EMMA WILLIAMS is playing Alice Fitzwarren in this year’s star-studded pantomime Dick Whittington at the London Palladium. She will be reunited with her Half a Sixpence co-star, Charlie Stemp, who will play the title role.
Also featured in the star-billing are Julian Clary, Elaine Paige, Diversity, Paul Zerdin, Gary Wilmot and Nigel Havers.
Emma returns to the Palladium where she made her West End debut as Truly Scrumptious in the original cast of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.
Her other theatre credits include Mrs Henderson Presents at the Noël Coward Theatre, Zorro at the Garrick Theatre and Love Story for Chichester Festival Theatre, as well as in the West End.
Emma recently completed an award-winning run as Helen Walsingham in Half A Sixpence at the Noël Coward Theatre, having also played the role at Chichester Festival Theatre.
Emma is in conversation with Tal Fox.
What made you want to be in a pantomime?
I haven’t done pantomime for 16-plus years, I used to dance in them all the time as a kid. I love Christmas, it’s one of my favourite times of the year. If I’m not doing a musical, then I’ll always be up for a pantomime because I think that they’re one of the greatest experiences anyone gets to do.
It’s the first time kids tend to get to go to the theatre and the magic of Christmas and pantomime is joyous. To get to do this show is brilliant but also to get to do it at the Palladium is amazing!
What was the most memorable panto experience for you?
I remember my first one, I was six years old and it was at Manchester Palace Theatre. I went with my parents and big brother and we saw Aladdin. It had Eartha Kitt, Sylvester McCoy, who had been in Doctor Who at the time, and I think even Cannon and Ball. My brother also got to go up on stage with Garfield the cat [from the popular comic strip] and tell a joke and I was so jealous of him. I love the fact that I have that memory of going to see a show at that age, I think it’s brilliant.
In what ways is it different from other shows you’’ve been involved in?
Every form of theatre has its own particular style that goes with it. Pantomimes are one of the oldest art forms, they come from that variety age. The first pantomime at the Palladium was just over 100 years ago, which is incredible when you think about it, and interestingly enough it was Dick Whittington – so it’s nice to be back there doing that one.
They are a very specific form of art and it’s something you can do or you can’t, you have to find a way to expand yourself beyond the realms of reality but at the same time create something that’s fully accessible to everybody.
I think pantomime is brilliant because it has something for everyone in that respect. There are jokes that will only work for adults, and the kids will just enjoy them and not see the underlining nuances, but there’s also glitz and glamour and fabulous costumes and beautiful, brilliant music.
We are very fortunate, we have a 12-piece band on this which is amazing, it’s something most musicals don’t get these days. So it’s like musical theatre but all the more extreme.
You’ve mentioned the Palladium a few times, is there something more special about doing it there for you?
The Palladium is where I made my theatrical debut and my West End debut. I was 18 at the time, so to be back there, in the home of pantomime, in London is pretty special. It’s the most incredible theatre, it has more than 2,200 seats. It’s an enormous stage so doing a show there is a real event for everybody. Just to be reunited with the gorgeous Charlie Stemp again on that stage will be ultra, ultra special [the actors recently co-starred in Half a Sixpence which transferred from the Chichester Festival Theatre to London’s Noel Coward Theatre].
Can you tell us a bit more about your character?
I play Alice Fitzwarren who is Dick Whittington’s love interest. In this version of the show she meets him very early on, they fall madly in love, and she joins him on his adventures as they travel around. She works in the local sweet shop, which her mum owns. She’s played by the fabulous Gary Wilmot. I’m the love interest but this time hopefully I might actually get the guy, unlike in Half a Sixpence.
How was it being reunited with Charlie Stemp in this show?
I’m thrilled! There’s actually four of us from Half a Sixpence in the show – myself and Charlie, but also Annie Wensak (who played Lady Dacre) and Jimmy Paterson, who was in the original company in Chichester.
It has been rather lovely that we’re all together again and there’s something truly magical about working again with people you know. You build up a rapport, you build up a style of working, and it really helps because we work really intensely during a pantomime rehearsal period.
