleasure of witnessing, and I wish them all the very best for the future. They are all brilliant and deserve to go on to other great things!"

(All comments from the ALNM thread on the What's On Stage forums.)

A Message From Jessie!

k_r_cook@hotmail.co.uk (Katie) — Sat, 25 Jul 2009 17:25:00 +0000

A Little Night Music plays to West End audiences for the last time tonight at the Garrick Theatre and as it marks the end of Jessie's first professional role since I'd Do Anything it will definitely be a momentous occassion. The support for Jessie during IDA and thereafter has been remarkable and she has a little message for you all!

"I'd like to say a huge thank you for everyone's support throughout A Little Night Music and I'd Do Anything. From the bottom of my heart I cannot thank each and every one of you enough."

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I'm sure I speak for us all when I say we look forward to seeing what Jessie gets up to next and, as ever, the blog will continue to report all the news and information.

What would you like to see Jessie do next? Have you got any ideas for what roles you think she should do in the future? Let us know in the comments section!

My Favourite Review To Date

k_r_cook@hotmail.co.uk (Katie) — Sat, 18 Jul 2009 15:11:00 +0000

What with it being only a week until 'A Little Night Music' takes to the stage for the last night of it's short but sweet West End run I thought it would be nice to post a final review. Having read (too?) many reviews over the past months this one by Huntley Dent is undoubtedly my favourite as it captures brilliantly everything that is remarkable, poignant and special about this musical. Not only is it lovely to read it is also from The Berkshire Review, the local arts, review and culture paper for me!

"Whipped cream and knives." Only today did I run across this twisty phrase, juxtaposing the saccharine and the sadistic, which Stephen Sondheim used to describe the tone of A Little Night Music, his hit musical from 1973. The image makes me cringe. It's too close to razor blades hidden inside Halloween apples, but then, so does the musical itself. As any lover of Sondheim's immense gifts knows, the source of this work was Ingmar Bergman's gossamer comedy from 1955, Smiles of a Summer Night. One of the main virtues of the current West End revival directed by Trevor Nunn is that it reflects Bergman's achievement, aptly described by Pauline Kael as turning boudoir farce into lyric poetry. Every actor onstage could easily carry the drama if the music were omitted. That's such a rare accomplishment that I came away dazzled. Still, there are no knives in Bergman's screenplay, and it's worth asking where they came from in the musical. The easy answer is from Sondheim himself, but that's the same as pointing to a mystery none of us will ever penetrate: true artists are as secretive as they are expressive.. A tinge of psychopathology embitters the perfumed atmosphere of this, Sondheim's most complex work.

Sondheim wields such a fine scalpel that turning the blade on him is like carrying coals to Newcastle. So let's glow a little. The London critics were mostly ecstatic over Nunn's revival, which is as intimate and delicate as the last revival, mounted at the National Theater in 1995, was oversized and vacant (I remember nearly walking out, and yet Judi Dench, as the central female character, Desiree Armfeldt, won the Olivier Award that season for her portrayal). A large pit orchestra has been reduced to eight musicians playing offstage. It's been the trend, both here and in New York, to perform Sondheim with smaller forces, all the more to point up his intricate wordplay. Having said that all the principals are superb actors, I should add that they sing in tune and hardly drop a stitch executing the score's complexities, which veer into polyphony and chromaticism quite often. Opera companies, including New York City Opera and Los Angeles Opera, have been impressed enough to mount their own productions (Nunn's is apparently set to open on Broadway this fall). The chorus of five singers who wander the stage and comment musically on the action are adept enough to be young opera singers, and only a wretchedly crude amplification system mars the experience -- the use of loud reverb in a few numbers is especially noisome.

I wish I could look around the room and say, "We all know the plot already, right?" But that would be presumptuous. The interwoven story-line is a tangled lover's knot -- recapping it proves nearly impossible. Bergman's film centers on four couples from every layer of Swedish bourgeois life, who join for a weekend in the country. Over the course of a midsummer night they wind up playing musical beds, amorous tricks, connived schemes to net new partners, and other gambits of the standard Feydeau farce. We are principally drawn to two characters, however, the worldly ageing actress Desiree and her former lover, Fredrik Egermann, a lawyer who has been led by mid-life crisis into an unsuitable marriage with a peach-cheeked young girl. The fact that he has yet to take her virginity after eleven months springs the action of the plot and sets the tone of erotic confusion throughout. Emotions are both stirred and shaken, until eventually the various schemers wind up with the right partners. And yet a sense of failure pervades the happy ending. In essence the four women have won, for the men are infantile and self-deluded. Bergman leaves us wondering if the game of love is worth winning, however, when it involves humiliating each man and exposing his foolish vanities. The boudoir and the spider's web are not that far apart. Cupid's dart could be tipped with curare.

