Desert diva (From The Northern Echo)

Desert diva

4:33pm Thursday 12th February 2009

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Darlington’s diva, Zoe Birkett, talks to Viv Hardwick about landing a dream role in new musical, Priscilla Queen Of The Desert, and why she turned down Lloyd Webber’s Eurovision.

ZOE Birkett’s first task for her big West End break in new musical Priscilla Queen Of The Desert at the Palace Theatre was to have a cast made of her head in time for the show’s March 10 opening night.

“The part that I play has so many quick changes that I need a face mask that already has make-up, false eyelashes, so that I can whip one off and put the next one on. I think it’s fantastic and I can’t wait but I couldn’t believe it when I was told ‘you’re going for your head cast next week’. I thought originally it was to do with the massive headdresses we’re going to wear,” says the 23-year-old, who splits her time between a flat in London and her family home in Darlington.

But that isn’t the toughest part of the show. “Flying will be hardest. We’re moving above the rest of the cast on a harness which I know is going to make it tight around the chest and difficult to sing. Thank God I’m not afraid of heights because I’ve got two shows a day to get through,” Birkett says.

She’s excited about working with wellknown actor/singer Jason Donovan, Australian performer Tony Sheridan and West End regular Oliver Thornton as the three Divas who venture into the outback.

“I’m on stage at all times with them and on certain numbers they actually mime to my voice,” explains Birkett, who originally wasn’t going to audition for the role having just toured successfully in the new musical, Thriller, which is itself staging a West End run plus a UK touring company.

“I told my agent that I was too busy to get in for an audition, but she persuaded me to come back for it and I was lucky enough to get through to the final selection. After about six weeks of absolute torture I got the part and I was hyperventilating and screaming and crying because it had been such a long wait, and I really wanted the role.”

She knows this is her biggest opportunity so far having finished fourth in ITV’s Pop Idol and then enjoyed chart releases, TV appearances, a pantomime run and starring roles in touring musicals.

“The role I’ve got as a diva is something that I’ve dreamed of doing. I’d still like to record songs, but this type of show is right up my street because I’ve got some big songs like I Will Survive and Finally.

I’m not sure they knew much about me, especially with this being an Australian show (the first production ran in Sydney in 2006). They were really complimentary about what I’d done previously,” says Birkett, who spent the previous two years touring the UK, Scandinavia, Germany and Holland in Thriller.

She’s also managed an appearance at London’s Ronnie Scott’s Jazz Club. “Then I went to singing lessons and dance classes in Darlington and London to prepare for the West End because I wanted to get myself in shape for this role. I wanted to keep my focus. The West End is perfect after living out of a suitcase for two years when I’ve been carrying something like six months of gear around with me. It’s not a fancy lifestyle,” she laughs.

“Jason Donovan is a heart-throb from Neighbours, but I haven’t got to let that distract me. I’m really looking forward to learning things from people who have been in the business for years. I hope that we’ll get to do things like the Royal Variety Performance and I’m excited because I’m a member of an original cast.

“Everybody who knows I’m going into the West End is so excited about it for me.

But I was disappointed I didn’t get to do pantomime this year because of Priscilla rehearsals and I’ll miss next year as well because I’m on a year’s contract,” says the entertainer, who has high hopes the musical will run for some time.

She reveals she was one of the singers offered a chance in the current hunt for a Eurovision singer, but turned that down in favour of her current show. “It would be great to represent your country, but there is just too much politics involved in the voting. So that’s not a route I’m going to take. I really do hope that Andrew Lloyd Webber’s involvement helps,” says the singer, who is all too familiar with the experience of the current TV obsession of deciding singing contests with public phone votes.

“With the Pop Idol I was in being the first, no one knew what to expect and now everyone watches every year. But I didn’t have a clue as a 16-year-old girl who wanted to follow my dreams. I’d come through stage school and singing lessons, but I was totally oblivious to what was going on outside or the mind games. If I were to do it now I think I’d be completely different because we know so much more.”

She’s had a costume fitting and watched a DVD of Priscila and stage show scenes on YouTube and was told that something like $5m has been spent on costumes.

“With any part you’ve got to know what you’re doing. I think I know everything there is to know about Michael Jackson as a result of doing Thriller.”

“I can’t wait to start now. The only pressure is that all my family from Darlington are going to be there on opening night.”

■ Priscilla: Queen Of The Desert the Musical opens at The Palace Theatre, London, on Tuesday, March 10 for preview performances with the official opening night currently looking like March 23. Box Office: 0870-890-0142

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