You’ve got to get a lot done in a short space of time, so it’s very helpful to know one another and to have someone you can just turn to if you need anything. Charlie is such a dream to work with.
Emma is in conversation with Tal Fox.
It is of course quite a famous story, will there be any unexpected twists?
The biggest twist that we’ve got already, if you’ve seen the casting, is that we have a Queen Rat instead of a King Rat with the amazing Elaine Paige. She is absolutely hilarious, which is perhaps not something you’d associate with the leading artist of musical theatre. She is amazing, she’s just as fabulous as she is funny and it’s just glorious.
There’s also the fantastic Julian Clary who is returning to the Palladium as the Spirit of the Bells. It’s great that we’ve got that nice little switch around with male and female roles. It’s nice to see a female baddie, I love a female baddie.
Sometimes pantos use already established songs, and sometimes original numbers, where does this show fall?
We have a combination of original music and new versions of old classics, shall we say… There will be tunes that people can hum along to and there will be some shifts and changes that they won’t be expecting. Basically expect the unexpected and you’re pretty much there.
Are you allowed to reveal any of the songs?
Well, you might be seeing a little bit Half a Sixpence but not quite what you’re expecting.
The cast includes so many stars with quite a variety of talents between you all, from Diversity to Paul Zerdin, how is it working with all of them?
That is really what pantomime is about, it’s about putting all sorts of different talents on stage and finding a way to carve the story to make it work for everybody.
Paul Zerdin is the most incredible ventriloquist, you find yourself talking to Sam, his puppet more than you do to him, which is probably a little bit rude of us. It is incredible, he really brings him to life.
We have the gorgeous Ashley Banjo and Diversity who have been rehearsing somewhere else, doing their routine rehearsals. We met Ashley the other week in the principal rehearsals, because he’s playing the Sultan, and he’s gorgeous and glorious and very tall. I’m looking forward to meeting the rest of the gang.
I’m completely in awe of all of these people. You pinch yourself everyday that you’re lucky to be part of this company. The great thing, with so many big names, is that everyone brings their particular talent to this. Everyone is working really harmoniously as an ensemble as well and that’s what is going to make this a brilliant show. There’s no one person who is the star. This is a full collaborative experience for all of us.
When we all come together, all 32 of us I think, we’ll get to piece everything together and see where we’re at.
Emma Williams with co-stars Charlie Stemp and Devon-Elise Johnson from the cast of Half a Sixpence. Picture: Vivienne Vincent
So you haven’t been to the Palladium with this cast yet?
We don’t go into the theatre until we go to technical rehearsals so at the moment they’re probably be fitting the stage and set. Then the cast always go in for technical rehearsals, so we rehearse elsewhere first.
I was there earlier this year with Half a Sixpence when we did Live at the Palladium. We did one of the numbers from the show and it was quite bizarre to be back on that stage and see how big it was.
Backstage has been fully renovated, it’s beautiful back there now. I kind of wish I could get in there a day early so I could decorate my dressing room with all my Christmas decorations. I am an enormous fan of Christmas, I have a different Christmas outfit for every day of December. I have been one of the faces for Save the Children’s Christmas Jumper day campaign for a couple of years. I’m a proper Christmas fairy.
Do you have nice plans for Christmas?
My fiancé is working on Shrek in Edinburgh and I’m obviously at the Palladium. Fortunately, though, my lovely hubbie-to-be is driving back all the way from Edinburgh so we can spend Christmas Day together, which is amazing of him. I can’t quite believe he’s doing that. I suppose that’s true love. We will be with friends this year rather than at home. We’re both from Yorkshire so getting up there may be a little tricky for me.
Anything else lined up for the new year?
I’m doing a couple of concerts, one of which is with West End International in Newcastle on 4 February 4. I’ve got some concerts abroad as well. I’ve already signed up a job for next year but I can’t talk about it yet, you’ll just have to wait and see…
* Dick Whittington will open at the London Palladium on Wednesday 13 December with previews from Saturday 9 December. Tickets are available HERE.
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