Sondheim wrapped this poignant comedy of manners in his most sophisticated and delicious score. It's often pointed out that almost every number is in 3/4 time, like Der Rosenkavalier, but before you think of Strauss, realize that the main source is actually Ravel's La Valse, which turned the heady ebullience of a Viennese waltz into something dark, slinky, treacherous, and off kilter. Hugh Wheeler, who wrote the book for A Little Night Music, was Sondheim's most literary and theatrically canny collaborator -- he also wrote the book for Sweeney Todd. He knew enough to take Bergman's tragicomedy and soften the tragedy into bitter-sweetness. Fredrik and Desiree wind up happily together without damage to either one beyond the rueful self-deprecation of the show's most famous song, "Send in the Clowns." Before making his film, Bergman had directed a stage production of The Merry Widow, which inspired him to give his movie its warmly romantic period setting. Wheeler has pushed it even further into the wistfully nostalgic operetta world. Desiree and Fredrik are variants on Léhar's Hannah and Danilo. As portrayed by the delightfully Junoesque Hannah Waddingham and the suavely self-possessed Alexander Hanson, the lead couple evoke indulgent smiles from the outset. We never worry for an instant that they won't find each other in the end. So much for the whipped cream.

Sondheim's lyrics, the source of the knives, evokes grimaces more often than indulgent smiles. Many of his musicals leave you feeling at once delighted -- how can his wit, musical invention, and verbal ingenuity not create delight? -- and unsettled, because as adroitly as he disguises his dark materials, Sondheim is essentially a misanthrope. Broadway musicals don't simply have happy endings. They are machines for fabricating sentimental outcomes from any situation. Sondheim dismantled the machine early on, in Company (1970), whose ambivalence about love and marriage disturbed the bridge-and-tunnel crowd, so much so that his name almost became box office poison. After the extravagant flop of Follies (1971), which took the Broadway musical as its subject, stripping the glamour down to a shivering carcass, Sondheim must have grocked that ditties and dancing couldn't hide the sting, bitterness, and cynicism that imbue him so thoroughly. Link: A Little Night Music at the Garrick Theatre, The Berkshire Review.

Which makes his next show, A Little Night Music, all the more miraculous. Somehow it emerged as a bubble that could burst at any moment, releasing some quite unpleasant odors, the whiff of sexual betrayal, masochistic fidelity, jealous male rage, and vicious hypocrisy. All are present in Sondheim's lyrics, and yet the bubble floats above us, shimmering and glimmering, without any of his knives destroying it. I came away marvelling that Nunn and his company so exquisitely knew what they were about. There was no lingering queasiness, and yet nothing had been dumbed down or evaded. This production is the epitome of art concealing art. Or in this case, concealing the grinning death's head behind smiling silk masks."

Link: A Little Night Music at the Garrick Theatre, The Berkshire Review.

Happy 1st Birthday!

k_r_cook@hotmail.co.uk (Katie) — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 10:06:00 +0000

This time last year I filed the very first blog entry on this, the Jessie Buckley Fan Blog and who would have thought a whole year later it would still be going? I certainly didn't.

Of course I had ambitions for the blog, half inspired by the standards and the success achieved by David and co with their fantastic blog for Rachel Tucker and undoubtedly a little bit of selfish desire to make something respected and enjoyed. However, never in my wildest dreams did I even dare to imagine let alone even predict the veritable successes and things that what would come my way due to something that started out as a bit of an experiment and eventually became something I had to be responsible for, dedicated to and passionate about.

Measuring success is quite a personal and subjective thing and in a purely numerical and statistical way, the blog has been more successful than I ever thought possible. With over 60 thousand visits, enough to fill a football stadium at a cup final as I have been kindly reminded about, from all over the world these figures never cease to amaze me. But it has never been about getting hits from America, India, Hong Kong or where ever else in the world. For me the success I am most proud about is having achieved to set up and run a site or blog that remains respectful, of a high quality and most of all effective in what it aimed to do; that was to act as a fan site for someone of incredible talent.

Naturally, none of the success of the blog could have been if it were not for the success and talent of its subject. Hopefully Jessie's success will continue to grow and her talent continue to be recognised.

Who knows if this blog will see its 2nd birthday but in the meantime I hope all of you who have taken enjoyment in reading it and following it can look back and appreciate what a good year it has been for the blog and for Jessie herself. Happy Birthday!

