insideKENT Magazine Issue 82 - January 2019 | Page 24

EVENTS WE JUST CAN’T GET ENOUGH OF Joe! JOE McELDERRY STARS IN CLUB TROPICANA, THE NEW 80’S MUSICAL PREMIERING AT THE CHURCHILL THEATRE BROMLEY THIS JANUARY interview by Michael de Burca It might be 10 years since Joe McElderry, then a fresh faced 18 - year-old, took X Factor and the nation by storm with his chart-topping rendition of “The Climb”, but the enthusiasm, passion and energy that endeared him to millions of viewers in 2009 remains undiminished. He positively bounces into the interview room for our ‘usual natter’, having already had the cast and company of Club Tropicana, the brand new 80’s musical in which he stars, in hysterics with his portrayal of Garry, a Club Rep with an eye for the outrageous and a killer line in barbed one-liners. “He’s camp, he’s witty, very flamboyant and quite sassy,” laughs the 27-year-old from South Shields. He continues, “I’ve never played a comedy role before but it’s been really fun. At first I was really nervous but I’m excited by it now.” He thinks for a moment, then confesses, “There’s no rules with Garry, he’s probably me after four or five vodkas.” 24 Club Tropicana The Musical takes audiences on a trip back to the electric 80s for a summer of love and smash- hit classics. Set to a soundtrack of some of the most iconic, chart-topping hits of the 80s, the story unfolds in the vibrant Club Tropicana Hotel, the 198 0’s answer to Love Island . McElderry is joined by a stellar cast including ex-Eastender Neil McDermott, top impressionist Kate Robbins and former Sugababe Amelle Berrabah, making her musical theatre debut. Born in 1991, McElderry just missed out on the 80s himself, nonetheless he admits they left a massive impression on him. “Club Tropicana has a great story line. It’s a great fun, family- friendly show that you can come along to and sing-a-long to.” Club Tropicana is just the latest in a long line of projects to have kept the singer busy in the decade since winning X Factor. “It’s mad because when I first started in the industry I was looking for some sort of longevity. People always used to ask us what I wanted to do and I always used to say I want to still be doing this in 10 years time... the fact that I am is crazy.” McElderry’s musical theatre career took off in 2015 when he was cast in the title role of the Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice musical Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. “Joseph was a challenge because I was stepping into an iconic role that lots of very famous people have become very loved for playing: Philip Schofield, Jason Donovan, Donny Osmond and the rest. I’d seen them and grew up with them playing Joseph so I realised the weight of the role I was taking on.” He laughs, “I didn’t want to be the worst person to play it.” McElderry was, and still is, aware of the stigma that comes with being discovered on a TV talent show and was determined to prove that he was the right person for the job. “Coming from a show like X Factor I wanted people to come to the show and say, ‘He deserves to be in that role and isn’t there because he was in X Factor’. I didn’t want to be one of those people just put in the job to sell tickets, so I felt the pressure to be good and worked really hard.” To celebrate 10 years in the business, McElderry is also writing a new album of original songs. “I’ll definitely be doing something on stage to acknowledge 10 years, but first I’ve got Club Tropicana,” he says, gazing at the almost life-size picture of him that adorns the poster for the production. “It’s always a very humbling thing to see yourself on a huge poster outside a venue. I’ll never get used to that. It makes me appreciate that not everybody gets to do what they love and I feel lucky to have experienced that as much as I have. I feel blessed.” The Churchill Theatre, High Street, Bromley BR1 1HA www.churchilltheatre.co.uk / 020 3285 6000