A Little Night Music Closure

k_r_cook@hotmail.co.uk (Katie) — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 09:29:00 +0000

Contrary to a recent press release that A Little Night Music at the Garrick was to extend its West End run until 5th September, it has now come to light for reasons currently unbeknown to us that the production is reverting back to its original closure date of 25th July.

As all the major and reputable online theatre news sites are saying, A Little Night Music will be closing on 25th July. It appears that the reasons behind this decision aren't being made completely clear or are perhaps being held back in anticipation of a casting announcement for the Broadway production which begins rehearsals this coming October. In the meantime we can only speculate if it means many of the cast are going to Broadway or if indeed it means that the recession is managing to sink its teeth into the highly acclaimed Sondheim show as well and so cannot carry on until September, like it has done with many other West End productions causing them to close early and unexpectedly.

A Little Night Music transferred to the West End in March after its critically acclaimed and sold out run at the Menier Chocolate Factory and has continued to rake in rave reviews in the national and local press.

Obviously, if you still haven't caught the show at the Garrick or want to see it again time is of the essence! Links to reputable ticket sites such as westendtheatre.com offering deals with hotel stays or dinners and cut price tickets are on the right hand side.

With the show closing in just 23 days, this means news of what Jessie will be getting up to next will soon be out. As ever, make sure to check back here regularly for all the updates.

k_r_cook@hotmail.co.uk (Katie) — Sat, 20 Jun 2009 18:03:00 +0000

Hi everyone!

Just a quick one to say I am off on holiday today to relax to the max after a hectic year at uni and therefore won't be around to look after the blog. However, it will be in the very capable hands of David who will post if there is any news.

Other than that I hope everybody is well and see you in July!

P.S It happens to be the blogs' first birthday on July 16th - ooer! Where's the time gone?!

RTÉ 'In Concert' Broadcast

k_r_cook@hotmail.co.uk (Katie) — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 16:42:00 +0000

Okay, so after two Monday evening's worth of general hassle, mistaken info, confusion and subsequent disappointment tonight promises to be the night! If you don't know what I'm on about, tonight should hopefully deliver the broadcast of the Andrew Lloyd Webber concert in Dublin last September and feature the part of the concert that Jessie appeared in - how time flies.

According to the schedule, it is due to be broadcast on RTÉ Radio 1 at 9pm and should last 50mins. If you don't live in Ireland and thus cannot listen directly on the radio, you can still stream the broadcast live over the internet from this link: http://www.rte.ie/radio

If you can't make 9 o'clock or you forget I will try to get a recording down or at least provide a link to a podcast or replay!

Happy listening!

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For those of you who didn't catch the broadcast or want to listen again you can download it from here: RTÉ Dublin Concert Broadcast 15/06/09

Dublin Concert Broadcast

k_r_cook@hotmail.co.uk (Katie) — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 09:52:00 +0000

Next Monday at 9pm RTE's Lyric FM will be broadcasting the second half of the birthday concert for Andrew Lloyd Webber performed last September in Dublin. Moreover, it will be the half that Jessie performed in so tune in if you can! You can find the Lyric FM player at www.rte.ie

Also I have recently joined Twitter, so if you are on there and would like to follow me please feel free - www.twitter.com/katierosecook

A Little Night Music Extends West End Run

k_r_cook@hotmail.co.uk (Katie) — Fri, 22 May 2009 11:59:00 +0000

Brilliant news has broken today that ALNM has extended it's run at the Garrick by six weeks, taking the closing date to the 5th September!

What's On Stage Article

Hello!

k_r_cook@hotmail.co.uk (Katie) — Tue, 19 May 2009 16:38:00 +0000

Hi all,

Feel as if I should write a bit more of a personal entry here to apologise for the lack of recent blogging! I haven't neglected it, more a case of circumstances and a lack of much news haven't allowed for it. It's that time of year again where those of us (un)fortunate enough to be taking exams, whether they be school exams or university exams, have to bury our heads in the books and hibernate away from all civilisation if we want to achieve anything near what can be classed as good grades!

Anyhow, they will all be over soon and there is light at the end of the tunnel - allow the Hyde Park pun; we can all soon revel in the delights of the British summer. To get you through those exams it's always nice to have something to look forward to isn't it, so why not take advantage of some of the great deals many theatre ticket sellers have on?!

Especially alluring is Discount Theatre's offer on £45 A Little Night Music seats reduced to £19.50 - click on the link to get directly to the deal @ www.discounttheatre.com. Other sites which you get to via the photo links on the right-hand side are also doing some great deals. Furthermore, for any of you who fancy a two night stay in the Big Smoke coupled with a night at the Garrick, Discount London has the deal for you. Alternatively head over to www.nimaxtheatres.com where I have been assured you can somehow find better seats than on other websites.

Also if you are in London don't forget the half price booths in and around Leicester Sq - just avoid the TKTS booth as their prices don't really reassure you that they realise we are currently amidst a credit crunch.

Remember, ALNM is currently scheduled to end on the 25th July so if you want to catch it do get some tickets booked - "if you snooze, you lose" (or some other relevant quote from Rachel Tucker.)

So, good luck to those of you who do have exams and apologies to all the readers who read this for whom the word 'exam' existed only in a bygone era. Finally I suppose we should be hearing some news about that Broadway transfer malarky soon* so when we do never fear, it shall be posted here.

(Photo's for revision-motivation purposes only.)

* If the Sondheim lyrics and context of 'Soon' are anything to go by the term soon is somewhat ambiguous and misleading, so we may be waiting a while.

Buckley For Broadway?

k_r_cook@hotmail.co.uk (Katie) — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 17:57:00 +0000

Forget the prestige, glitz and glamour of London's West End, just 18 months after losing out on I'd Do Anything, it looks like Jessie could making her way to the bright lights of New York's Broadway and it would seem that losing out on the role of Nancy could be the best thing that has ever happened to her.

It has been confirmed today, a month in to its West End run, that A Little Night Music will be playing on the Broadway stage by the end of this year, directed by Trevor Nunn and retaining the production team that have caused the Sondheim show to have been a sell out at the Menier Chocolate Factory and successful at the West End's Garrick. However, before you start booking your flights to JFK International Airport it has not been confirmed that Jessie will be moving with the production. Casting will be opened out to anyone who wants to try their luck.

Nevertheless, this is something we will keenly be keeping an eye on over the coming months and as ever, I will keep you updated on any news.

Do you think this would be a good thing for Jessie? Has not winning I'd Do Anything been a blessing in disguise? If you have any comments or opinions on this do let us all know by posting in the comment section.

Praise From A Fellow West End Actor

k_r_cook@hotmail.co.uk (Katie) — Sat, 25 Apr 2009 09:21:00 +0000

Paul Spicer, a West End actor, has given an interview with website Broadway World and speaking about how he has recently seen A Little Night Music, he had some good words to say about Jessie. Here is the small snippet;

"...casting someone like Jessie Buckley - she's absolutely perfect for her role - and good for them. I was surprised, I thought that as she'd come from a TV show, and they might not go with that, but they've got their finger on it. She looked like she'd been doing it for years."

It's great to see that Paul Spicer has no qualms with the TV casting phenomenon especially as many traditionalists and critics aren't exactly fans of this casting method. Afterall, if you can find truly talented actors and actresses from TV shows then surely it must be a good thing for theatre. I think Paul Spicer may have just become our favourite new person.

So Jest End

k_r_cook@hotmail.co.uk (Katie) — Fri, 24 Apr 2009 17:06:00 +0000

You may have heard of 'So Jest End', the hit musical comedy show lasting just 3 nights which parody's some of the hit West End musicals in aid of charity and this year featured none other than Rachel Tucker of We Will Rock You and I'd Do Anything.

Last night saw 'So Jest End's' star-studded Gala performance attended by one particular guest, our very own Jessie Buckley. Here she is enjoying herself at the New Players Theatre, Charing Cross.

The Big Interview: Jessie Buckley

k_r_cook@hotmail.co.uk (Katie) — Fri, 24 Apr 2009 16:58:00 +0000

This interview is courtesy of the Offical London Theatre Guide and is a really good read, so enjoy!

First published: 15 Apr 2009

It may have taken slightly longer than she had hoped, but I’d Do Anything’s Jessie Buckley has just made her West End debut. Matthew Amer found out exactly how excited she was.

When Jessie Buckley was thrust into the public eye, it was as an 18-year-old with no professional theatre work to her name, no post-school training and seemingly no fear. Week after week the young Irish performer auditioned for an audience including Andrew Lloyd Webber, John Barrowman and Denise van Outen, not to mention millions of television viewers, in the BBC’s search for a Nancy, I’d Do Anything.

Though her bubbly charm did not win enough of the voting public’s hearts, as she finished runner up to Jodie Prenger, it was not long before she made her professional debut in A Little Night Music, which recently transferred from the Menier Chocolate Factory to the West End’s Garrick theatre.

She plays young wife Anne in Sondheim’s charming, witty musical about confused love affairs and midsummer madness, which received much acclaim during its winter run at the Menier.

That she came to fame in a show entitled I’d Do Anything seems strangely appropriate, as Buckley has determination coursing through her. Not in a ‘trample all those who stand in my way’ fashion but in a way that sees her give everything of herself to chase a goal if she wants it enough.

She also has enthusiasm in bucket-loads. In fact, you would probably need larger receptacles entirely to hold Buckley’s enthusiasm – swimming pools maybe, or Loch Ness.

When we meet, she has just returned to the Menier Chocolate Factory after two weeks off, but there is not the merest hint of back-to-work blues about her. As we sit and chat about her experiences of the last 18 months, I get the feeling that if she didn’t speak, the excitement might just build up inside her until she exploded.

“I can’t imagine being any luckier than this being my first job,” she begins. “I don’t have training and I know I have things to learn and I’m excited about learning those things and I’m willing to go and make mistakes and learn. Literally, I’ve stood in the wings and I’ve watched [the rest of the cast]. They’re inspirational to me. I really look up to them with the highest respect because they’re so professional yet they’re so willing to help you.”

As first jobs go, she really couldn’t have done much better. The cast around her includes West End regulars Hannah Waddingham, Alexander Hanson and Kelly Price, and theatrical royalty in the shape of Maureen Lipman. The director hasn’t got a bad pedigree either, as Buckley points out: “I really wanted to learn and I wanted to learn from the best, and who better to learn from than Sir Trevor Nunn?” Who indeed?

“It’s very different from stepping on the stage in front of 7, 8 million viewers,” Buckley says of performing in the intimate Menier Chocolate Factory, which holds only 150 audience members. For a young actress in her first job, there really was no place to hide, the miniature nature of the venue allowing every eye to scrutinise her. The Garrick is a touch larger, holding nearly 800. It might give her more breathing space, but being her West End debut, the transfer has set her nerves a-jangling. “I won’t lie,” she smiles, “I’m absolutely terrified. I’m just going to try and relax and enjoy it and do my best. Sometimes I’m going to hit home runs and sometimes I’m not, but I’m going to strive to get those home runs every night. We’re doing it for a paying public and they deserve to see your best performance every night.”

"I wanted to learn from the best, and who better to learn from than Sir Trevor Nunn?"

It is hard not to enjoy Buckley’s company. She has the same warming effect as a log fire in the depth of winter; the world outside could be grinding to a frozen halt but her happiness would still be comfortingly infectious. There is a touch of the young puppy about her; boundless energy and a willingness, eagerness even, to be moulded and shaped to fulfil her potential.

But behind the more obvious attributes lies a confidence in herself and her ability, and a conviction to stick to her beliefs. After finishing second to Prenger in I’d Do Anything, she was actually offered a position in Oliver!, understudying her victor. It was a solid job offer and would have seen her make her professional debut in a safe ensemble position. She said no. “I think there comes a point,” she explains, “when you have to say ‘You know what, I didn’t win this, I didn’t win this for a reason and I need to go and do my own thing. I just want to go out and get a job because I’ve auditioned for it and I’m right for the part.’

“That’s what’s so good about doing something like Night Music,” she continues. “There was no connection with Cameron [Mackintosh] or Andrew [Lloyd Webber] or anybody on the panel. I went to this audition on my own terms and they could have equally said ‘No, you’re just not good enough for this.’ But I went through the rounds and I got it.”

She nearly didn’t. When she met Nunn, she “gave one of my worst auditions because I was just shaking from head to toe”. Tenacious and determined, she asked for a second chance and was lucky enough to get one. Maybe the TV exposure helped, maybe Nunn had seen her potential, maybe she was just brave enough to take the bull by the horns.

“I’m always looking for a challenge,” she explains. “I don’t like the easy option. I want to be able to take risks in my career and I want to make good choices and equally bad choices, because you don’t learn if everything is easy. I wanted to do something that I knew at the end of it I would have really grown as a performer and as a person, and this was the perfect opportunity.”

This was not the first time she has so philosophically approached the theatre industry. Her appearance on I’d Do Anything arose through twisted misfortune. Originally in England to audition for drama school, she heard she had failed to secure a place but still wanted to get more audition experience. The I’d Do Anything auditions turned up at exactly the right time and led to her becoming a Saturday night TV regular. “I was living my dream,” she beams with delight. “I was getting to sing in front of Andrew Lloyd Webber and Cameron Mackintosh. To be honest, I didn’t even dream I would ever meet people like that.”

"I think there comes a point when you have to say ‘You know what, I didn’t win this for a reason and I need to go and do my own thing.'"

Meet them she did, and, some might argue, won their hearts more than the show’s eventual winner. Yet there is not a hint of bitterness about her loss. She talks of Prenger with genuine affection; why would she begrudge her anything when she too is now on a West End stage?

Buckley is also very down to earth about reservations put forward regarding reality TV casting and the effect that it has on performers who have trained and worked hard but never got their big break. “I understand why people might feel stand-offish about it,” she says, “because people have worked for ages and toured and never got their chance to be in the West End, but either way, this business is all about being in the right place at the right time and I was accidentally there at the right place and the right time, not expecting anything from it, but, you know, I was just really lucky and I worked hard during it.”

Luck may have played its part in thrusting Buckley into the limelight, but there was undoubtedly a great deal of quiet hard work put in behind the scenes. She is not the type of person to sit around when some effort could be expended. At school she played the piano, clarinet and harp to Grade 8 level and was also a talented swimmer, rising at 06:00 to train before school. Music may run in her family and she may have a natural talent, but if ever there was anyone who was going to put the work in to maximise her potential, it is Buckley. “I’m not a person who just likes sitting around,” she says, mastering understatement. “I need to be doing things and I need to be learning. I need to be growing as a person all the time and I’m not happy unless I do.”

This is why it will be so exciting to see her career progress. She has already proven that she doesn’t take the easy choices and isn’t afraid to take a chance. She has also had her eyes opened to the many different opportunities which lie ahead through a summer course at RADA, where she “just fell in love with Shakespeare and I fell in love with scripts and I love reading scripts and going to plays. It really just opened my eyes and I want to do everything. I want to do Chekhov and I want to do musicals and period dramas and films.” It could sound precocious or pushy or greedy, but in actual fact it is just the voice of an emerging talent who has an insatiable thirst for performance. She goes on to say of her next job: “I want to be choosy and I want another challenge, I want something that will be tough. I want to work with another great director and great cast. I want a long career and I don’t want a flimsy thing. I want to do this for the rest of my life and I’m going to work hard at it.”

It has already been a long journey for the girl whose description of a family playing harps, singing round the piano and living at the bottom of a mountain could only be more stereotypically Irish if she added that they were wearing green and had cousins who were leprechauns. She puts her success down to parents who gave her every opportunity they could. Undoubtedly this helped, but without her tenacity and self-belief she would not be making her West End debut in yet another musical to successfully transfer from the Menier Chocolate Factory. With the producing theatre’s history, no-one would blame any of the company for keeping one eye firmly on the 2009/10 theatre awards season.

That, I imagine, is far from Buckley’s mind. It would be one hell of a story to come from nowhere to starring in a Laurence Olivier Award-winning production in just two years. For now she is merely focusing on getting to grips with life as a professional actress. “Now I’m worrying about taxes,” she smiles, “whereas before I was worrying about who would change my sister’s nappy. It’s been scary at times, but I think, in a way, being thrown in at the deep end has been the best thing in the world for me, because you just swim, don’t you, you don’t let yourself drown.” If Buckley’s thirst, drive, enthusiasm and commitment has anything to do with it, before long she won’t simply be swimming, she will be breaking records.

Cast Interview [Video]

k_r_cook@hotmail.co.uk (Katie) — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 15:21:00 +0000

Watch this video interview with Trevor Nunn and most of the cast of A Little Night Music to hear their thoughts on the production at the press night after party. As if you didn't already need any more excuses to go and see it, even the cast do a pretty good job of persuading you as well!

Broadway World West End: 'A Little Night Music' Meets the Press!

Irish Newspaper Article: "What Jessie Buckley Did Next."

k_r_cook@hotmail.co.uk (Katie) — Sat, 11 Apr 2009 15:51:00 +0000

[Taken from the Country Life section of the Farmers Journal.]

One year after wowing Andrew Lloyd Webber on hit BBC 1 show I'd Do Anything, Kerry girl Jessie Buckley is London's leading lady. Maria Moynihan talks to Jessie about her West End stage debut.

Jessie Buckley might be a West End starlet, but on a recent trip home to Kerry, she was quite happy to stay out of the spotlight.

"I went to see my two sisters in Oliver Twist in the Killarney Musical Society, so I was in the front row cheering them on for a change," she laughs.

It's hard to believe that, just 12 months ago Jessie, was gracing the very same stage as the leading lady in the local production of Carousel. But after making the BBC talent show I'd Do Anything - and winning over Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber - the sparkling 19 year old from Killarney has just made her West End debut.
"I'm still pinching myself," she admits. "Little did I know this time last year that I'd be doing what I'm doing. It's a dream."

Musical Background

Music is in Jessie's blood. The eldest daughter of Tim Buckley and Marina Cassidy - a professional harpist and singer - she started playing piano when she was just four years old. She blossomed into a natural performer, whether on stage with Killarney Musical Society or in school productions at the Ursuline Convent in Thurles, where she credits her teacher Mary Butler as an inspirational mentor.
"I was lucky enough to realise I had a passion that needed to be fed from really early on," she explains. "It didn't matter what knockbacks I got, I was just going to do it."
Indeed, she was "gutted" last year to make the final round of auditions for the prestigious Guildford School of Acting in London, only to miss out on getting a place.
But true to form, she picked herself up and joined the queue of hopefuls auditioning for I'd Do Anything, a BBC talent show searching for an actress to play Nancy in a new West End production of Oliver! The rest is musical history.

I'd Do Anything

Jessie soon found herself singing live every night before an estimated audience of 8 million viewers and a judging panel chaired by Andrew Lloyd Webber, who compared her to a young Judy Garland.
With voting only open to UK residents, she made it to the final two on talent alone, and was named by Lloyd Webber, director Cameron Macintosh and actor Barry Humphries as their Nancy.
And while the public vote eventually swung in favour of Blackpool's Jodie Prenger, Jessie has no regrets.
"I've gone to see Jodie; she's just fantastic, and I know I didn't win that part for a reason," says Jessie. "When you get that far, you're going to be devastated, and you're going to say 'Oh, God, I'm crap' and you're going to cry your eyes out. But, in a way, I think it's been the best thing in the world for me not winning. In the long run, I couldn't have asked for a better result."

West End Star

Jessie certainly didn't crumble when the cameras stopped working. She signed to United Artists, did a RADA Shakespeare course, performed at Andrew Lloyd Webber's birthday concert in Hyde Park and, in one of her first auditions, landed a leading role in the London revival of Stephen Sondheim's A Little Night Music.
Directed by Trevor Nunn (Cats, Les Miserables) and co-starring the acclaimed Maureen Lipman, Night Music is a complex and sophisticated affair that has won over reviewers and audiences alike. Jessie plays against type as Anne Egerman, a naive and spoilt bride, who discovers her much older husband is having an affair with an old flame. She is revelling in the role.
"To be honest, it is just a present to be given a score and a script like this, because it's just golden," she enthuses. "I'm lucky to be on my first job around really talented actors. I've just stood back and learnt so much from them. They've never been patronising, and they've always been willing to help me."
After an initial run in the Menier Chocolate Factory, A Little Night Music recently transferred to the Garrick Theatre on London's West End until 25 July, with the possibility of an extension until September.
Jessie, understandbly, can't quite believe her luck. "Everyone go out and buy these tickets, because we'd love to be in the job for another month or two," she laughs.

London Life

Jessie lives in South London with fellow I'd Do Anything finalist Niamh Perry, from Co. Down. Off-stage she keeps busy with classes and loves to wander around Notting Hill, visit the National Gallery or grab a coffee and read a script at the National Theatre along the Southbank. Despite her fame, she tries to live "as normal life as possible."
"I'm still a normal 19 year-old girl in London, and I have to worry about water bills and taxes and all that craic," she says. "I always like to learn more and keep growing as a person. London has so much to offer, and you're silly if you don't take advantage of it. Your life is short and you have to seize the moment."
Asked to name her dream role, Jessie is unable to pinpoint just one part. She wants to do Shakespeare and Chekhov, musicals, TV, even film. She would also like to lend her talent and time to an Irish charity. "Ireland has been very good to me, and I'd like to go back and do something for people at home," she says.
But whatever the future holds, one thing is for certain: in Jessie Buckley, a star has been born. "I thank my parents every day for supporting me and encouraging me, because without them I wouldn't be here," she says. "I'm very lucky."

London Theatre Article

k_r_cook@hotmail.co.uk (Katie) — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 10:40:00 +0000

The official London Theatre Guide published yesterday an article about the official West End opening of A Little Night Music and spoke to Jessie on her thoughts and feelings about making her West End debut. Here is what she had to say;

"Buckley, making her West End debut in A Little Night Music after coming to prominence as the runner-up on BBC reality show I’d Do Anything, struggled to find words to describe her first West End opening night. “I don’t really know what happened, it was just one of those overwhelming experiences, something I will never forget,” she said. “I feel very honoured to be sharing the stage with the actors that are up there. I bow down to them, I’ve learnt so much from them and they are the most extraordinary people and also to be given the chance to work with a world renowned director like Trevor Nunn. I can’t tell you how privileged I feel.”

The Irish actress said she asked to audition for the part of naïve young wife Anne after hearing that casting was underway. “I was immediately drawn to this. I read the script and I loved the play and I said I have to do this. So went to the audition, I did an awful first audition because I was so nervous, but then luckily they gave me a second chance and here I am today!”

Though I’d Do Anything winner Jodie Prenger beat her to the role of Nancy in Oliver!, Buckley commented: “I think in the long run it’s the best thing for me. Nancy’s a great part but equally I’m having just as much fun with Anne.”

To read the rest of the article follow the link - Lipman and Waddingham make Night Music at the Garrick.

Official London Theatre Guide have also done a 'First Night Feature' so click here if you want to see what they have to say.

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If you are still to book tickets you can call the Garrick's Box Office on 0844 579 19 74 or alternatively make the most Discount London's ticket and hotel package which can be found on the right.

First Night Photo's - What's On Stage

k_r_cook@hotmail.co.uk (Katie) — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 14:53:00 +0000

To read the small WOS article and flick through a slideshow of all of Dan Wooller's photograph's from last night, click here - 1st Night Photos

Press Night Review From The Guardian

k_r_cook@hotmail.co.uk (Katie) — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 09:09:00 +0000

A Little Night Music

Garrick, London

"One of the pleasures of A Weekend In The Country, the second most famous song in this Stephen Sondheim musical, is that of watching "little things grow". And, like a previous transfer from the Menier Chocolate Factory, La Cage Aux Folles, Trevor Nunn's delicious production of this mordant classic has effortlessly expanded to fill its new space.

Nunn treats Hugh Wheeler's book, drawn from an Ingmar Berman movie, as seriously as he does Sondheim's music and lyrics. In other words, the show is propelled by character as much as by song. Much of the plot revolves around the gradual coming together of the touring thesp, Desiree Armfeldt, and her quondam lover, Frederik, now hitched to an 18-year-old bride. The wonderously Junoesque Hannah Waddingham and the elegantly benign Alex Hanson from their first encounter suggest the laughing complicity of genuine partners. You believe totally in their relationship; and even the show's big number, Send In The Clowns, memorably delivered by Waddingham, here seems less a cry of despair than a brief detour in their inevitable reunion.

To emphasise the drama is not to downplay the wit of Sondheim's lyrics or the ravishing beauty of his score with its echoes of Ravel and Rosenkavalier. It is also a musical that combines midsummer magic and melancholy with a sense of impending death. You see this most clearly in Maureen Lipman's exquisite portrayal of Madame Armfeldt, who starts out as the epitome of patrician hauteur, with her cut-glass vowels and worldy wisdom, and ends as an old woman stoically accepting mortality. Under the show's celebration of sensuous delights, there is, all in good comedy, a silvery sadness perfectly epitomised by Kelly Price's rather overlooked performance as the masochistic wife of a faithless count. Sondheim once characterised the show as "whipped cream and knives"; and both are here ideally balanced, as is the sound through the simple device of having the band placed behind the singers. The result is an evening of refined enchantment."
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Photograph's from the Press Night After Party

More photographs can be found at Getty Images and from Wooller.

Feature On BBC London

k_r_cook@hotmail.co.uk (Katie) — Mon, 06 Apr 2009 21:16:00 +0000

Today on BBC London, a small feature about A Little Night Music and the success of the Menier Chocolate Factory on the eve of it's official West End press night was on the news programme.

Click on the link here and fast forward the media player to 21m 34secs to watch the feature which includes clips showing us around the Menier Chocolate Factory and the tiny shared dressing room the cast had to endure as well as rehearsals at the Garrick.

Thanks to Sophie for helping me get it on here!

A Great Ticket and Hotel Deal!

k_r_cook@hotmail.co.uk (Katie) — Sat, 04 Apr 2009 13:12:00 +0000

I've recently been told about a great deal offering the best available tickets to see A Little Night Music for Friday evening performances coupled with a two night stay in the 3 star Bloomsbury hotel in London!

Ideal for those of you who don't live in close proximity to London or just fancy treating yourself to a small theatre break, this is a deal that shouldn't be missed. Moreover, Discount-London.com, are offering it for a complete steal at £126 per person!

The dates on offer are:

17th April 09

24th April 09
8th May 09
22nd May 09
5th June 09
19th June 09
3rd July 09
17th July 09

If you are interested follow the link to the website to get all the information: A Little Night Music with a Two Night Stay in a 3* London Hotel

Radio Interview

k_r_cook@hotmail.co.uk (Katie) — Sun, 29 Mar 2009 17:15:00 +0000

Click here for the extended version of Jessie's interview on Lyric FM's Stage Door feature - Interview 29-03-09!